Newbie with nausea/weakness

I doesn't seem to matter whether or not I have an aerobic workout
before or not. I can start having problems 5 minutes into an initial
weight (anaeobic) workout. I can jog for 30 minutes, be fine, and get
sick as soon as I start weights. I can lift, be ill, rest, then
continue on with aerobics, no problem. Since I have only been back
into my routine for two weeks, some of this I have learned about myself
from past experience, only I can see it's happening again. In the
past, it has been enough for me to give up weights, and I don't want
that to happen again. What's strange, is that in the middle of my
workout, if I start feeling weak and stop to do a more aerobic task
like timed crunches for 5 minutes, I feel better and can go back to the
weights again for a short period of time. This is why I'm not sure
it's a blood sugar problem. Else, why would I get a "second wind" by
switching to aerobics? I would like to know why this just happens with
weight lifting only. Could this have something to do with my genetic
propensity for quick twitch fibers, or the lack thereof, or lack of use
of? Is this something that will get better with time? Should I just
reduce the weight I use and take a very gradual approach?
Nausea-inducing toxins built up in my muscles from lack of use?

A trainer set me up for doing a combination of machines and free
weights. It's a total body workout with single sets of 10-12 reps,
using between 10 and 95 pounds (please don't laugh, I'm here right?!
), depending on the initial strength of the muscle I'm working (leg
press 95, weak arms at 10). Legs first, arms, back, abs. I rest
during my walk to, and set-up for the next exercise (30 sec-1min).
Sometimes it takes less than the 10-12 reps to get to failure. My burn
often comes within 8 reps. By the time I get to 10-12 reps, I'm at or
near failure. Initially, I'm working weights 3 out of 6 workouts
because I need to lose a lot of fat. I would like to work up to a
combination of weights and aerobics at every workout, if that's
appropriate. My primary goal is to feel better, physically and
mentally, and to have more energy so I can chase my daughter around and
play sports with her readily. My eventual goal, aesthetically, is to
develop a lean but strong and fit look with slight definition.

Also, can anyone suggest a palatable meal replacement product for
before workouts?

I really appreciate the help!
 >> Stay informed about: Newbie with nausea/weakness 

PS: It seems worse when working large muscles like quads, hams, glutes.
 >> Stay informed about: Newbie with nausea/weakness 

On 31 Jan 2005 06:11:33 -0800, "goddardwoman"
<t_swanson RemoveThis @sbcglobal.net> wrote:

>PS: It seems worse when working large muscles like quads, hams, glutes.

What's your heart rate when the nausea hits?

-----------
Proton Soup

"Thanks for noticing that I didn't actually say anything." - Mike Lane
 >> Stay informed about: Newbie with nausea/weakness 

"goddardwoman" <t_swanson RemoveThis @sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:1107150506.465788.313120@c13g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
Please forgive what may seem to most of you a simplistic que­stion.
History/Background: I'm a 41 year old female, 5'8", 155. F­ormerly
very athletic, small framed, slender (125-130). After givin­g birth,
I
got out of exercising consistently. I have recently recommi­tted
myself
and am having difficulties with weight lifting activities. ­I do fine

on the treadmill (45-60 min) at a moderately fast jog (4.5 m­ph ave.).

Regardless of whether or not I have done my aerobic work fir­st, or
I'm
just doing weights for the day, my muscles burn out very qui­ckly, and
I
become nauseated and weak shortly after I begin lifting weig­hts. I
have to recover by lying down. After the nausea passes, I c­rave
simple
carbs. I never have this problem with aerobic-type activiti­es. I
typically eat a meal or snack that includes simple and compl­ex carbs
(turkey sandwich on whole wheat, juice, etc.) one to two hou­rs before

I've had problems that way when I'm dieting.

I think it's a blood sugar issue. Get a bottle of a sports drink and keep
drinking a bit between every set, so your blood sugar levels stay up, try to
avoid exercises that involve lying down, and don't try to knock out sets as
fast as possible.

I'd also strongly suggest you don't do any exercises that involve a free
weight above your body until you get this fixed.

Peter
 >> Stay informed about: Newbie with nausea/weakness 

About 10 years ago, I was at a Gym, stepped off a bike after doing a
final 10 minutes of heavy peddling, got nauseated and nearly passed
out. I sat down and took my heart rate. It was very slow!!!!....maybe
once every 2 seconds or so. I was taken to the emergency room and
tests were basically normal, but did show a "low average" blood sugar
level. Not low enough to explain my symptoms. They chalked it up to
an electrolyte imbalance.

I think I am going to check out a few things based on what I've learned
so far (sports drinks, blood pressure possibility, slower build-up,
etc.) and see what happens. I'll try things one at a time, to see if I
can scientifically nail this thing down. I'll let you know how it
goes.

Thanks so much everybody, for your help.
 >> Stay informed about: Newbie with nausea/weakness 

goddardwoman wrote:
> Please forgive what may seem to most of you a simplistic que­stion.
> History/Background: I'm a 41 year old female, 5'8", 155. F­ormerly
> very athletic, small framed, slender (125-130). After givin­g
birth,
> I
> got out of exercising consistently. I have recently recommi­tted
> myself
> and am having difficulties with weight lifting activities. ­I do
fine
>
> on the treadmill (45-60 min) at a moderately fast jog (4.5 m­ph
ave.).
>
> Regardless of whether or not I have done my aerobic work fir­st, or
> I'm
> just doing weights for the day, my muscles burn out very qui­ckly,
and
> I
> become nauseated and weak shortly after I begin lifting weig­hts. I
> have to recover by lying down. After the nausea passes, I c­rave
> simple
> carbs. I never have this problem with aerobic-type activiti­es. I
> typically eat a meal or snack that includes simple and compl­ex
carbs
> (turkey sandwich on whole wheat, juice, etc.) one to two hou­rs
before
>
> my workouts. I am not diabetic, nor do I have a heart condi­tion
> (have
> had workups for both). This has happened in the past as wel­l, even
> when I have been in good shape, cardio wise.
>
>
> I am really into knowing the biochemistry behind what I am d­oing
and
> why I am doing it. I want to know exactly why this is happe­ning so
I
>
> know how to approach the problem accurately. Biochemically,­ what
is
> it
> about weight work that bothers me? Is this a creatine probl­em?
> Thanks in advance!

doing 10-12 reps to failure is a bit extreme. It's hard doing high
reps and it's hard doing to failure.
I get a bit nauseus when I do more than 7 reps. If I do more than 7
reps to failure, then I find that it is tiredness that makes me 'fail'
on the last , and I feel a bit nauseus. Whereas if I do like 4-6 reps,
I find that I don't have the strength to squeeze out another rep - that
is a nicer feeling, I don't get nauseus when I do that.

Usually if i'm doing high reps I wouldn't want them too intense,
because high reps are tiring enough anyway.

Besides that - as ppl have said, blood sugar may be an issue, as well
as rest between sets. One cause of tiredness is the high reps made
worse by the fact that you are going to failure. The fact that your
tiredness is so serious, may also linked to blood sugar. So try
Lucozade in between sets, and rest for a long time in between sets.
I tend to rest for about 5 minutes, I can feel if i'm very tired from a
set.

Significantly, you appear to have a problem that weight bearing
exercise is lowering your pulse. That is probably why running and
doing more weights is giving you a second wind. Because the running is
increasing your pulse again. But have lucozade or something to raise
your blood sugar before and after a set of weights.

I'm no expert, but maybe the high reps are literally making you tired,
they are sapping your energy, and then you go and push that to failure
and that just makes it worse.

I am sure that if you lower the reps to say 6 reps, then you won't get
nauseus. I know that 12 reps would make me nauseus. You don't need to
go to failure. Weight lifters never go to failure all the time, they
vary their intensity. See how you progress without going to failure at
all, and try 6 reps not 10-12. So that you don't have the strength to
do another one, but are not too tired and sick to do another one.
Those are very different feelings. I even get tired with 7 reps, I
only really enjoy it when I am doing about 4 reps. I think that you
would see a dramatic improvement going from 12 reps to 6 reps - and
lower intensity - when beginning you shouldn't go to failure. I would
never go to failure at such high reps, because failure via tiredness is
horrible. Even when past the beginner stage, nobody goes to failure
every workout - they vary the intensity.



excuse the repetition!
 >> Stay informed about: Newbie with nausea/weakness 

On 31 Jan 2005 12:54:07 -0800, "goddardwoman"
<t_swanson.TakeThisOut@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

>About 10 years ago, I was at a Gym, stepped off a bike after doing a
>final 10 minutes of heavy peddling, got nauseated and nearly passed
>out. I sat down and took my heart rate. It was very slow!!!!....maybe
>once every 2 seconds or so. I was taken to the emergency room and
>tests were basically normal, but did show a "low average" blood sugar
>level. Not low enough to explain my symptoms. They chalked it up to
>an electrolyte imbalance.
>
>I think I am going to check out a few things based on what I've learned
>so far (sports drinks, blood pressure possibility, slower build-up,
>etc.) and see what happens. I'll try things one at a time, to see if I
>can scientifically nail this thing down. I'll let you know how it
>goes.
>
>Thanks so much everybody, for your help.

A heart rate of 30 would be pretty damn low. I'd be surprised if you
stayed conscious. Sometimes after heavy lifts, I have a hard time
feeling my pulse in my wrist. Then, it's easier to just place my hand
on my chest and feel it that way.

But anyhow, from the way you described it, it sounded like you were
taking some lifts on major muscle groups to failure, which can elevate
your heart rate a good bit and sometimes that may make you feel
nauseous. What you might try doing is reducing all your lifts in
weight and don't lift to failure so that you can complete your workout
without feeling sick. Then slowly, over a few months, increase the
intensity. Anyway, just a thought.

-----------
Proton Soup

"Thanks for noticing that I didn't actually say anything." - Mike Lane
 >> Stay informed about: Newbie with nausea/weakness 

goddardwoman wrote:
> Please forgive what may seem to most of you a simplistic que­stion.
> History/Background: I'm a 41 year old female, 5'8", 155. F­ormerly
> very athletic, small framed, slender (125-130). After givin­g birth,
> I
> got out of exercising consistently. I have recently recommi­tted
> myself
> and am having difficulties with weight lifting activities. ­I do fine
>
> on the treadmill (45-60 min) at a moderately fast jog (4.5 m­ph ave.).
>
> Regardless of whether or not I have done my aerobic work fir­st, or
> I'm
> just doing weights for the day, my muscles burn out very qui­ckly, and
> I
> become nauseated and weak shortly after I begin lifting weig­hts. I
> have to recover by lying down. After the nausea passes, I c­rave
> simple
> carbs. I never have this problem with aerobic-type activiti­es. I
> typically eat a meal or snack that includes simple and compl­ex carbs
> (turkey sandwich on whole wheat, juice, etc.) one to two hou­rs before
>
> my workouts. I am not diabetic, nor do I have a heart condi­tion
> (have
> had workups for both). This has happened in the past as wel­l, even
> when I have been in good shape, cardio wise.
>
>
> I am really into knowing the biochemistry behind what I am d­oing and
> why I am doing it. I want to know exactly why this is happe­ning so I
>
> know how to approach the problem accurately. Biochemically,­ what is
> it
> about weight work that bothers me? Is this a creatine probl­em?
> Thanks in advance!

If it's not blood sugar then it could either be not breathing correctly or a
drop in blood pressure or a combination. I have a low blood pressure to
start out with and sometimes I feel very nauseous almost to the point of
wanting to faint. Especially after heavy squats or lunges.
It was worse when I started out after a summer of not working out in the
gym. Has become better now.

Immediately before every workout I drink a Gainer. Fast whey protein and
fast carbs. I may not finish it before I begin working out, just keep
sipping on it between sets. I also drink one directly after my workout.

--
Perre
I gave up on SPAM and redirected it to hotmail instead.
 >> Stay informed about: Newbie with nausea/weakness 

goddardwoman wrote:
> Please forgive what may seem to most of you a simplistic que­stion.
> History/Background: I'm a 41 year old female, 5'8", 155. F­ormerly
> very athletic, small framed, slender (125-130). After givin­g birth,
> I
> got out of exercising consistently. I have recently recommi­tted
> myself
> and am having difficulties with weight lifting activities. ­I do fine
>
> on the treadmill (45-60 min) at a moderately fast jog (4.5 m­ph ave.).
>
> Regardless of whether or not I have done my aerobic work fir­st, or
> I'm
> just doing weights for the day, my muscles burn out very qui­ckly, and
> I
> become nauseated and weak shortly after I begin lifting weig­hts. I
> have to recover by lying down. After the nausea passes, I c­rave
> simple
> carbs. I never have this problem with aerobic-type activiti­es. I
> typically eat a meal or snack that includes simple and compl­ex carbs
> (turkey sandwich on whole wheat, juice, etc.) one to two hou­rs before
>
> my workouts. I am not diabetic, nor do I have a heart condi­tion
> (have
> had workups for both). This has happened in the past as wel­l, even
> when I have been in good shape, cardio wise.
>
>
> I am really into knowing the biochemistry behind what I am d­oing and
> why I am doing it. I want to know exactly why this is happe­ning so I
>
> know how to approach the problem accurately. Biochemically,­ what is
> it
> about weight work that bothers me? Is this a creatine probl­em?
> Thanks in advance!
>

How are you "lifting weights"? What exercises, what order, how many
repetitions? How many sets? Are you going to failure? What rep cadence
are you using? And in particular, how much rest are you taking between sets?

Cheers,

Ari

--
spammage trappage: replace fishies_ with yahoo

I'm going to die rather sooner than I'd like. I tried to protect my
neighbours from crime, and became the victim of it. Complications in
hospital following this resulted in a serious illness. I now need a bone
marrow transplant. Many people around the world are waiting for a marrow
transplant, too. Please volunteer to be a marrow donor:
http://www.abmdr.org.au/
http://www.marrow.org/
 >> Stay informed about: Newbie with nausea/weakness 

spodosaurus wrote:
> goddardwoman wrote:
>
>> Please forgive what may seem to most of you a simplistic que­stion.
>> History/Background: I'm a 41 year old female, 5'8", 155. F­ormerly
>> very athletic, small framed, slender (125-130). After givin­g birth,
>> I
>> got out of exercising consistently. I have recently recommi­tted
>> myself
>> and am having difficulties with weight lifting activities. ­I do fine
>>
>> on the treadmill (45-60 min) at a moderately fast jog (4.5 m­ph ave.).
>>
>> Regardless of whether or not I have done my aerobic work fir­st, or
>> I'm
>> just doing weights for the day, my muscles burn out very qui­ckly, and
>> I
>> become nauseated and weak shortly after I begin lifting weig­hts. I
>> have to recover by lying down. After the nausea passes, I c­rave
>> simple
>> carbs. I never have this problem with aerobic-type activiti­es. I
>> typically eat a meal or snack that includes simple and compl­ex carbs
>> (turkey sandwich on whole wheat, juice, etc.) one to two hou­rs before
>>
>> my workouts. I am not diabetic, nor do I have a heart condi­tion
>> (have
>> had workups for both). This has happened in the past as wel­l, even
>> when I have been in good shape, cardio wise.
>>
>>
>> I am really into knowing the biochemistry behind what I am d­oing and
>> why I am doing it. I want to know exactly why this is happe­ning so I
>>
>> know how to approach the problem accurately. Biochemically,­ what is
>> it
>> about weight work that bothers me? Is this a creatine probl­em?
>> Thanks in advance!
>>
>
> How are you "lifting weights"? What exercises, what order, how many
> repetitions? How many sets? Are you going to failure? What rep cadence
> are you using? And in particular, how much rest are you taking between
> sets?
>
> Cheers,
>
> Ari
>

Oh, and are you doing that hour on the treadmill before or after you do
your lifting? How many days a week are you lifting, etc etc etc.
Basically, we need to know the details.

Ari

--
spammage trappage: replace fishies_ with yahoo

I'm going to die rather sooner than I'd like. I tried to protect my
neighbours from crime, and became the victim of it. Complications in
hospital following this resulted in a serious illness. I now need a bone
marrow transplant. Many people around the world are waiting for a marrow
transplant, too. Please volunteer to be a marrow donor:
http://www.abmdr.org.au/
http://www.marrow.org/
 >> Stay informed about: Newbie with nausea/weakness 

goddardwoman wrote:

> Nausea-inducing toxins built up in my muscles from lack of use?

No, it's not that

>
> A trainer set me up for doing a combination of machines and free
> weights. It's a total body workout with single sets of 10-12 reps,
> using between 10 and 95 pounds (please don't laugh, I'm here right?!
> ), depending on the initial strength of the muscle I'm working (leg
> press 95, weak arms at 10). Legs first, arms, back, abs. I rest
> during my walk to, and set-up for the next exercise (30 sec-1min).
> Sometimes it takes less than the 10-12 reps to get to failure. My burn
> often comes within 8 reps. By the time I get to 10-12 reps, I'm at or
> near failure.

I have to wonder: are you taking enough rest? You're working to failure,
and you're take only 30-60 seconds rest between sets, and you're not
timing the rest. I'm not on par with the skills of some of the experts
here, but I was wondering if you were getting enough rest between sets.
Try using a count down timer on a watch to make sure you get 90 seconds
rest between sets, and see how you go.

Also, have you been to see your doctor for a blood test? Anaemia makes
nausea come on pretty fast while weight training, and you don't need to
be as severely anemic as I am to feel those effects. Again, timed rest
periods between sets are what helped me.

>
> Also, can anyone suggest a palatable meal replacement product for
> before workouts?

How long before? If I eat anything in the hour before lifting I'll get
very nauseaus very quickly.


cheers,

Ari

--
spammage trappage: replace fishies_ with yahoo

I'm going to die rather sooner than I'd like. I tried to protect my
neighbours from crime, and became the victim of it. Complications in
hospital following this resulted in a serious illness. I now need a bone
marrow transplant. Many people around the world are waiting for a marrow
transplant, too. Please volunteer to be a marrow donor:
http://www.abmdr.org.au/
http://www.marrow.org/
 >> Stay informed about: Newbie with nausea/weakness 

goddardwoman wrote:
> PS: It seems worse when working large muscles like quads, hams, glutes.
>

I know nothing about hypoglycemia, except what the word means. However,
this may be contributing to the nausea when you're doing high intensity
exercise like weight training (as opposed to lower intensity endurance
training). The advice I've found says take longer rest periods. I wonder
if sipping diluted sports drink would help, too.

Ari

--
spammage trappage: replace fishies_ with yahoo

I'm going to die rather sooner than I'd like. I tried to protect my
neighbours from crime, and became the victim of it. Complications in
hospital following this resulted in a serious illness. I now need a bone
marrow transplant. Many people around the world are waiting for a marrow
transplant, too. Please volunteer to be a marrow donor:
http://www.abmdr.org.au/
http://www.marrow.org/
 >> Stay informed about: Newbie with nausea/weakness 

See a cardiologist before doing any more exercises. A stress test will most
probably reveal that your heart needs mending.
 >> Stay informed about: Newbie with nausea/weakness