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Fatigue before and during training is one of the main issues that we have observed from surveying hundreds of people in our gyms and through our social network at Marchon. An even bigger issue, however, is how people deal with this. In many cases, individuals look for a quick fix by loading up on stimulants without addressing the underlying factors such as nutrition, recovery and their training load. In this article, we’re going to discuss how you can maximise your energy levels for training.
Before going straight into the science, we’ll start with the basics. All of these factors that we are about to present have a direct correlation with energy and performance. If you do them well, you will likely perform well and feel great. It takes a little effort and a word of caution is to not do them all at once. As you go through, try to focus on which is a priority for you.
Having poor quality or insufficient hours of sleep can disrupt your body’s recovery processes and in turn, your energy restoration. You should aim to get at least 7 hours per night, with closer to 9 being ideal to support your performance. Sleep has a huge impact on fatigue and multiple studies have shown the impact it has on overtraining syndrome (Ref, Ref) and how it impacts athletic performance (Ref). There is always something you can do regarding sleep even if you cannot get more of it. Creating a cool, dark room and adhering to a routine of winding down around 30-45 minutes before the time you actually want to be asleep is crucial.
Short-term stress is good. We need it to see progress. Chronic stress is not good. Having chronic stress objectively increases your cortisol levels, which are known to potentially decrease your rate of and quality of recovery, which may lead to you feeling drained. Manage your stress well in order to reduce constant fatigue.
Mild dehydration is very well known to lead to decreased energy, with further declines in hydration being correlated with a drop in performance (Ref). You should always monitor your fluid intake, particularly in the morning and around training times, and replenish lost electrolytes through sweat. Be sure to take a look at our electrolyte sachets whilst you’re here.
This is simple; higher quality, nutrient dense foods are the building blocks for your body’s energy production and recovery. Equally, low-quality foods which are processed often lack the nutrients required for these processes. Micronutrients are downright essential for optimal physiological function.
Having a focus on when you eat around training can have an impact on training energy. Carbohydrates before training for example are always a great shout to ensure that your body has the fuel it needs. Equally, protein following a workout is beneficial for your recovery. For more information and strategies check out our articles on pre workout nutrition and post workout nutrition.
Whilst this article predominantly discusses lifestyle and nutrition principles, you should also understand how the intensity and volume of your training sessions play a significant role in how you feel also. Overtraining without having the right amount of recovery can lead to diminished energy levels and a decline in performance (Ref, Ref).
You should always aim to strike the right balance of challenge and recovery/adaption. Progressively overload over time to increasingly challenge your body to adapt without having it overtrained.
Gradually increase volume through reps, sets and/or weight over time. Having your training structured into periodised cycles of higher intensity work and recovery will ensure that your body is not always stressed out and gives you the time and correct level of stimulus to recover. All Marchon Training Programmes take this into account and are periodised in order to maximise your output, energy and recovery.
Another thing you should consider if you are programming your own training is rest days. Rest is where the recovery, growth and strength improvements happen, and you should avoid training with high intensity every day. Rest days are not about doing nothing, but don’t get sucked into doing too much and not allowing adequate restoration.
Carbohydrates are your body’s main source of energy for activities which are of high intensity. Muscle glycogen is the stored form of carbohydrate once it has been processed by the body. With activity, muscle glycogen becomes depleted, meaning that it must be replenished to avoid fatigue.
In many cases, people will begin their week with high glycogen levels due to lower volume or intensity of training or rest days over the weekend, which is then depleted through weekday training without sufficient refuelling. This often leads to feelings of fatigue and reduced performance whilst training. A good general guideline is to consume between 3 and 5g of carbohydrates per KG of body weight per day, especially if engaging in endurance or high-intensity training. In sports nutrition, we like to talk about the critical level of glycogen in the muscle; this essentially refers to our muscle glycogen levels needing to be maintained between 250-300 mmol/kg of dry weight for the best level of performance (Ref). Our Workout Fuel provides 20g of fast-digesting carbs to fuel your performance before training.
How you feel typically provides a pretty good read on how your body is holding up. If you’re not performing well in the gym, you’re always fatigued or you’re feeling irritable, you may be overtrained. Listen to your body and take the rest when you need it.
Whilst being in a deficit is good for when you want to lose weight, it can lead to you being fatigued and low on energy. If you’re feeling these symptoms, reduce your calorie deficit or eat maintenance calories on training days in order to support your training and performance.
Your recovery is where your gains are made. Even if you don’t want to take a full day off, getting the days of low intensity is key; try active recovery sessions, yoga or stretching to recover well whilst not feeling you’re taking a day off.
Using a tool which can track metrics like HRV (heart rate variability) can help you monitor your recovery and readiness to train. Being aware of these metrics can be useful for informing you on when to push hard and when to pull back.
Bookending your workout with solid nutrition can help maximise your energy in training. Check out the two articles we have on optimising pre workout nutrition and how to nail your post workout nutrition.
As we’ve discussed, fatigue before training is an extremely common problem, and often people will try to hit the boost button with supplements before optimising their body’s natural function from the source. By addressing your fundamentals such as sleep, nutrition, hydration and training load you can maximise your energy and performance during your workouts.
