i don't know what's wrong with my body, and lately, i've been feeling that i get tired a lot more easily, probably stress at work. ever since i started training, i've been steadily increasing my cardio time, my reps, the weights, but lately, not only have i been NOT increasing the weights, i can HARDLY finish my sets now. no, it's not the strain that i normally get on my last reps on my last sets, it's that starting the third set is even putting a huge strain on me. after my bench press, today, i was so tired that i unknowingly dozed off for about 5 mins. as i do not know what the heck is wrong with me, i can only think that i'm probably just a little stressed out, anybody got any tips for me to get back on track? i'm afraid to "rest" for a week or so because i think it's going to set me back a lot. i don't think it's my diet either, since i've been eating the same foods for like... um... forever. could it be because my body is telling me to start eating more? and if it was, how do i know? i'm not hungry, i don't feel hungry, should i be eating more? i'm 5'8", 130lbs and built more like an athlete. i think i read somewhere that a massage would do wonders, however, there are so many types of massages that i don't know which one to pick. anybody have any other suggestions? help!!!
Rest for a week. You will come back as strong, if not stronger. Get as much sleep as you can too. Keep eating healthily and you can start again. No athletes train constantly, you have to have a break. Read up on periodization.
give your self couple of weeks of rests and then come back and write new routine for you... -TkdWarrior-
You brought up a lot of issues here, some of which are quite deep. Stress tends to accumulate in our systems, manifesting in the form of chronic muscular tension. This excess tension is present whether we are awake or asleep, and saps our energy levels 24 hours/day. If you are stressed about work, you need to find a way to release the emotional stress in order to allow your muscular tension to disappate. If you first find a way to release your muscular tension, you will find that your level of emotional stress tends to decrease as well. This relationship between emotional stress and muscular tension is self-reinforcing feedback loop, and right now you need to reverse the flow of the reinforcement. Smiling is a simple exercise that is proven to stimulate a correlating emotional response, and is guaranteed painless. Were you increasing your weight, time, reps, and so forth based on a plan or based on how you actually felt? It seems simple and logical to follow a linear plan towards more and more work, but our bodies do not adapt in a linear fashion. Coupled with chronic stress and tension from work, your exercise pattern moved your body into overtraining and has brought you to the point of exhaustion and massive performance losses. :bang: By paying more attention to how you feel instead of what numbers you put up, you can undo this trend when you start exercising again. Here's an excellent article on how to do just that: http://www.circularstrengthmag.com/17/sonnon2.html Since continuing to exercise isn't helping, you have nothing to lose by resting. Your body is giving you HUGE, UNSUBTLE HINTS that you need to change something. :bang: It can't take the abuse any more. Get some rest and try reducing your stress level. Since you have been eating the same foods for a long time, it's very possible that your body is now deficient in one or more nutrients needed to work efficiently. For many people, a good quality multi-mineral and some Omega-3 oils are just the thing to restore a measure of balance. Our bodies are designed to tolerate a variety of foods, so broaden your eating habits, get some supplements started, and maybe have a professional evaluate your health and eating habits. Since tension is your main issue, I would recommend Swedish, Rolfing, or Myofascial Release. :love: I used to love getting a good massage regularly, but with proper training I haven't gone more than once in 9 months.
Give yourself some time to heal. A week is just fine so as to let some worn out muscles build up and repair themselves. Training takes time, and not taking enough rest will set you back even further. This had happen to me. I pushed and pushed not realizing that my body is giving up on me until I got really stressed out. Doctors told me that it was due to over-fatigue. Sometimes we tend to push ourselves even if our body tells us that it needs some rest.
It took me about three weeks to begin practicing again after I tore the meniscus in my left knee, I alternated ice and hot packs and attended physical therepy daily to recover range of motion. It's great now and doesn't (the knee) lock up anymore
thanks for the help guys. things to point out. 1.) i actually slept earlier these past 2 weeks. usually i go to bed about 12MN, now i go to sleep at 10-10:30, mostly because i can't stay awake anymore. 2.) i regularly take vitamin and mineral supplements, so i don't think i'm lacking in vitamins/minerals, as for omega3, i exist on tuna and chicken 3.) thanks, i'll try swedish. 4.) i'll take a week's hiatus from lifting. i was just afraid that i might come back unable to lift the same weights i did, because i stopped lifting for about a month when i injured my ankle, and came back and i had to drop about 10lbs on my free weights. 5.) i smile a lot at work. in fact i'm smiling now thanks guys, you're the greatest. 6.) i am actually LESS stressed out at home nowadays (can't say the same for work though), my wife isn't annoying as much (or maybe i was just too tired to notice ) and the kids have been in their unusually behaved self. 7.) i increase weights based on - adding 1-2 (1lb per side) lbs per 2 weeks-2-1/2 weeks (on the dumbell- i don't do machine, on the barbell it varies, 2-3lbs) is that too fast/slow?
That's a fair weight progression. Just looks like you've hit a plateau and hit a level of overtraining. Definitely take the rest, keep sleeping plenty and eating good. Don't be afraid of dropping a couple of pounds on your weights. 1 month is very different to 1 week, a lot of people come back stronger after a week. Even if you take a little longer and drop a couple of pounds, it's FAR better in the long run. You will be able to train again for longer and feel much better about yourself. What is more important, a couple of pounds on your weight training or your physical well-being?
This maybe really elementary, but I thought I'd throw in that drinking enough water can help with recovery time, not to mention is crucial. Thought I'd throw that in there, since I didn't see it listed anywhere else...it's just one of those things we all know but don't always follow through with.
back to training. thanks for the tips they worked. not only can i now finish the sets and reps, i can finish the last rep easily too. so it's time to add more weight
