The specialist spoke about the causes of severe fatigue after exercise
Fatigue, heaviness in the legs and a temporary decrease in strength after intense training can be a normal reaction of the body to stress. Their severity depends on the type of activity, its intensity and duration, as well as on the level of training of the person. Nutrition, fluid replenishment, sleep, and adequate rest help recovery, but unusually severe or prolonged weakness should not be ignored. About why you may not have enough strength after sports, how fatigue differs from muscle pain and in which cases you need to see a doctor, is in the "Izvestia" article.
What is post-workout fatigue?
Post-workout fatigue is usually referred to as a set of sensations and physiological changes that occur after physical exertion. This is not a separate medical diagnosis. A person may feel weak, drowsy and heavy in the muscles, and also notice that habitual movements require more effort.
Experts identify two related, but not identical sides of this condition. The first is a subjective feeling of fatigue. The second is an objective decrease in performance, such as a decrease in strength, power, or the ability to continue exercising.
These indicators do not always match. An athlete may feel very tired, although his physical performance has decreased slightly. The opposite situation is also possible, when a person underestimates the onset of fatigue, despite a noticeable drop in strength or coordination.
The modern scientific model considers fatigue as a complex psychophysiological condition. It is simultaneously influenced by the work of the muscles and nervous system, body temperature, sleep quality, emotional state, exercise characteristics and level of training. Therefore, there is no single reason for fatigue after sports.
How does fatigue differ from muscle pain?
It is important to distinguish post—workout fatigue from delayed muscle pain syndrome (DOMS). In the first case, lack of energy, weakness, and a feeling that the muscles are not coping well with the load usually come to the fore.
DOMS is manifested by soreness, stiffness, and hypersensitivity of the muscles. Unpleasant sensations may occur after a few hours and become especially noticeable the next day. More often this happens after an unusual load or exercise with a pronounced eccentric phase, when the tense muscle lengthens. Such movements include, for example, slowly lowering a dumbbell or descending a mountain.
Fatigue and delayed pain can occur simultaneously, but they occur for different reasons. Severe pain the next day does not indicate a better workout, and its absence does not mean that the exercise turned out to be useless.
Why is there no strength left after sports
One of the reasons for the decrease in performance is related to the processes inside the muscle fibers. Electrical signals and the movement of charged particles, called ions, are used to contract muscles. During intense or prolonged exercise, metabolism, ion distribution, and the mechanisms responsible for calcium release change. As a result, it becomes more difficult for the muscles to produce their previous strength.
Metabolic products that accumulate during intensive work also play a role. These changes may temporarily disrupt the contractile function of the muscles. However, it is incorrect to reduce fatigue to a single substance, for example, "lactic acid": the mechanism is much more complex and depends on the specific exercise.
Fatigue may have a central component. The brain and spinal cord transmit signals to the muscles that cause them to contract. After a heavy load, the ability of the nervous system to fully activate muscle fibers may temporarily decrease. In this case, we are not talking about damage to the nervous system, but about a complex of reversible changes that limit performance.
Another factor is the availability of energy. Muscles store carbohydrates from food in the form of glycogen. During prolonged or intense training, these reserves decrease. The higher the amount of work and the less time remains between loads, the more noticeable the depletion of glycogen can affect well-being and results.
Sweating leads to loss of water and electrolytes, including sodium. If fluid loss is significant, physical activity begins to be perceived as more severe, and performance decreases. This is especially true during prolonged workouts, activities in the heat and when sweating profusely.
Why is an unusual load harder to bear
Beginners often experience more pronounced pain and weakness because their body has not yet adapted to the load. However, the same thing can happen to an experienced athlete if he abruptly changes the program.
For example, a person accustomed to long runs may feel severe pain after the first heavy strength training. Athletic experience does not provide the same adaptation to all types of movements.
When a similar load is repeated, the reaction usually becomes less pronounced. This phenomenon is called the effect of repeated loading. A systematic review and meta-analysis of 20 studies showed that after the second session, the level of soreness and some markers of muscle damage were lower, and strength and physical performance were maintained better than after the first.
At the same time, the adaptation effect does not mean that the load can be increased uncontrollably. Too sudden an increase in duration, intensity, or working weight increases the likelihood of excessive fatigue and injury.
How to recover after a workout
The main means of recovery are nutrition, fluids, sleep, and time. Special supplements, massagers and cold baths can be used additionally, but they do not replace the basic needs of the body.
After a long or energy-intensive workout, carbohydrates help replenish muscle glycogen stores. This is especially important for people who have another heavy load on the same or the next day. After a regular amateur activity, a full meal containing carbohydrates and protein is often enough.
Protein provides the body with amino acids necessary for tissue repair and adaptation to stress. However, a protein shake is not an instant cure for weakness and pain. If a person gets enough protein from regular food, a sports supplement may not provide additional benefits. Studies of its effect on immediate recovery and muscle soreness show mixed results.
It is equally important to replenish the lost fluid. After a short workout at a comfortable temperature, water and regular food are enough for most people. Electrolyte drinks can be useful after prolonged exercise, hot workouts, or heavy sweating. There is no need to constantly consume them after any physical activity.
Sleep gives the body time to restore the nervous system, muscles and energy reserves. Data from studies involving athletes show that increasing the length of nighttime sleep and daytime sleep can improve individual indicators of physical and mental performance. However, there is no universal sleep duration that guarantees full recovery for everyone.
Do massage, walking and cold water help?
Additional recovery methods can reduce discomfort, although their effectiveness varies. These include massage, calm walking, light stretching, yoga, compression clothing, and immersion in water.
A meta-analysis of 99 studies has shown that massage has proven to be one of the most effective methods of reducing subjective fatigue and delayed muscle pain. Positive results were also observed when using compression clothing and immersion in cold water.
At the same time, such procedures do not allow you to instantly return to your original working capacity and do not eliminate all the physiological effects of the load. Quiet activity can improve well-being, but another hard workout against a background of severe weakness is more likely to increase the need for recovery.
Is it possible to prevent severe fatigue?
It is impossible to completely eliminate fatigue after classes, since it is a natural part of the body's response to stress. However, its severity can be reduced.
The main principle is not to increase the volume and intensity of classes too sharply. It is better to start a new exercise or sports direction from an accessible level, gradually increasing the duration, speed or working weight. This gives the muscles, nervous system, and connective tissues time to adapt.
Before long-term classes and workouts in the heat, you should pay attention to the drinking regime. The diet should correspond to the level of activity, and between heavy workouts it is necessary to leave enough time for recovery.
Complete exhaustion is not an indicator of the effectiveness of the lesson. Training should create a sufficient incentive for adaptation, but its quality is not measured by how difficult it is for a person to walk or climb stairs after returning home.
When Fatigue can be dangerous
You should consult a doctor if the weakness seems disproportionate to the load performed, persists despite rest, or regularly worsens. Chest pain, loss of consciousness, unusual shortness of breath, cardiac arrhythmia, or a sharp deterioration in well-being also require medical evaluation.
Special attention should be paid to the combination of severe muscle pain or weakness with pronounced swelling and dark urine. These symptoms may indicate rhabdomyolysis— a dangerous breakdown of muscle tissue. The American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that if such symptoms occur, stop exercising immediately and seek medical help.
Prolonged fatigue is not always directly related to sports. It can be caused by lack of sleep and energy, illness, anemia, medication, or other conditions. If regular recovery does not help, you should not try to fix the problem with sports supplements or additional training alone.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
