What are you going to do? Not train.

Medical Q&A [Moderated]
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This is a follow-up on a previous topic: https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/forums/training-q-a-with-dr-jordan-feigenbaum-and-dr-austin-baraki/18959-no-real-progress-for-months-programming-issues

In the meantime I have finished the 4 week time-crunch template.
At the start of the 4 weeks I was on holiday and could sleep for about 9h30 each night. (or even longer) This went quite well. I still wasn’t rested, but I felt OK.
The last week of the 4 weeks I was back at work and it went downhill fast. Work didn’t add any stress since the planning is about the most relaxed I experienced in years.
By the end of that week I was so exhausted that even considering training was out of the question. Normally when I feel tired and I still start training I’m happy I did it.
Now the only thing that crossed my mind was: “What the hell am I doing?”. And when I was done training I had the feeling I just wasted more then an hour of my precious time.

So I didn’t train for a week. Only did some small bouts of LISS.
I didn’t a lot less fatigued at the end of the week, but mentally I felt well enough to get back under the barbell and lift.
So I started HLM.
First training I felt a bit dizzy after the squats. It got a bit better during the training but after the block pulls it got worse again. Didn’t pay too much attention to it since I felt better the next morning.
Day 2, week 1 of the HLM template: (Yes, there is no less stressful training in the whole template.): Felt a bit dizzy after the press. Felt dizzy, light headed, sleepy, nauseous, completely out off breath, … (hyperventilating?) after the first set @8 of tempo squats. The hyperventilation stopped before I started the second set @8. I was quite calm actually. All the rest stayed.

I finished the training, feeling horrible. (I don’t give up easily :wink: )
When I got back in the house my girlfriend told me I looked sick. Really pale/grey in the face. I was standing quite unsteady so she commanded me to lay down with my feet up until I felt better. That took almost an hour.

I really don’t think it’s healthy to keep adding physical stress to my body in this situation. So to your question: “What are you going to do?” I say: “Not train.” At least for now.
I’m planning a visit to my MD, who has no idea what it means to lift weights, to check my blood and ask for advise.
What I would like to ask is: Is there any specific things he should check for, related to my complaints in relation with anaerobic training/lifting weights? (cortisol levels? any other value that might be off?)
Is there any specific health checks you would do on people who want to lift heavy but run in to the kind of things I’m experiencing?

Or should I just rest?

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I don’t think the fact that you lift weights requires a special/unique testing approach in this situation, though I agree that getting a physician evaluation is a good idea.

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OK, thank you for reading my post to the end. :slight_smile:
I’ll book an appointment with my MD.

I hope to be back lifting weights soon.

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If you could sleep 9.5 hours a night, presumably on holiday you weren’t training aggressively, and still feel “not rested,” then you REALLY should get your sleep apnea treated. Personally I would go the CPAP route first unless your ENT convinces you that the surgery is a slam dunk and CPAP won’t work for you, for some reason.

i don’t know if this will address the weak/dizzy/gray episodes, but it should go a long way toward making you feel better and allowing you to recover from training.

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I’ve tested CPAP for 1,5 years. Couldn’t get a decent night off sleep in. … except for 1 week, somewhere half-way that 1,5 year. I never figured out what was different that week, but it was the absolute best week of my entire life! I never ever felt so alive. It was amazing!!!
But in the end I had to give up CPAP since I couldn’t get used to it. (apparently this is the case with about 20% of apnea patients)
After the CPAP period I switched to MRA. I felt a lot better, but not as good as during the magical week with the CPAP. But a lot better than without treatment. This is the reason I’m going for the surgery. (same strategy, but a permanent solution)
Preparing for that surgery prevents me from using the MRA. (my upper jaw is wider now and there’s orthodontics on my teeth)
The main problem is that I have to wait longer than expected for the final surgery. I’m trying to survive in the meantime.

At the moment I’m not training at all, stress at work/life is very low, I “sleep” 8 hours a night and feel like garbage.
Results from an extensive bloodtest should come in today or tomorrow.