Find out all about recovery after strenuous exercise in the gym
The transition from a sedentary to an active lifestyle is a real physiological challenge. During the first week or even a month, a number of changes occur in the gym as it adjusts to the new exercise regime. Changing and supplementing the original fitness program is also a shock to the body and can cause conditions and sensations, known or unknown until now.
Whether you are a beginner in the gym or have been doing it for a long time, it is important to be aware of what exactly is happening to your body during exercise. This will protect you from injuries, dispel doubts about whether to continue training and motivate you to achieve your goals.
What are the first changes that occur during training?
The main problems that trainers face at the beginning of their fitness endeavor are rapid fatigue and shortness of breath.
Why am I short of air?
If the first 5 minutes of your workout seem the hardest - you're not alone. Rapid shortness of breath and a feeling of tiredness when starting exercise are actually completely normal for beginners. Sometimes they appear even in well-trained athletes. Instead of bothering you and giving up training, however, shortness of breath should remind you how important it is to warm up before you start exercising.
Feelings of extreme tiredness and difficulty breathing are most common during running, cycling, climbing stairs, swimming and other high-intensity exercise. The main reason for this is the lack of enough time for the body to deliver the necessary fuel to the loaded muscles.
How does the body get energy and why does this process cause shortness of breath?
To contract, muscles need energy, and the main energy source in the human body are adenosine triphosphate molecules (ATP). The problem, however, is that the body's ATP stores are sufficient to perform only 10 seconds of more intense movements, such as training. Then another energy system is turned on, through which these molecules are regenerated. At this point, two processes are triggered by which the body supplies the working muscles with fuel - aerobic and anaerobic glycolysis.
Anaerobic glycolysis is a system for producing ATP without the participation of oxygen. However, it is very inefficient and creates a large amount of waste products. Among them the main one is lactic acid. It prevents muscle contractions and when it accumulates in the body, the muscles become stiff and a burning sensation and pain appear. For this reason, the anaerobic system can be used as a source of energy for about 2-3 minutes.
The body must then switch to aerobic glycolysis to continue producing "fuel". Aerobic means "with oxygen". This process uses large amounts of oxygen to convert glycogen, fat and lactic acid stores into energy. Through aerobic glycolysis, muscles can contract by the end of a workout, even if it means a few hours.
However, switching from one system to another can cause shortness of breath. It usually continues until the body begins to deliver oxygen fast enough to the loaded muscles to carry out aerobic glycolysis. During the transition from an anaerobic to an aerobic system, the trainee begins to breathe harder, the heart rate increases significantly and it is possible to feel burning and muscle discomfort. But after this transition, the body adapts to the load and the sensations disappear.
Why is heating important in this context as well?
As already mentioned, it is possible to experience shortness of breath and rapid fatigue in the first 5 minutes of training. However, these unpleasant sensations can be prevented if you warm up before starting the actual exercises. It should start slowly, with light and moderate movements and the load should gradually increase.