Can’t be hungry. Can’t be full.

Before I go into the gym I have to make sure that I am neither hungry nor too full. I am not sure if that is how everyone feels but this requirement of delicate balance between too full and too hungry is causing trouble to me.

There have been times when I went to gym when I am too full and it scares me that I might throw up especially when I do squats or deadlifts. Another problem is cramps for more movement involved exercises. Yet another problem with being too full is that I will not be able to eat much after the workout (the ectomorph problem of getting too full too quickly).

And then there are times when I go to gym feeling hungry like today. Something urgent came up at work and I was 45 minutes late to gym than usual. I started feeling hungry as I stepped into the gym. It is a weird time that I can neither have a snack nor a full lunch. But in retrospect I should have had a snack even if it means I will have to reduce the big lunch after workout. As I started working out I felt weak and dizzy. At one point I felt I will blackout right after a heavy squat.

Lesson for the day: I just have to make sure I do not miss the gym time and if I do I should snack a bit. May be some fruit juice or some other quickly digestible substances and wait 30 to 60 minutes before hitting the gym. Cannot drink coffee and go to the gym. For some reason it makes me more nauseous and I feel more dehydrated.

Some related links

• http://exercise.about.com/od/weightloss/f/emptystomach.htm
• http://www.healthline.com/blogs/diet_nutrition/2007/11/eat-before-exercise.html
• http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0KGB/is_1_5/ai_n6097710/
• http://www.truthaboutabs.com/pre-workout-energy-drinks.html

Filed under: dizzy, full, hungry, snack

Squats make me dizzy

I hate squats but I love them. Every time I go to gym to do squats, a feeling of resentment and fear takes over me. I resist those feelings and put on a weight with which I can do warm ups (usually about 60% to 70% of my work weight). Once I rip through them I gain some confidence. But as soon as I do my first work set I know why I hated squats in the first place. It is not because every part of my body hurts. But because of the dizzy feeling of the aftermath.

By the 6th or 7th rep I am breathing heavily, panting almost and the very strong urge to stop doing any more reps creeps in. I force my self to do a couple more if I can. Move slowly to rack the barbell and once the weight is off my back I feel my head reel as if I am going to faint. I just have to hold on to the squat rack and stay there without moving lest I blackout. But after the 3 work sets that I normally do, I feel great. Almost proud to have achieved my goal for the day.

Squats are considered to be the best exercise in body building circles and for a good reason too. The sheer number of muscles being used to push a heavy load is proof enough that it is really the best exercise. Doing squats also works out the biggest muscles in the body (almost all leg muscles and then some). Which means more growth hormone will be produced by your body to repair those huge muscles. So you gain muscle more quickly. This is especially good for skinny guys.

When I first started I was only able to do 100 lbs, not even a plate on either side. Now I can do 150 lb. I don’t feel dizzy when I am doing deadlifts though. May be I am not at the highest weight yet for deadlifts. We will see.

Filed under: best exercise, deadlifts, dizzy, squats, best exercise, deadlifts, dizzy, squats