Difficulty making it through a workout

[nancyg]

Every once in a while I find it difficult to make it through an entire workout. Yesterday I was doing a cardio/strength workout. 30 minutes cardio and 45 minutes strength. About 10 minutes into it, I knew I was in trouble! And this was after my rest day. What I end up doing is pausing the tape frequently and doing modifications when necessary. But I do push my way through it instead of stopping. Am I getting the same benefits from my workout when this happens?

Nancy

 

[Gettingfit]

Hi Nancy,

Sometimes I have the same trouble--especially when doing Leaner Legs!

Some questions that might help other more experienced people answer your questions are...how long you've been working out. Are you a beginner or advanced exerciser (or somewhere in between)? Do you smoke (I used to & since quitting have the problem less frequently)? Do you need to loose a lot of weight? Are you having this "problem" all the time or just when using specific tapes (like me with Leaner Legs)? Is this mostly during that time of the month or PMS week? Do you work out in the morning (I'm REALLY weak in the morning!)? Finally, are you stopping during the cardio or strength portion or both of you workout?

I know I haven't answered your question at all! I'm sorry, I hope you'll see this, answer my questions & then others will be able to help you out!

I'm ready to take the next step! http://www.smilies-world.de/Smilies/Smilies_klein_1/a_smil09.gif

 

[kweller]

Hi Nancy,
I'm sorry for your troubles! How frustrating.
The two things I would look at is your diet: are you getting enough nutritional calories? Oftentimes for me, when I am worn out as you describe, that is the culprit. Secondly, make sure you are doing a very thorough warm up. For myself I find that the core of my workouts (intensity and quality) are greatly affected by how thoroughly I have warmed up. Makes a big difference.
Good luck and hope this helps,
Kathy

 

[cathe4me2]

I would also like the advise from the educated crowd on this question.
I've been working out since '89 but only using all Cathe tapes for 2 years. I workout 6 sometimes 7 times a week and many times I will do 2 tapes in a day...like stringing the Pure Strenth tapes together to get a full body workout. I will take off 2 days in a row on occasion and I take a week off for vacation in the summer.
But I will go through cycles that I can't make it through Cathe's workouts....I will have to walk around the room and get the heartrate down, my face is as red as a tomato. Cathe always makes me sweat buckets but at these times, whoa...am I really hot!
I blame it on my lupus flares and a slow metabolism but I have often wondered am I getting good benefits from this exertion or am I weakening my immune system more????
I take high doses of liquid vitamins (Doc's advice) and this gives me the energy to accomplish what little I do.
I get so very disgusted with myself when I can't complete the video....especially Rythmic Step which I love so much. I feel like a failure at those times. I think 'Good Grief! I've been working out all these years and duh I can't complete the class.

Interesting question, Nancy....especially since we have some new challenges coming up with the Intense Series.

Wanda

 

[slnewmanpt]

This probably isn't much help, but I thought I'd chime in. I've worked out for 21 years and the same thing happens to me. Some days, or sometimes even some weeks, I'm just really weak. Even if I've had enough sleep or eaten right, it just happens. I figure I just work my way through it and it will pass. And it does.(pass) Not much help, I know, but letting you know I experience the same thing. I think sometimes our bodies are just in different moods, like our minds.

Sorry if this was just kinda babble, I wanted to let you know you're not alone. :7

Sherry

 

[nancy324]

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Nov-10-02 AT 12:13PM (Est)[/font][p]Nancy-
Your problem sounds very familiar to me! My body knows when it can't make it through a workout that would normally be no problem for me and I listen to my body. As you say, about 10 mins. into the workout I find myself plopping into a chair and not wanting to get out. I hate it, but I respect it. Maybe I'm fighting off an illness, or under a lot of stress. I shut off the tape, and concentrate on eating a good, healthy dinner and getting lots of sleep, and try again tomorrow. Missing a day or two doesn't do any real harm to my fitness level. In fact, I believe I am doing my body a favor by not pushing it past its limits. Take good care of yourself is my philosophy!

I'm editing this to say I just read Sherry's response and I agree!
-Another Nancy

 

[nancyg]

I am an experienced advanced exerciser, been working out for years and I don't need to lose any weight. I only have this problem once every other month or so. I try to listen to my body, and usually know if I am up for a particular workout. But sometimes it catches me off-guard. Caused by no specific tapes or TOTM. And I had to stop during both the cardio and strength portions.

Once I start I hate to stop. As I was finishing the cardio portion, I thought, well, maybe I'll just do the upper body portion and skip the legs, because my legs felt really weak. But then I figured I could give it a try, and I rested as needed. Funny thing, I had more trouble with my upper body work than my legs!

Glad to know I'm not the only one that experiences this. I just don't want to push myself like that if the effect was the opposite of what I am trying to accomplish, i.e. burning muscle instead of fat.

Nancy

 

[Connie1]

Same as Sherry, I am not surprised when it happens. I often associate it with TTOM though. I pause the tape a lot, and even at my strongest, I pause strength tapes an awful lot. It makes them take longer but oh well. I'd rather give it my all than rush through it and be even more disappointed.

It does happen to me though. Some seasons it happens a lot less. Maybe when I've been doing more cardio and am slightly better conditioned? Also, I only work (at my job) 4 days a week and sometimes 3. On those 3 day weeks I seem to have lots more energy. Could it be sleep quality/quantity?

HTH (?)

 

[Jen_strong]

I just went through 3-4 days of this - in fact, I posted it on the open forum under "NO energy days", and several people were very supportive about just taking a rest and listening to your body. I think PMS was the culprit. My head wanted to continue, but my body said NO. I finally gave in and took a total unplanned rest day, and yesterday was able to complete a tough 45 minute workout no problem, back to my old energy. Just give your body the rest it's asking for, and your energy will return in a few days. If not, like others suggested, you may want to look at what you're eating or your sleep habits.

Hope this helps!
Jen

 

[clareMc]

Nancy and all:


if this is happening to you, it means one thing: you are human and perfectly normal!!!!

remeember back to Cathe's spiel during oone exercise in Power Hour? She is lifting a huge bar and says "some days you're not having it all there. Depends on what you ate, how you slept, and WHAT'S GOING ON IN OUR LIFE",

Humans are not machines. We are not just biceps on legs. We are fallible, we have good days when our energy levels seem to explode through the ceiling and even Body max seems a breeze, and other days when Step Heat defeats us. That's how it is. Your body knows far better than you (your mind and perception) exactly what it needs. If it is refusing to do any more than simply go through the paces, then stop and rest. Heck, take several days off. You will lose nothing through it except this useless anxiety and perhaps guilt attached to "not working out every day", but when you come back to it, the energy will be there.

I have just taken three weeks off --on top of the fact that I have only been able to average about two workouts since August due to repeating sickness, job, family life, PMS, etc. But I am back now and raring to go and I can still do PS legs lifting just a little bit less weight than before, but I'll get back there again) and Step Works all the way through and I can push through it.

You don't have to rest that long! Just take a couple of days, stop even thinking about having to work out and go out and do something else with your life. Maybe your body/mind are also bored and just don't want to do it!!

So, to re-phrase Nike, "just do something else!!!!!!!"

Wow! Will I get away with having said that on this board?

Clare

 

[nancyg]

Thank you all for your responses. I understand that our bodies sometimes don't react predictably to our exerize programs. Some days we just feel stronger than others. There are days when I recognize I just can't do anything, so I don't. I am consistent with my diet, sleep and exercize, but like you all have experienced, some days it just ain't happening!

My big question still is, am I getting any benefit from pushing myself through a workout like this? From what I'm reading, the real answer is just to stop and let your body recover, but I still would like to know if I'm getting any benefit from this or just wasting my time and energy?

Nancy