Workout Exhaustion Issues

[Blackdog317]

I have been dealing extra fatigue as well. I think it is the heat (I'm also in Texas and dealing with 100+ degrees and 80% humidity).

Recently had my yearly physical and my health is not the issue... other than getting older (48 in Sept).

Been hunting the Western US for 8-10 years. Training is always tough, but this year is different. The mental and physical effects of this heat is the issue for me.

Get checked-out by a doctor to be safe, then find a way to keep pushing forward. I feel your pain... but hunting season is almost here!!!

 

[LongWayAround]

Honestly sounds like a pretty normal training ebb and flow to me. It's all mostly mental and very few people are equally driven every day for long periods.

I am in physical condition that most people would describe as being above average. Sometimes I get after it for a period of several months and then fall off. Go through the motions awhile and get back into it eventually.

If you were hitting it as hard as you say since April, then hit the wall a few weeks ago you're body is probably just tired and maybe you got bored with what you were doing. You don't need some dumbass diet or supplements, just take it easy and slide back into your routine or mix it up, go for a jog etc. You will be in fine shape when your hunt comes up.

Some of the suggestions here remind me of fat chicks blaming their thyroid while smashing Cheetos...

 

[D S 319]

Keep at it. You’re not gonna be at your best in the mountains while low on calories and half dehydrated so that’s why you train when not at best as well.

 

[*zap*]

Been there and worse.

Inflammation. Try an anti inflammation med and see if it gets better in 36 hrs. If so then do carnivore and it will go away fast otherwise it can become chronic.

This was my response.^
It is a simple thing to take a good dose of anti inflammatory medicine for a short period of time and see if there is a dramatic change to how you feel, which is what I recommended.
If after 3 weeks of poor performance following my suggestion made you feel better then the carnivore is a good option. If it makes no difference than find other solutions.
Simple.

I never said just do carnivore....but I think we all should do it for at least 30 days and see what happens., especially if we have aches and pains daily.

 

[T-town]

Extreme heat like we’ve been having the past 6 weeks here in the Deep South and lack of good sleep is when I notice myself dipping in performance stamina.

 

[War Paint]

Sorry, but no one here has enough information to make real suggestions. Much less one as extreme as saying eat a carnivore diet. You complained about a performance issue. Carnivore diet is not a performance diet. A sudden drop in performance could just as easily come from not eating enough calories or carbs.

What’s your height, weight, body fat, age, and workout/athletic history? (You should ask the same of those giving advice too.)

Are you exhausted all the time, or just during workouts? If the former, and the level of fatigue is interfering with day to day activities, go see a doctor to rule out a real disease and go forward from there.

If the latter, think systematically: what changed? Are you getting sufficient calories? (I’d track calories if you aren’t already.) Sufficient hydration? When you say “exhausted,” what does that mean? Heart rate too high from the get-go, muscles got tired early, something else? How has your sleep been, and other sources of life stress?

I’m no expert, but it seems to me that if you think things through you’re likely to come up with some plausible explanation. If you have a history of working out and being healthy, don’t just gut it out - a sudden drop in performance has a cause, think it through and address things. May be as simple as just decreasing the pace if it’s over a certain temp. I’d also note that if your only “cardio” or “endurance” workout is a single, long hike with 60-80 lbs that’s probably not an ideal schedule. Simultaneously too much and not enough. More frequent yet shorter hikes with less weight is probably a better and more sustainable plan.

Jumping straight to “eat a carnivore diet” is ridiculous. But it’s your life - if you do it, yes please do report back!

A lot to unpack here but I’ll stick to these comments. Best I can describe is muscle fatigue. No issues with heart rate, dehydration, etc. I have a cardio routine throughout the week that isn’t rucking.

All your other comments are appreciated

 

[War Paint]

Honestly sounds like a pretty normal training ebb and flow to me. It's all mostly mental and very few people are equally driven every day for long periods.

I am in physical condition that most people would describe as being above average. Sometimes I get after it for a period of several months and then fall off. Go through the motions awhile and get back into it eventually.

If you were hitting it as hard as you say since April, then hit the wall a few weeks ago you're body is probably just tired and maybe you got bored with what you were doing. You don't need some dumbass diet or supplements, just take it easy and slide back into your routine or mix it up, go for a jog etc. You will be in fine shape when your hunt comes up.

Some of the suggestions here remind me of fat chicks blaming their thyroid while smashing Cheetos...

What’s wrong with cheetos

 

[*zap*]

Honestly sounds like a pretty normal training ebb and flow to me. It's all mostly mental and very few people are equally driven every day for long periods.

I am in physical condition that most people would describe as being above average. Sometimes I get after it for a period of several months and then fall off. Go through the motions awhile and get back into it eventually.

If you were hitting it as hard as you say since April, then hit the wall a few weeks ago you're body is probably just tired and maybe you got bored with what you were doing. You don't need some dumbass diet or supplements, just take it easy and slide back into your routine or mix it up, go for a jog etc. You will be in fine shape when your hunt comes up.

Some of the suggestions here remind me of fat chicks blaming their thyroid while smashing Cheetos...

it is amazing that people do not realize why they have a performance drop in training and have no plan for training other than just see what happens from the ebb and flow and consider themselves expert enough to comment on what other people suggest to the point of ridicule..

 

[Maverick1]

One thing that I have found very important in the very hot weather is to get enough salt and electrolytes. Actually taking a salt lick with me (base salt; NOT a salt pill) and drinking electrolytes makes a huge difference!

 

[P Carter]

A lot to unpack here but I’ll stick to these comments. Best I can describe is muscle fatigue. No issues with heart rate, dehydration, etc. I have a cardio routine throughout the week that isn’t rucking.

All your other comments are appreciated

Interesting. Maybe track for a bit and see how much protein you’re getting.

Edit: if it helps, and for context, if it’s hotter than usual or I’m dehydrated, it shows for me through elevated heart rate for the pace. Insufficient calories comes through as general fatigue but not specific to muscles. I’ve only felt general muscle fatigue as a limiting factor when I’ve done a hard lift or fast run prior and haven’t recovered. Again, everyone is different, just sharing my experiences.

 

[robcollins]

I'm type 1 diabetic, and have tried low carb high fat, as well as low carb high protein. I have a continuous glucose monitor.

Low carb flushes electrolytes. (Google: keto flu, sweating also flushes electrolytes)

Low carb could also mean you're depletion glycogen stores. "Cardio" means different things to different people. (Age, fitness level are big variables, metabolism is different for everyone) Cardio, needs glycogen.

2 sources for glycogen:
1) The food you just ate. Digestion slows during exercise. Converting protein is slower, which is why humming birds don't do keto. Fat conversion is slower still.
2) Your liver. Converting stored fat to sugar is your liver's job, ready reserves are released, but then conversion has to happen. An hour's worth is sort of the outside limit. After that, bonk.

My strategy (with diabetic items in parentheses) for backpacking, ruck workouts, etc. is as follows:
1) (suspend insulin delivery, don't have bolused insulin on board because insulin sensitivity will skyrocket)
2) begin multi-hour exercise with ~20-30g easily digested carbs. Repeat hourly.
3) fluids. Include electrolytes. Watch your piss for feedback, you're striving for clear, definitely not dark yellow. This is more important if you're normally low carb, as burning fat purges electrolytes. That "Keto Flu" search will give results that elaborate.
4) (resume insulin delivery via my pump 20 minutes or so before completing workout, or, resume and bolus when done)

Heat + exercise complicates life differently than elevation. Intensity is a variable to consider too. Feed your activities. LCHF during backpacking, if I'm in good shape works great, exercise generally means Intensity is higher for me, so gels, or even sugar and water as needed (looking at my continuous glucose monitor means I can predict and prevent hypoglycemia aka bonk)

Hope this gives something else to consider....



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[robcollins]

it is amazing that people do not realize why they have a performance drop in training and have no plan for training other than just see what happens from the ebb and flow and consider themselves expert enough to comment on what other people suggest to the point of ridicule..

I have to be scientific and focus on cause and effects, or I'd have never figured any of this out and would have died of a hypoglycemic induced heart attack in a wilderness area chasing elk or snowshoeing/snowboarding, etc.

I've got great tools now, blood glucose levels have nearly killed me twice before getting them. By "nearly killed" glucose levels of (coincidentally) 17, once elk hunting, once snowboarding, happened, and I was up, functioning, in a fog. Folks are usually unconscious and convulsing at those levels.

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[aftriathlete]

How old are you? Training “routinely” since April, id say if you are over 35 you probably are overtrained if you haven’t throttled back periodically. I just hit 40, I train hard and consistently for a couple decades now. And I have to pull back about one week out of every 6 to recover. Cut all workouts in half, take an extra day off. If I don’t do that voluntarily my body winds up making me do it involuntarily anyway with some sort of illness or tweak.

 

[Shane]

When is the last time you had bloodwork done? You might want to check your thyroid and testosterone levels.

 

[Poser]

How much actual sleep are you getting?

 

[The_Jim]

Fitness is one of the few things that pushing hard all the time eventually has diminishing returns. Your body can only take so much stress before it says no more. If you’re doing an 8 mile ruck with 60+ lbs you should probably only lift 2 days a week.

I’m really good at over training and I’m just starting to learn that I’m just wearing my body down. It’s a different mind set but you’ll feel so much better when you have the proper training volume.

 

[3325]

A lot of time in the gym and a weekly 8 mile ruck with 60-80 lbs in a local state park that has some up/down.

It sounds like you are overtrained. Or, as the old time fight trainers would have said, you've, "gone stale."

It's a real thing.

Rucking: Cut your miles to six and your pounds to 40.

Gym: What's "A lot of time?" Do two full body strength training sessions per week; no upper/lower or "leg day, arm day," etc. Train your body as a unit.

Additional: Add a low intensity trail run/walk. Wear your boots for the ruck but wear your running shoes for this. If you're wondering if you're going fast enough, slow down and walk a bit more.

Poor eating habits can nullify the best training routine.

I answered this without reading any other responses. Now I'll see what everyone else said.

 

[CobraChicken]

So like many of you, have been training for elk season. A lot of time in the gym and a weekly 8 mile ruck with 60-80 lbs in a local state park that has some up/down. Been rucking routinely since beginning of April.

I’ve been making some great strides and feeling tons of improvements and then one day a few weeks ago my body felt like it just shut down from exhaustion. I took most of that week off, eased back into things, but now it’s like I’m struggling to get back to previous results. It’s been about 3 weeks since that moment. For example I went on my weekly ruck this morning and got to about 5 miles and my body was like F it.

For perspective I’m in Texas and it’s been one hot MFer of a summer so that probably is a factor, but do a good job staying hydrated with all the gear.

Just looking for general thoughts here from you pros. Maybe there are supplements y’all can recommend that actually work. One of the mainstream hunting branded ones that I won’t name has seemed pretty gimmicky and ineffective.

Less that 2 months from my draw season and feel like timing sucks to have this setback.

Heat acclimation and overworking are too very real things.

Sodium, glucose and water and needed to sustain energy along with rehydration. Along with lots of food, especially carbohydrates. Recovery is essential.

I run alot here in wyo and if I'm not properly fueled I feel the same way. I get poor times and think im backtracking. Then when I feel I'm not ready for my half marathon I fuel correctly during and before and I'm back where I'm at. I use trailwind for running and hunting. Helps alot. Along with a ton of carbohydrates and sodium.

 

[Fowl Play]

How much actual sleep are you getting?

I would 2nd this ^. Sleep and diet are the biggest ones for me. Eating a caloric deficit or not getting enough high quality sleep are sure fire ways to hit a wall.

 

[timekiller13]

You may be overdoing it.

Recovery periods are just as important as hard training. You can only break your body down so much. It’s got to have time to rest and rebuild.

Heat and humidity are also a huge factor. My heart rate increases 10-15% during exercise during the summer months. I just have to slow myself down to keep myself in my target heart rate range.