Weakness during intense workout

[Lynn L]

My step daughter is nearly done with her first Whole 30 (day 29).  It is suddenly extremely hot and humid in Florida. She has been eating her half protein before her workouts. When she added fat, she found that she slowed down and cut that out. But now that it has gotten super hot and humid, she has found that she doesn't have enough energy to make it through her workout (which is lead by a trainer and is pretty intense).  He wants her to start eating fruit before the workout. The rest of her diet is following the template with protein, veggies, sweet potatoes, etc.  I noticed I was having the same problem as soon as it got hot. Like we couldn't get enough protein and didn't have energy. Any suggestions as both of us will probably be continuing the W30 evern after 30.

[missmary]

He wants her to start eating fruit before the workout.

 

This is the opposite of what she should do.

 

The small portion of protein or fat pre-workout is not really fueling the workout, it's a signal to the body that it is ok to start using the bodies existing stores of energy. The key to having energy in workouts is eating sufficient food in the meals leading up to it. Think of marathoners who eat a giant bowl of pasta the night before a race. Is your daughter eating the equivalent in sweet potato, steak and greens the night before she does these intense workouts? Is she eating the post-workout protein and carb to recover properly from the previous workout? These are key.

 

If she eats fruit before the workout, she will have a kind of sugar-fueled energy that lasts for a very short duration. If she gets adapted to burning fat her energy will be steady and stronger. It is worth working through the transition to get there.

 

That said, if these are very long, intense, hot workouts, she might want to consider supplementing with something in the middle of the workout, ie. wait until she feels her energy start to flag, then take in some coconut water or a squeeze from a sweet potato babyfood packet to make it through the rest of the workout. These are things we would recommend to marathoners or triathlons who are not sufficiently fat adapted to make it through the whole race. If her workouts feel like a marathon, they might be a good compromise solution.

[lorah]

I think it also depends on her goals, what training she is doing etc.

Most people don't need carbs pre workout for weight training xx

[jennor]

If it is very hot, maybe she needs to drink more? Sometimes when it is very hot and I sweat a lot I make a kind of home made sports drink: sqeeze lemon or lime into water and add a pinch of salt. For me, it feels like the water is just going through me after a hot workout if I don't eat a bit extra salt to compensate for what I lost sweating.

[ultrarunnergirl]

Totally agree with missmary.

 

She may very well need to ensure she eats enough high carb veggies in the day(s) before these workouts.

 

Coconut water is a great suggestion.

 

Keep in mind, though, that heat is a limiting factor in what anyone can do. No amount of water or carbs can defeat the heat. You simply cannot do as much, as fast as you can in cooler temps.

 

This is the opposite of what she should do.

 

The small portion of protein or fat pre-workout is not really fueling the workout, it's a signal to the body that it is ok to start using the bodies existing stores of energy. The key to having energy in workouts is eating sufficient food in the meals leading up to it. Think of marathoners who eat a giant bowl of pasta the night before a race. Is your daughter eating the equivalent in sweet potato, steak and greens the night before she does these intense workouts? Is she eating the post-workout protein and carb to recover properly from the previous workout? These are key.

 

If she eats fruit before the workout, she will have a kind of sugar-fueled energy that lasts for a very short duration. If she gets adapted to burning fat her energy will be steady and stronger. It is worth working through the transition to get there.

 

That said, if these are very long, intense, hot workouts, she might want to consider supplementing with something in the middle of the workout, ie. wait until she feels her energy start to flag, then take in some coconut water or a squeeze from a sweet potato babyfood packet to make it through the rest of the workout. These are things we would recommend to marathoners or triathlons who are not sufficiently fat adapted to make it through the whole race. If her workouts feel like a marathon, they might be a good compromise solution.