Fatigue

Ken In Canada · Fri, March 19th, 2004, 03:59 PM

Hey people,

After 2 months to the day of consistent diet and exercise, I find myself at a burnout.

I'm not sure what brought this about. We just had a baby 3 weeks ago, but even then I was keeping my routine in check.

I've been tired all week and can't find the energy to do my cardio in the mornings, or weight training at night.

My routine thus far has been (6' 210lbs)

I keep a 40/40/20 split and eat between 1800-2000 cals a day

Monday 23 minutes HIIT AM, legs PM
Tuesday 15 minutes HIIT AM, arms PM
Wednesday 23 minutes HIIT AM, shoulders PM
Thursday 15 minutes HIIT AM, back PM
Friday 23 minutes HIIT AM, chest PM
Saturday OFF
Sunday Cardio (optional)

I'm hoping someone has some advice, or has experience a similar effect after only about 10 weeks of training so successfully.

Thanks!

Ken

chops · Fri, March 19th, 2004, 04:06 PM

maybe you are overtraining. here is some info on that http://www.exrx.net/ExInfo/Overtraining.html

Jimbo · Fri, March 19th, 2004, 04:07 PM

Congrats on the baby!
Speaking of which, are you saying that the baby has not affected your sleeping routine? If so, I'm amazed (and jealous). If not, that could be the source of burnout.

Chim-Chim · Fri, March 19th, 2004, 04:10 PM

Is it possible to get your workout at lunch instead? I know for me this is the most energizing part of the day. I know it may not be possible for you but I figured it wouldn't hurt to suggest it.

Ken In Canada · Fri, March 19th, 2004, 04:22 PM

chops - You may be right about the overtraining. I'm going to take a week off EVERYTHING and see how that works out for me. I'm just in fear that I'll lose some muscle and gain some fat. Can a week off really ruin things for you?

Jimbo - My wife's been getting up with the baby so long as I feed him at night. That's been putting my workouts at around 9:30 pm as opposed to 8:30. In any case, I'm sure I'm getting at least 6-7 hours of unbroken sleep a night.

Chim-Chim - I work at a government research facility. We don't have a gym here or for miles around here. I get only a short lunch and wouldn't be able to pull it off. I appreciate your idea though!

Ken

Jimbo · Fri, March 19th, 2004, 04:28 PM

A month ago I took a week off, and it didn't hurt muscle development at all - in fact I think it helped.

chops · Fri, March 19th, 2004, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken In Canada

chops - You may be right about the overtraining. I'm going to take a week off EVERYTHING and see how that works out for me. I'm just in fear that I'll lose some muscle and gain some fat. Can a week off really ruin things for you?

Ken

from what i've heard from people who have gone thru this, taken a week off has been very beneficial to them and many times, people find they come back stronger than before. try doing a google search or look for articles on "deconditioning" which will explain this concept too. 1 week should be fine but no more than two weeks. after 2 weeks, some atrophy may set in. i will be taking a week off soon too

another thing - after looking at your split, i think the arrangement could have caused to to burn out faster. my 2 cents - try experiment with different splits when you come back from your week off.

5 straight days of lifting AND HIIT is intense. something like 2 or 3 days on, 1 day off, etc may be easier to recover from, and you could do cardio on that off day. also chest and back and major muscle groups maybe try putting legs in between or something. my personal opinion is that a 5 day split doesnt give your body enough rest. my split is 4 days and sometimes i move my cardio around so that i have full rest days.

arms heavy (tri/bi/shoulder)
cardio
legs heavy (calf, hams, quad)
chest heavy and light (tri/shoulder)
cardio
back heavy and light (bicep, quad)
cardio