Feeling sick after heavy lifting?

Rico

I've been following the Stronglifts plan (more or less) for over a year - I'm not doing it on a strict 3x a week schedule - more like 1-2x a week on average.  And I'll de-load significantly if I feel my form is suffering, or if I've taken a lot of time off.  

Anyway, about this time last year I was making good progress, but as things began getting more and more difficult I started feeling sick.  For a few days after a hard workout I felt really worn down and slightly nauseous.  At the time I chalked it up to stress over the adoption of our son.  I took a break, lowered the weights significantly due to an injured knee, and to concentrate on form.  It eventually got better.

So now I'm approaching those PRs again, and the same thing is happening.  My last lifting day was Thursday, and starting on Friday I felt like crap, left work early and took a two hour nap.  This weekend I had a hard time staying awake past nine, which is unusual for me.  I still feel run down today, though I ran on Saturday and did an hour of yard work on Sunday, so that probably didn't help.  I'm pretty good about taking days off, so I don't think it's overtraining, but I could be mistaken.

Has anyone else encountered this?  Any tips for combating it?  (FWIW, I've been on a T supplement for years, but haven't gotten my numbers checked lately - normally they're in the 500-700 range on my current dosage)

TK421

I used to get dog tired after a run. Then I learned I was not fueling my body properly once I finished. I would only drink water. When I switched to Gatorade and a protein drink the fatigue went away and now I'm fine.

It could be in what you consume immediately after a workout. Tell us a little bit about that.

Rico

I almost always follow a workout with the following:

- two scoops of isopure whey powder

- a teaspoon of creatine 

- a cup of milk

- a cup of mixed berries or a tbsp of peanut butter

350-500 calories total.

JellyBean

Sometimes I get kind of upset tummy on leg day.  I always guessed it was the lactic acid.  The queasy feeling would usually pass within an hour or so.  (Full disclosure: I have an ulcer.)

seriously

Rico said:

I almost always follow a workout with the following:

- two scoops of isopure whey powder

- a teaspoon of creatine 

- a cup of milk

- a cup of mixed berries or a tbsp of peanut butter

350-500 calories total.

What about pre-workout?  How long before and what?  Also, what time of day are you lifting?

JesusMarimba

seriously said:

Rico said:

I almost always follow a workout with the following:

- two scoops of isopure whey powder

- a teaspoon of creatine 

- a cup of milk

- a cup of mixed berries or a tbsp of peanut butter

350-500 calories total.

What about pre-workout?  How long before and what?  Also, what time of day are you lifting?

Yeah, what he said. Take that stuff a half hour before the workout. See if that makes a difference.

What's your rest time between sets?

Rico

I work out first thing in the morning.  Unfortunately making the protein shake before working out would wake up the entire house.  But I know I need to be eating *something* beforehand.  Suggestions?

I usually rest 90 seconds between sets - once I get my own squat rack (hopefully within the next month) I'll be able to rest longer in between.

JesusMarimba

Maybe you can blend up the shake the night before and then just shake it to remix it in the morning.

Rico

Genius!  

seriously

Rico said:

I work out first thing in the morning.  Unfortunately making the protein shake before working out would wake up the entire house.  But I know I need to be eating *something* beforehand.  Suggestions?

Not so much for lifting because I do it at lunch or early evening only, but for morning workouts like running, biking, or swimming, a PB and banana sandwich on white bread, or on a tortilla.  If its a LONG run, I add honey to it too.  I need 30-40 minutes to digest this before putting in an effort.  Lower fat PB is easier on my stomach.  Also, oatmeal with brown sugar and milk.  Or, greek yogurt, dried fruit, and granola.

This sounds like a sugar crash to me.  What is the rest of your diet like?

seriously

More thoughts, how is your breathing?  Asthma, deviated septum, any obstructions?  When you are completing these lifts, how hard are your breathing, and how much time do you NEED to recover?  

What's your blood pressure like?  High, low?

DaveBowman

Same, until I started taking the p90x recovery shake an hour before the workout, instead of after.

Saluki

The workout is hard, right?  I experience the same thing pretty regularly.

I've been kicking my own ass in the weight room four days a week since the beginning of the summer.  I don't feel quite as tired as back in July, but a good lift still wipes me out.  But its working; I've gotten stronger and gained about 12 pounds of (mostly) muscle.

Eating a lot helps.  But a hard workout makes anyone tired.

Rico

seriously said:

More thoughts, how is your breathing?  Asthma, deviated septum, any obstructions?  When you are completing these lifts, how hard are your breathing, and how much time do you NEED to recover?  

What's your blood pressure like?  High, low?

Breathing is OK.  I have mild sleep apnea, but other than that nothing.  After a set I'm breathing hard, but can still carry on a conversation.  

Blood pressure is usually 120/80, occasionally slightly lower - always within the normal range.

My diet could stand to be better.  Main meals are generally good - wife is good about cooking paleo (or a reasonable approximation thereof), but my the snacking throughout the day that sabotages things.

Serendipity

BCAA's?

I did think immediately a fuel problem. Also maybe add in some foam rolling.

seriously

Rico said:

 wife is good about cooking paleo (or a reasonable approximation thereof), but my the snacking throughout the day that sabotages things.

I'm still angling towards your blood sugar getting too low, so this is a follow-up on that.  Paleo is a fairly loose term these days.  Can you describe your meals?  Is it mainly meat and green veggies?  What kind of carbs are you getting?  Have you tracked your daily macronutrients?

I've been on strict "Mark's Daily Apple/Primal Blueprint" paleo a few times, for a couple months each.  My body didn't do particularly well with it.  I never seemed to get enough carbs and I had crashes.  For me, its because I couldn't maintain enough on-demand energy to do the things I do.  If I wasn't working out like usual, or even slightly degraded from usual, I could function fairly well, but it was with far less exercise than I am used to.  My point is, it sounds like you are not converting enough fat for your on-demand energy needs and its leading to this sick feeling.  But without really studying your macros, daily intake and outputs, and journalling your perception of these feelings on a consistent basis, it will be tough to really tell.