Too fatigued for cardio from strength training

[Baybeejulia]

Haha, yes that is exactly what I was saying. And I think with the distances you are running, the fatigue you are experiencing probably comes from having exhausted your glycogen stores previously. If google led me in the right direction, 5km is about 3 miles, which is a run conducted almost completely from immediately available energy.

With that in mind, you might be able to fight off a lot of this fatigue by having an easily digestible snack of about 200-300 calories right before your run. Simple sugars are the best, like fruits or even sports drinks and simple candies like gummy bears. This will give your body the energy it needs to tackle a 5km distance. You burn about 100 calories per mile.

On the other hand however, running on empty is a good technique for weight loss. It's not necessarily the best for speed or running training for shorter distances like a 5-10k, but you can certainly burn fat from it.

So looking at your goals, I have an idea for you. When I was working on increasing distance and increasing weight (it is usually good to focus on just one and maintain the other) I had a modified periodization approach. One week I would focus on muscle work, with 3 weight sessions and 2 short fast runs (total of 5 days). The next week I would focus on running with 2 maintenance weight workouts and 3 more intense and longer run work outs. Do you see how each week is almost a recovery for the other? If you like running, I highly suggest working up to a 6 mile distance, or 10k. That's not too long to really hamper your weight training, but it is long enough for you to reap some of the heart health rewards and metabolic/weight loss rewards that running longer distances can help you with.

Since I started my fit journey back in April, I have been trying to increase my running and endurance. I have been slowly increasing my distances, I could barely run 400m but was pushing myself a little further everyday. I eventually got to a point where I could run about 5km. My body would struggle for the first half hour, then it would get in the 'zone' and my legs would be sort of numb and I could just keep going (I usually only have an hour to run so I eventually have to stop lol).

I would love to be able to run 10km without a break. I would love to be a 'runner'.

That idea honestly sounds like a really good idea! At the moment I really want to give my focus and attention to the Stronglifts program (which is a 3 day a week thing), so running/cardio will have to take a back seat to it, however, it will also be 3 days (on my rest days). As you said, running on an empty stomach is better as it burns fat, so I'll try to do that. I'll try to push myself in my runs as much as I can, but if I find I really have no energy for it then I will eat more. I don't want to compromise my fitness for weight loss, because in the long term my fitness will definitely be more important.

[Baybeejulia]

A 20% deficit doesn't seem to inhibit my upper body very quickly, but my lower body workouts start to suffer after about a month (I'm within that time period now...and aggravated by it. LOL). As my bodyfat continues to drop, my upper body will eventually start to become a bit weaker as well. And I don't even do cardio. LOL Let's be clear that it's not devastating weakness, I'm just not at my best and have more bad days than I would if I were eating with a focus on fueling my workouts over lowering bodyfat.

I definitely wouldn't go lower than 20% this far from your goal date. And base your calories off of your 2,000 calorie "cardio days." You have SIX MONTHS to do this (I mean, that it so much time that I personally would try to figure out what my true maintenance calories actually seemed to be for the first month or two). If you are averaging more than 2 lbs/week scale weight loss, slow it down to ensure you are eating enough to at least maintain as much muscle as you can. Slower is better when it comes to looking as tight as you can at the end of your leaning up phase (I personally aim to average a pound a week).

That word "average" is important. You won't lose exactly "X" amount of scale weight per week. If you're aiming for a pound a week, one week you might lose two, the next you might lose nothing and the next you might lose one. Keep in mind that higher cellular volume from things like heavy lifting, eating more carbs if your carbs have been low and supplements like creatine can cause the scale to raise a couple of pounds (it won't go up and up...will stabilize after a couple of weeks and this "fullness" actually makes you look more defined in places you are already lean). Additionally, hormonal fluctuations and periodic cheat meals will cause the scale to rise temporarily (for me, hormonal fluctuations cause a "temporary rise" for a couple of weeks). I mention this, because if you choose to eat at maintenance for a while or keep your deficit as small as possible, those things are going to trip you out...and if you are like most people, it will cause you to make changes to your meal plan before you've given it a chance to work.

One thing you have to remember is that when most people eat more, they are not doing it in a controlled way. When people truly recomp or bulk, they are still weighing and tracking their food. In the case of a recomp, it is to ensure that they are meeting nutritional needs while pretty much maintaining their weight (is normal for weight to fluctuate a little bit, as I mentioned). In the case of a bulk, it is to ensure they aren't gaining weight much more quickly than they can hope to put on muscle so that the percentage of fat they gain is lower. People who get sloppy fat during a bulk aren't controlling their calories for slow, steady weight gain. In the case of the general public, people who get fat "eating more" are getting fat because they aren't tracking their calories/following a meal plan. They generally don't realize that they are eating way more than they think they do. Same thing goes for the majority of the "carbs make me bloated and fat" crowd. In general, if they aren't following a meal plan, people tend to binge on/overeat carbohydrates. It's the amount they are eating, not the fact that they are simply eating carbs. So...the question you have to ask yourself at this point is (especially when we're talkin' throughout your "entire life..." ), when you've gained weight from eating more, were you as close to 100% accurate as you could have been in adding up those calories when you were eating more, or were you pretty much on a "diet break" (or somewhere in between)?

I guess we can't have the best of both worlds huh, if we eat to lose weight we have to expect that our strength in exercising will not be the same as eating at maintenance. Small price to pay.

You're right, when I was 'eating more' I was eating everything and anything! I wasn't counting calories, macros or watching what went into my mouth in any way. So maybe if I eat more, but in a controlled manner, I'll still make the kind of progress I want to body and weight-loss wise.

As a result of further reading, and all the amazing replies in this thread by you wonderful ladies, I think I have decided what I am going to do.

I'm going to continue eating 1200 calories a day, maybe 1300, for another two months. I'm going to continue the Stronglifts program as my primary fitness program at this stage, and squeeze in as much cardio on my rest days as I can (by this, I mean run as far as my legs are willing to go on a deficit after weight training, which won't be far lol).

If after two months, I find that I am liking my progress and my body is shaping how I want it to, and most importantly, my body is not fatigued and crying out for more food, then I will continue that way until I get to my desired body fat.

If, however, I find that my lifting and my cardio are being compromised because my body is hungry and under-fueled, then I will increase my calorie intake to about 1500-1600 calories, which is just a little under maintenance.

I'm honestly rooting for the first scenario, because I would love to be able to lose fat, fast! But still, I won't compromise my body or my fitness to do so.

[byond]

^that sounds okay, except for the "if I like the progress after 2 mo I will keep eating 1200 cal a day" part. You can be on such a deficit now only because you have some body fat, but be sure to reassert your needs once your BF drops. That usually means you will have to start eating more to lose fat and to sustain the same level of activity, if you want to play it safe.

[Baybeejulia]

^that sounds okay, except for the "if I like the progress after 2 mo I will keep eating 1200 cal a day" part. You can be on such a deficit now only because you have some body fat, but be sure to reassert your needs once your BF drops. That usually means you will have to start eating more to lose fat and to sustain the same level of activity, if you want to play it safe.

Thanks

Yep, once I get down to maybe about 19%/20% body fat, I will up my calorie intake to about 1400 until I get to my goal BF% (16%), then I will eat at maintenance but continue to lift. I haven't decided yet if I will bulk, don't think so. I want what they call 'long lean muscles', not so much bulging ones.

[RTrout18]

Thanks

Yep, once I get down to maybe about 19%/20% body fat, I will up my calorie intake to about 1400 until I get to my goal BF% (16%), then I will eat at maintenance but continue to lift. I haven't decided yet if I will bulk, don't think so. I want what they call 'long lean muscles', not so much bulging ones.

Keep doing your research (from reliable sources...not women's magazines)...there's always stuff to learn. No offense, but right now, it seems like you may be a little undereducated/confused about muscle building and achieving a certain body type... you definitely are not going to get "big bulging" muscles right off the bat and/or if you aren't actually working towards that.

I think I understand what you're going for, and what some of your fears are, and rest assured, many of the women here who have been lifting for years (and do bulk-cut cycles) probably had some of the same fears and thought patterns when they began/before they began and learned more.

Honestly, though, you'll figure out what you need to do along the way -- what works for your body and will help you reach your goals -- just be patient and don't get discouraged. Remember it's going to take time, learning about your body and about what actually WORKS, etc. LISTEN to your body most of all.

[Baybeejulia]

Keep doing your research (from reliable sources...not women's magazines)...there's always stuff to learn. No offense, but right now, it seems like you may be a little undereducated/confused about muscle building and achieving a certain body type... you definitely are not going to get "big bulging" muscles right off the bat and/or if you aren't actually working towards that.

I think I understand what you're going for, and what some of your fears are, and rest assured, many of the women here who have been lifting for years (and do bulk-cut cycles) probably had some of the same fears and thought patterns when they began/before they began and learned more.

Honestly, though, you'll figure out what you need to do along the way -- what works for your body and will help you reach your goals -- just be patient and don't get discouraged. Remember it's going to take time, learning about your body and about what actually WORKS, etc. LISTEN to your body most of all.

I do read a lot and have a good grasp of how it all works. I know bulging muscles are very difficult for women to get due to our lack of hormones/fibers that actually build these bulging muscles.

The reason I said that was moreso to say to the people replying on this thread that I'd much rather eat at a deficit and look 'thinner' than eat at maintenance or surplus and look 'more muscly' or fuller (as it stands now, with me at 25% BF). I obviously understand that I will eventually (soon) have to start eating enough to fuel my body when I no longer want to lose fat.

And thanks, you're right. Every person is different and I should listen to my body and understand it to make sure I do what's best for it.

[RTrout18]

I do read a lot and have a good grasp of how it all works. I know bulging muscles are very difficult for women to get due to our lack of hormones/fibers that actually build these bulging muscles.

The reason I said that was moreso to say to the people replying on this thread that I'd much rather eat at a deficit and look 'thinner' than eat at maintenance or surplus and look 'more muscly' or fuller (as it stands now, with me at 25% BF). I obviously understand that I will eventually (soon) have to start eating enough to fuel my body when I no longer want to lose fat.

And thanks, you're right. Every person is different and I should listen to my body and understand it to make sure I do what's best for it.

Sorry if I offended you at all -- I didn't mean to. Good luck on your journey Keep us posted

[Baybeejulia]

Sorry if I offended you at all -- I didn't mean to. Good luck on your journey Keep us posted

No, no offense taken at all

Thanks!

[jewels93]

[Also, I am eating at a deficit as I am tryna to lose body fat.

Thanks in advance.[/QUOTE]

Yep. there it is. Cant lose weight while doing program like that. you can but you wont gain strength and youll feel run down and exhausted.