Why Do I Feel So Tired At The Gym?

Ever had a training session where you thought it was just terrible and throughout the workout you felt so drained and just wanted it to be over and done with? Or somedays you feel like you could lift the big dumbbells covered in dust and tucked away because no one has been able to lift them but you feel like you could? Alright that may be exaggerating but why is it some days you feel like Hercules and others you feel like its your first day in the gym and you're so worn out and tired that you just want to go home? Well first thing you should take a look at is your nutrition. Keep in mind you get what you give, so chances are if you don't eat properly and at the proper time prior to your workout then your performance can actually drop. Think of it this way, you need to provide your body with the fuel you need to smash a workout. It sucks I know, especially for fasted training (training first thing in the morning without eating anything) you feel like that goal weight/ rep range is way out of your league. So say you do eat properly which is great but when do you eat before that workout because time can be very crucial when it comes to having a great workout vs. one that could be questioned on its quality. 

Proper Timing:

So say you eat a kick ass pre workout meal yet you still don't feel a difference, well like I mentioned above your timing is very crucial in allowing your body to use that fuel to your advantage. If you don't eat anything as a pre workout then you can't really expect to preform as strong during the workout compared to one where you do fuel up. For your pre workout I would recommend eating around 2 hours before a workout. The reason why I say 2 hours is because it gives your body enough time to digest that food and store all the nutrients as fuel ready to go. If you eat with less time to digest in some cases you can expect to get stomach cramps during a workout. Ive had it happen to me many times when I would play basketball and it can get to a point where you just want to sit down and say "I think I'm done for the day". By eating too soon you won't have time to digest it so you can actually end up walking out of the gym with more energy after a workout then at the start. Now it is natural to feel worn out after a workout, it shows you that you pushed your body which is what we want. Just make sure to get a post workout meal in shortly after that workout (within 45min after a workout) by eating something that can be digested fast.

What To Eat:

I've said it before and I'll say it again, no one is the same so why follow the same meals as someone else. Now that we know when to eat we need to determine what to eat. In order to understand what to eat we need to break it down into out macros (macronutrients- Protein, Carbohydrates, Dietary Fats). 

Protein:

Protein is going to be used as a fuel during a workout and will help prevent losing muscle during a workout. To determine how much protein you need to eat there are a couple calculations that need to be made. 

1. Determine your weight in kg. If you know your weight in lbs the divide it by 2.2 and it will give you your weight in kg. (ex. 210lb/ 2.2 = 95.5kg)
2. Multiply your weight in kg by 0.15 to get the low range in grams. (ex. 95.5kg x 0.15 = 14.3g)
3. Multiply weight in kg by 0.25 to get the high end of the range in grams (ex. 95.5kg x 0.25 = 23.9g)

So for someone who weighs 210b/ 95.5kg they would want to consume somewhere between 14.3g- 23.9g of protein as their pre workout meal.

Carbohydrates:

Similar to protein carbohydrates will also be used as fuel for your workout. However, carbs are slightly more complicated. Carbs can be broken down into two different types: high glycemic, and low glycemic. High glycemic carbs mean they digest fast and it increases your glucose and insulin. High glycemic carbs are more ideal for a post workout meal so it gets to the body and where it needs to be fast so it helps with the recovery process. After a workout you have burned through those stored nutrients and can leave your body depleted so the fast you can refuel the better your recovery will be. Low glycemic carbs on the other hand are slow digesting, and they don't spike glucose and insulin levels. This is more ideal for a pre workout meal because we want something that will last and provide a steady amount of energy throughout the workout. Just like how we determined the amount of protein needed we can follow similar steps to figure out the amount of carbs as well. 

1. Determine your weight in kg. (lb divided by 2.2= kg)
2. Multiply your weight in kg by 0.25 for the low end of the range (ex. 95.5kg x 0.25= 14.3g)
3. Multiply by 1.0 for the high end of the range. (ex. 95.5kg x 1.0= 95.5g)

As we can see for someone who weighs 210lbs/ 95.5kg it would be best to consume somewhere between 14.3g- 95.5g of a source of carbohydrate. 

Examples of Low Glycemic Carbs: nuts, fruits, whole grains, sweet potatoes, pasta, oats, vegetables, etc.

Examples of High Glycemic Carbs: sugars, white potatoes, cereal, candy, etc. 

Dietary Fats:

As far as dietary fats are concerned with a pre workout meal I would recommend you try your best to avoid them for this occasion. Some fats are essential which means your body needs them however when you are eating for a pre workout we want to primarily focus on carbs and protein sources so that was we burn stored body fat. Some studies have showed that when you eat fats as a pre workout along with protein and carbs the body will use the protein and carbs as energy sources and just store more fat. By focusing on protein and carbs you will burn fat and build muscle/ maintain muscle (depending on your macros throughout the day but either way you should not lose any muscle if you eat within the ranges above).

Added Advantage:

Once you try out the pre workout meal with the measurements designed for you but you're looking for the extra edge, something that will push you to that next step with more energy and help you focus. That is when you can start looking into supplementing with a pre workout. The reason why I listed this last is because so many people have the mentality that supplements are whats going to take them from good to great and rely heavily on these supplements. Focus on your nutrition then look into adding more, the supplements are there to help aid you in pushing those limits. I will go over picking the right pre workout in the near future and how to read the ingredients on the label but for now there is a link to Cellucor.com which is the home of one of the best pre workouts I have personally ever tried and if you use the promo code: RONNIEV during checkout you can get 25% off your order + free shipping (just click on the picture of the cellucor whey on the right sidebar). 

Extra Tips:

If you end up giving that nutrition a try and find you still feel groggy then there could be two other possibilities: 

- Are you getting enough rest? Aim for atlas 6-8 hours of sleep a day. Your body recovers while you sleep so if you don't give it enough time to recharge then you're just fighting a battle against yourself.

- Are you drinking enough water? Personally I aim for at least 1 gallon of water a day. Drinking enough water is especially important if you start supplementing with a pre workout because it allows you to take whats in a pre workout and deliver it effectively to the muscles. Drinking lots of water can help avoid getting any muscle cramps as well, besides up to 60% of the grown adult body is water so try switching that soda with some fine H20. If you're like me then water can seem unappealing but I toss a scoop of BCAA's in my 2.2L water bottle and I couldn't be happier (you can even find some bcaa's on cellucor's website).

Ronnie Vercruyssen,

"Every champion was once a contender that refused to give up"- Rocky Balboa