Are you suffering from Muscle Fatigue?
Tips for Overcoming Muscle Fatigue
Prologue
A few days back, I got a call from my son “Papa, my whole body is aching, and I feel as if my legs are very heavy. I can hardly move around.” I asked him if there was anything else, like fever. He replied that there was no fever. Then I asked him what he had done yesterday. To this reply was “I played cricket the whole day yesterday after 2 months gap”.
There it was. There had been consistent rain in Mumbai for the past 2 months and nobody could practice or play cricket outdoors.
My son has an 8-hour job with a multinational company, and he hardly ever got time to do workouts, which he used to regularly in the past. I told him it was nothing serious- he had Muscle Fatigue and that he should take proper rest for the entire day and drink lots of water, with electrolytes if possible. And with this minor treatment, he recovered within 24 hours.
I also advised him to do regular workouts from now onwards. He does it sincerely nowadays, playing badminton or going for a stint at the gym off and on. No muscle aches or pains ever since.
What is this so-called Muscle Fatigue?
You’re working out like a fiend and can barely finish the last rep of your last set. What’s going on? Your muscles are so tired you can’t even complete one more repetition? You must be experiencing muscle fatigue, a common side effect from intense physical activities that involves pushing your body to its limits.
With any strength-training workout routine, you will experience muscle fatigue at some point. The good news is this is totally normal and hardly something to worry about.
Muscle fatigue simply means that your muscles are reaching their maximum capacity for that activity and cannot continue beyond their current state. This article will explain what exactly muscle fatigue is, how to prevent it, and how to recover faster after it happens.
Know the signs of muscle fatigue
Muscle fatigue is sometimes referred to as exercise-induced muscle fatigue, or just plain old muscle fatigue. No matter what you call it, the symptoms are all the same: Your muscles feel tired and heavy, and you can’t lift your usual amount of weight.
You might also get muscle cramps, have trouble breathing, and feel dizzy or lightheaded. You might even notice your muscles are feeling mildly painful and tender. Those are all signs that your muscles have reached their capacity and are experiencing fatigue.
The severity and duration of muscle fatigue varies. Some people might experience mild muscle fatigue that only lasts for a few seconds after an intense session.
Others deal with this issue every single time they work out. And yet others experience muscle fatigue that lasts for days after a strenuous workout.
What causes muscle fatigue?
Muscle fatigue is a result of an accumulation of byproducts produced during the breakdown of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which are then used to fuel muscle contractions.
When you complete a set, your muscle fibers contract and relax to complete the movement. During each cycle of contraction and relaxation, your muscles produce a little bit of lactic acid (a metabolite of ATP), which is then used as fuel for the next cycle.
Lactic acid is a normal byproduct of muscle contractions and is cleared from your muscles at a normal rate. However, when you are doing high repetitions (15–20 or more) with very little rest time in between, the rate of lactic acid production is significantly higher than the rate at which your muscles can clear it away.
This excess lactic acid causes your muscles to feel heavy and fatigued. To complicate things, the buildup of lactic acid can also cause a decrease in your muscle’s pH level, which can make your muscles feel extra sore and tender after an intense workout.
Strategies to prevent muscle fatigue
While you can’t completely prevent muscle fatigue from happening, you can take steps to minimize it. Here are some tips for you-
1. Make sure you are properly hydrated. This is especially important if you’re performing a workout that’s longer than an hour. Exercising in a dehydrated state can tax your body and make you feel tired faster.
2. Take advantage of the cool down. It’s easy to get so caught up in trying to finish your set that you forget to relax your muscles after your last rep. A few minutes of light movement after your workout is a wonderful way to gently stretch and release your muscles, helping to reduce soreness and prevent cramps from forming.
3. Try to avoid overtraining. It is possible to overwork your muscles and make them extra sore and tender. If you notice any of the above-mentioned signs of muscle fatigue lasting for several days or notice an increase in the severity of these symptoms, you may be overtraining.
How to recover from muscle fatigue
Most people who experience muscle fatigue recover completely within 24 hours. The best way to speed up your recovery is
1. To eat a healthy diet high in protein and carbohydrates,
2. Drink plenty of water,
3. Get plenty of sleep,
4. You can also speed up recovery by applying heat or cold packs to your sore muscles.
5. You may also want to consider adding a sports massage to your recovery routine. Sports massages are designed to help the body recover from intense workouts by improving blood flow, decreasing muscle spasms, and reducing DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) or cramps later.
6. Another thing you can do to speed up your recovery is to take a daily supplement. There are two types of supplements that can help with recovery:
a) branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) and
b) creatine.
BCAAs are a group of three amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, and valine) that help to reduce muscle breakdown after intense exercise and may speed up muscle growth.
Creatine is another amino acid that the body uses to produce ATP. Because it is stored in the muscles, supplementing with creatine can help you lift heavier weights.
Muscle aches and pains: Another side effect of muscle fatigue
If you’ve ever experienced muscle fatigue, then you know how sore and tender your muscles can get afterwards. This is known as delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS for short.
While the exact cause of DOMS is up for debate, there are a few theories floating around. Some people believe that DOMS is caused by micro-tearing of the muscles during exercise and is a sign that you pushed yourself to the max.
Others think that DOMS is caused by a buildup of lactic acid and/or hydrogen ions, which cause the muscles to ache and feel tender, especially when you move them.
Whatever the cause, DOMS is a normal and quite common side effect of intense workouts. The good news is that it’s temporary and you can help it go away faster by taking steps to recover quickly after your workout.
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Final words
Muscle fatigue is a normal part of exercise. It happens when your muscles reach their maximum capacity and can no longer do more reps. Muscle fatigue is usually short-lived and can be lessened by taking proper care of your body and recovering well after a workout. In most cases, you can feel like yourself again within a day or two. If you experience muscle fatigue, don’t worry. It is normal and nothing to be alarmed about. If you want to minimize muscle fatigue, make sure you hydrate well, stretch after your workout, eat a healthy diet, get plenty of sleep, and take care of your muscles with heat/cold packs and a sports massage.
