Discouraged and Tired

Bigger Stronger Leaner
1

I am trying to get back into shape after baby. I have never been super consistent with lifting. I want big muscles and strength, but I always manage to hurt myself and get discouraged and give it up. Right now I am trying to get back into it, focusing on Tabata/Insanity type conditioning, yoga and whole body moves like squats. Last week I hurt my back squatting with 50lbs(wtf. Really?) I hired a trainer to check my form and he said its on point, so that’s not the problem.

I am so mentally and physically exhausted the day after Tabata. I thought maybe I wasn’t consuming enough protien so I added some whey shakes and have gained 10lbs of what seems to be fat in the past 6 weeks. Nothing fits, I look terrible and I am ready to give up again and resign myself to a life of being a fat slob…

What am I doing wrong? Please advise…

2

Dr. Tabata worked with Olympic level Speed Skaters. These athletes are in great shape after years of intense training. I’m pretty sure the Tabata protocol was developed specifically for them. You have to be in pretty good condition just to be in shape enough to use the Tabata system. Try something slightly less intense than 100% effort, for just a little longer than 4 minutes.

Do the same for the weights. Just kinda tone things down a little bit. Spend some time building a base with leg raises, back extensions, pull down abs and lunges. Get consistent with the simple, boring stuff for awhile. Then build up to the big moves and heavy weights and high intensities.

Like in Yoga. You don’t twist yourself into a pretzel while balancing on your face the first day, you build up to it over time with less challenging moves.

3

[quote]MeghanStorm wrote:
I am ready to give up again and resign myself to a life of being a fat slob[/quote]
Let me just address this first… this is not the time or place for a pity party. Exercise is hard, eating right is hard, results are worth it. Getting momentum going in the beginning can be tough, but once you figure it out and get your fitness lifestyle in place, it’s not any kind of major hurdle. Lots of badass ladies on this site have gotten into killer shape after having kids. Look around for their training logs to get some motivation/inspiration.

As a parent, you have a responsibility to be some kind of good example for your kid. At the very, very, very, very least, caring for a baby is tons harder if you’re a fat slob and a smidge easier if you’re in shape - everything from carrying kiddo around all day to running and playing with them at the park instead of sitting on the bench watching them.

If you really are using great technique for every rep of every movement, I’d examine your intensity, frequency, and overall program design. A poorly-designed routine could definitely lead to injuries.

What does your week look like? The days, exercises, sets, and reps. The more specific, the better advice we can offer. Tabata, by itself, is a brutal workout. I don’t think it’s appropriate for someone coming from where you’re coming from - a deconditioned beginner trying to get back into a consistent routine. Plain old cardio intervals can do the trick just fine.

There are tons of good programs here on the site that can help get you back on track, depending on your available time and equipment. If you have a gym membership, perfect. Lots of great routines are just 3 or 4 days of training. If you’re training at home, what equipment do you have?

What was the injury? A minor strain that’s clearing up already or something more serious like a disc issue? Also, for reference, what’s your current height and weight and what kind of shape are you in, bodyfat-wise (lots to lose/pudgy, skinny with no muscle tone, etc.)?

Feeling tired the day after a serious Tabata workout means you probably did the workout right. But it could also be that your total calories and/or carbs are too low.

What, exactly, did you eat yesterday?

Is there a chance you’re having a reaction to the shakes? If the only change you made was to add them, that’d be my first guess. Second guess is that the shakes are added a bunch of extra calories to your daily intake that wasn’t adjusted for elsewhere in the diet.

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I personally think injuries are more likely going to utter exhaustion on lighter weights. However, if you hurt yourself with 50 pounds, either there is something already wrong, your form sucks (a lot of trainers don’t know crap about good form), or your technique broke down after you started getting fatigued.

If you really want an evaluation you need to give all the info. Your diet, training, sleep, est. But honestly your attitude just plain sucks. There is one thing that triumphs everything else in training, consistency.

That said, there are a million things that can turn you into something better than a fat slob. And you will never be consistent with something you loath doing. So you have a couple of options, learn to like what you are doing or learn to do something you’ll like. It doesn’t have to include barbells or even weights. You may be able to change your training and keep lifting weights by doing powerlifting or Olympic lifting. Or if you hate barbells, go pick up big rock or pull and sled like a strong man. Or put on a backpack and start rucking. Or take up freaking ballet if it floats your boat. The self loathing while trying to do the shit that makes you miserable is going to get you nowhere. You are approaching this as a means to an end, but that isn’t what it means to BE in shape. BEING in shape is a continual process of life, not the end result of an action. It isn’t a list of chores.

You seem like a guy looking for excuses when you should be seeking challenges. As long as you are looking for excuses your pretty much going to fail. A person that is going to succeed will look for ways to work around injuries to still get it done. A person that is going to fail will look for injuries so they can avoid having to go do it. And no one here can change that for you. And to be absolutely frank, I doubt you will either. BUT, did you read that last sentence as confirmation or a challenge?

5

Swear I’m not trying to be a smart ass here. Are you male or female?

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[quote]sweet-t wrote:
Swear I’m not trying to be a smart ass here. Are you male or female?[/quote]

Read the first sentence of the first post.

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[quote]MeghanStorm wrote:
I am trying to get back into shape after baby. I have never been super consistent with lifting. I want big muscles and strength, but I always manage to hurt myself and get discouraged and give it up. Right now I am trying to get back into it, focusing on Tabata/Insanity type conditioning, yoga and whole body moves like squats. Last week I hurt my back squatting with 50lbs(wtf. Really?) I hired a trainer to check my form and he said its on point, so that’s not the problem.

I am so mentally and physically exhausted the day after Tabata. I thought maybe I wasn’t consuming enough protien so I added some whey shakes and have gained 10lbs of what seems to be fat in the past 6 weeks. Nothing fits, I look terrible and I am ready to give up again and resign myself to a life of being a fat slob…

What am I doing wrong? Please advise…[/quote]

Meghan, How long ago did you have your baby? Are you breastfeeding? Like has been asked before, what does your diet and workouts look like? More details would help give better answers.

First of all, don’t buy into the lie that you will be “a fat slob” forever. If other women can get into shape after a baby, then so can you. I don’t know how long ago you had your baby but remember that hormones run rampant after you give birth and can continue to run rampant for weeks afterwards. They will mess with your thoughts, moods, feelings, eating (cravings), exercise, etc., before settling down and going back to normal. Your body, too, needs to adjust after giving birth so give it time to heal before doing anything strenuous. If breastfeeding, there are other things to take into consideration if you take on an exercise program/diet.

You may be taking on too much too soon in order to lose the baby weight. Tabata intervals ARE tiring. Caring for a baby IS tiring. Sometimes it’s not more protein that you need, but more sleep.

I lost 75 lbs. after I gave birth to my daughter but it was a year after giving birth that before I was able to get focused enough to do what I needed to do to lose the weight. Sometimes being injured with exercise can mean that your not focused properly (mind is elsewhere) or that your are too tired or that your body needs more time to heal.

Other women have been able to lose the baby weight and I believe you can, too. For inspiration, Google search Buffmother who has dedicated herself to helping other women get into shape after having kids. She, herself, has had 4 kids and looks amazing.

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The adventures of post-partum Maya:

http://www.icechamber.com/videos/mgcomeback1.html

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[quote]jjackkrash wrote:
The adventures of post-partum Maya:

http://www.icechamber.com/videos/mgcomeback1.html[/quote]

That’s my inspiration for the day.

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Meghan -

I saw that you added me to your friend’s list. Cool. Prenatal and postpartum fitness is an area of particular interest to me. FYI, the PM system here is out of commission, but I would be happy to follow this thread and help you out if I can.

As others mentioned, the more information you can give about where you’re at fitness-wise and what you’re eating will help people give good advice.

In terms of fat loss, getting your NUTRITION right is key. It trumps everything else. ALWAYS.

If I’d recently had a baby, and was a beginner, I’d probably lift weights enough to maintain my muscle - Maybe doing a full body type workout 3 times a week, and then try to get out with the stroller and walk everyday. For me, adding lots of intense cardio like Tabatas can be discouraging because it tends to make my appetite HUGE. A lot of people try to cut calories AND do a lot of cardio, but in my experience you’ll hit a wall pretty quick that way and feel like quitting.

It may seem counter-intuitive because of the familiar “Eat less, Move more” maxim. BUT for purposes of fat loss - people who lift hard, do intense cardio, and diet hard ALL at the same time tend to have a hard time recovering, burn out, get exhausted, want to binge, and get discouraged and quit. Focus on diet first. Lift weights enough to keep your muscle as you cut fat. Move more, but it doesn’t need to be intense cardio. At least that’s what works for me.

edited