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on 10 May, 2014

10 Tips To Go From Fatigued To Fantastic In The Gym

Why do some people develop incredible physiques? Is it the training, the supplements, the coaching? Is it genetics, finding the perfect routine, or going to the right gym? Naturally, all these play a role, but something you may not have considered is something even more fundamental, energy. If you thumb through a bodybuilding magazine, you don’t just see big, well-defined people, you also see energised people.

Energy: The missing ingredient for SUCCESS?

Sometimes we can miss the obvious. You may be doing everything right, but simply lack enough energy to have great workouts, recover from your workouts, and enjoy a more productive and healthier life.

After all, there is nothing more disheartening than creating the best routine, showing up at the gym on time, and feeling fatigued before you even get going.

Five common sense tips for ENERGY

1. Get motivated

If you have a burning desire to achieve a particular goal for your physique; win a contest, create a summer beach-body, or steal someone’s heart away, then your emotional intensity will wake up your body.

Here are some ways to get motivated:

  1. Imagine your ideal future body and the rewards associated with it.
  2. Listen to soundtracks that get you emotionally aroused.
  3. Watch videos of people lifting unbelievable amounts of weight or flexing perfectly-shaped muscles on stage.

2. Get caffeinated

Caffeine comes from many sources such as coffee, tea, energy drinks, and so on. It acts quickly and creates a fast mood change. Don’t overdo it, of course, otherwise you’ll experience an energy crash. Just have enough for mental alertness and motivation. It’s only a temporary fix, but it’s enough to get you off the couch and into the gym and getting down to some serious business.

energy tips

3. Take a multivitamin and mineral supplement, along with a B supplement

The multivitamin and mineral supplement may not create a boost in energy, but it will help your body correct any deficiencies arising from dietary or lifestyle choices. The real kicker is Vitamin B. This is an energy booster. It is essential for chemical reactions in the body that convert food into useable nutrients. While you can get benefits from taking vitamin B alone, it works better in an environment with other vitamins and minerals.

4. Eat healthy foods

Poor dietary choices or being too busy to eat enough meals is one of the primary sources of fatigue.

Food is fuel to your body. Low fuel: low energy.

The higher your level of effort, the more calories you need.

Michael Phelps is reported to have eaten 8,000 to 10,000 calories a day during his training days. While most people would blow up like a blimp on this high calorie diet, he burned it all up churning up and down the pool for hours on end.

Eat plenty of high fiber foods. Eat fruits, vegetable, and nuts. Eat foods with essential fatty acids. Eat foods rich in protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats. And if you don’t have enough time to prepare good meals throughout the day, then it’s fine to add a few blender-friendly designer foods to your eating schedule.

Also, out of all the nutrients you have each day, water should be considered numero uno. If you have a moderate workout, you will sweat about 4 cups of water. If you have an intense workout, you could sweat out double that amount. Dehydration symptoms can include feeling nauseous, dizzy, or light-headed. If you go into the gym already dehydrated, then you will feel weak after only a few exercises. Your body needs water to make energy.

5. Energy supplements

A step up from caffeine is energy supplements specifically designed for workouts. These are a complex synergy of ingredients that will act fast and powerfully. You may also enjoy other benefits, like great pumps and reduced lactic acid buildup in muscles.

Food is fuel to your body

What if You’re Still Fatigued?

If these simple steps don’t work, it’s time for rest and recuperation. Your body’s energy reserves are so depleted that these five basic energy jumpstart techniques leave your batteries still undercharged.

Here are 5 ways to restore your energy balance:

1. You may be overtrained, so take a day off. It’s not a waste of time

It’s not quitting. It’s not falling behind. When you are overtrained, your body can only do a half-hearted job of repair.

Former Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman is known to have taken a few weeks off when he realized that his body could not keep up with his iron will. Then when he got back to the gym, he was bigger and stronger than ever before.

So cut your body some slack if you’re not gung-ho. Your emotional state and persistently sore muscles are telling you that your body has not fully recovered from previous workouts.

2. Sleep more because you may be sleep-deprived

This is resulting in your body not fully recuperating from the stresses and anxieties of your day. Again, you don’t want to overdo it. Sleep as long as necessary to feel rejuvenated and refreshed. There is no magic number. Some people are chipper with 6 hours of sleep. Others need 9 hours of sleep. As a bodybuilder you will probably need more sleep because you have worn out your body more than the average person.

3. You may not be eating right, so review your eating habits

You may be taking too few meals a day. You may be cheating with low nutrition foods. You may have a food allergy. You may be having a heavy meal before a workout. If your body is not getting the energy it needs from the food, it may be due to something amiss in your diet either in quality, quantity, or timing.

overtrained

4. You may be sick, but don’t know it

Your body could be spending its energy in coping with a hidden problem and that’s why you don’t have enough energy and enthusiasm for working out. If you are not feeling well, there may be more than just a state of mind. See a doctor. Get a checkup. For instance, you could be anaemic and you don’t know it.

5. You may be wearing yourself out because of life stressors

You may be extremely stressed about something going on in your life: more bills than money, grief over a past issue, relationship conflicts, obnoxious people at work, and so on. These will drain your mental-emotional energies.

Conclusion

With enough energy, you can create your ideal body. Using the five tips on how to get energy should help you feel more energized. If after trying them out, you still don’t feel energized, then review the next five energy troubleshooting tips to isolate the cause of your fatigue and under motivation in the gym.

Author

Written by Andre Smith

Contact: andresmith200[at]gmail.com

References

 

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