Workouts

[gabrielle1220]

I'm on day 24 of Whole30 and having a really hard time working out.  Before the program i worked out at least 5x a week.  I'm struggling with really weak muscles.  Any suggestions?

 

[jmcbn]

What does your food intake look like over the past say 3-4 days @gabrielle1220?

How intense are your work outs? How long are you going between each meal?

Are you including pre and/or post WO meals?

[TJHigh]

I've had mixed results with my workout as well during this W30.  I've had some of my best runs in awhile (coming back from injury anyway- so none are setting any records lol), but I've also had runs where my legs are just dead.  On the dead leg days, I can pretty much tell right from the start it's going to be one of those days, and literally can feel the lack of energy in my muscles.

What has helped me, and I think I can point to this as the reason for the successful runs, is really making sure I eat enough well before the run.  Like the day before I'm super-conscientious about following the template.  Also, I found the pre-workout snack that works best for me is one that is heavily weighted towards fats - usually a big handful of olives and some slices of spanish jamon.

Good luck!  I hope things even out for you.  But also realize your body is doing a lot of healing work during Whole 30, so a lot of the energy you used for workouts might be going there.

[pilotgirl]

I'm having a really hard time exercising as well. This morning my legs felt like they were excessively weak only 10 minutes into a spinning class. Normally I'm exercising 5-6 days per week. I'm on day 13. I haven't been really hungry, have been salting my food and eating a lot more protein than normal (as well as a lot of fruits and veggies).  I've been having 1/2 of a Larabar before my workouts (I used to have protein bars first), but nothing immediately after the workout. Am I supposed to be backing off exercise during the 30 days? 

[ladyshanny]

Hi @pilotgirl - that "lead legs" feeling is generally occurring in the first couple weeks while your body becomes fat adapted. This means the ability to switch between burning carbs and sugars to burning dietary and body fat.

If you're eating larabars before a workout, you're basically giving your body a hit of quick access fuel but that means your body ISN'T going to try and access fat stores. 

You can give a rundown on your typical day intake and we can see if anything stands out. The quickest way to fat adaptation is eating a template meal every 4-5 hours starting within an hour of waking. Prioritize protein, veggies and fat before fruits and especially leave off the fruit/nut bars - they aren't doing you any favours.

[gabrielle1220]

4 hours ago, gabrielle1220 said:

I'm on day 24 of Whole30 and having a really hard time working out.  Before the program i worked out at least 5x a week.  I'm struggling with really weak muscles.  Any suggestions?

 

 

3 hours ago, jmcbn said:

What does your food intake look like over the past say 3-4 days @gabrielle1220?

How intense are your work outs? How long are you going between each meal?

Are you including pre and/or post WO meals?

My typical breakfast is 2 eggs/1/2 avocado and fried red potatoes (in olive oil)

Lunch - salad with veggies and chicken and olive oil including olives or a whole 30 approved homemade soup.  Italian sausage/cauliflower/coconut milk etc.

Dinner - Pork shoulder done in crockpot whole30 approved.  Asparagus grilled in olive oil.  

I will occasionally eat a Lara Bar sometime during the day or have an apple or banana with almond butter

I try to spin at least 5 times a week and lift 3x.  I have a couple days that have been okay but most have been really tough.  Today I had to stop my workout.

 

1 hour ago, ladyshanny said:

Hi @pilotgirl - that "lead legs" feeling is generally occurring in the first couple weeks while your body becomes fat adapted. This means the ability to switch between burning carbs and sugars to burning dietary and body fat.

If you're eating larabars before a workout, you're basically giving your body a hit of quick access fuel but that means your body ISN'T going to try and access fat stores. 

You can give a rundown on your typical day intake and we can see if anything stands out. The quickest way to fat adaptation is eating a template meal every 4-5 hours starting within an hour of waking. Prioritize protein, veggies and fat before fruits and especially leave off the fruit/nut bars - they aren't doing you any favours.

 

1 hour ago, ladyshanny said:

Hi @pilotgirl - that "lead legs" feeling is generally occurring in the first couple weeks while your body becomes fat adapted. This means the ability to switch between burning carbs and sugars to burning dietary and body fat.

If you're eating larabars before a workout, you're basically giving your body a hit of quick access fuel but that means your body ISN'T going to try and access fat stores. 

You can give a rundown on your typical day intake and we can see if anything stands out. The quickest way to fat adaptation is eating a template meal every 4-5 hours starting within an hour of waking. Prioritize protein, veggies and fat before fruits and especially leave off the fruit/nut bars - they aren't doing you any favours.

 

[gabrielle1220]

My typical breakfast is 2 eggs/1/2 avocado and fried red potatoes (in olive oil)

Lunch - salad with veggies and chicken and olive oil including olives or a whole 30 approved homemade soup.  Italian sausage/cauliflower/coconut milk etc.

Dinner - Pork shoulder done in crockpot whole30 approved.  Asparagus grilled in olive oil.  

I will occasionally eat a Lara Bar sometime during the day or have an apple or banana with almond butter

I try to spin at least 5 times a week and lift 3x.  I have a couple days that have been okay but most have been really tough.  Today I had to stop my workout.

[jmcbn]

18 minutes ago, gabrielle1220 said:

I try to spin at least 5 times a week and lift 3x

Then you need to be including at least a post WO meal of a lean protein & optional starchy carb- especially on the days that you lift to allow for muscle protein synthesis. I'd also suggest you ditch the larabar or fruit/nut butter combo in favour of more food at each meal. If you really need to snack try sticking to protein & fat rather than carbs. This will help more with fat adaptation which will in turn help with your work outs.

What time of day are you training?

[gabrielle1220]

I spin first thing in the morning and usually lift at night.  What would you suggest for the morning meal and how long should I wait before I work out?

[jmcbn]

Personally I train fasted now in the mornings because through a lot of self experimentation I've found that's what works best for me. If I train in the evening (usually only once a week these days) I don't eat anything after about 1:30pm or I may well bring it back up  

The recommendation for preWO is for protein & fat so a soft boiled egg works. That said in the days I used to eat preWO I found that I digested a spoonful of nut butter best - the only time I'd EVER recommend eating nut butter off of a spoon!  Other preWO options would be some chicken & mayo/guac, or just some nuts/olives....

Since the recommendation for postWO is a lean protein & optional starchy carb I sometimes boiled some eggs & ate the yolk before & the whites afterwards.... they're very portable.

I also like roasted chicken, but have often had some tuna in spring water, or some pork chops cut into bite sized pieces so I can eat it quickly immediately when I'm done training, grab a quick shower, have breakfast & get to work. If it's an evening session I literally eat in my car, drive home, shower & then eat my next meal. I generally forgo the starchy carbs but again that's what works for me - and I've been eating this way a loooooong time. If you're not eating starchy carbs every day then you may fare better adding a few mouthfuls to your postWO meal too.

Hope this helps!