There’s nothing like the feeling of satisfaction after completing a hard, intense and strenuous workout.
It’s like when you go to the gym knowing it’s leg day, you dread the thought of what you are about to put yourself through, but once you’ve completed your workout, you have a great sense of pride and satisfaction knowing you survived it. Along with that feeling sometimes comes the shakes or tremors. This could have actually started happening before your workout was complete. Some people would experience this and stop their workout thinking something seriously was wrong (in most cases it’s not serious at all), while others will simply shrug it off as a by-product of a great workout. Experiencing the shakes during your workout or post workout is a very common occurrence for trainers who push themselves to the limit. Usually it’s not something to be overly too concerned about as it tends to subside fairly quickly, but in other instances it could be a direct result of improper preparation for your workout. Let’s delve deeper into the cause of muscle tremors.
Symptoms of Muscle Tremor
If you find yourself feeling sluggish or even light headed going into a workout, chances are you are going to experience some type of body shakes. Also, if you are feeling particularly weak on any given day, but you still persist and insist on pushing yourself hard, you’ll probably find yourself shaking fairly quickly. If all is good on your way to the gym and your workout goes according to plan, after pushing yourself past your own limitations, you may find that soon after you rack the weight, you see spots before your eyes and feel like you are going to pass out (most likely the shakes will accompany this as well). It doesn’t sound very pleasant does it? But to some it’s the telltale sign that they’ve had a good workout. So the question remains, why does this happen? Well, there are several reasons for it, some minor, some major.Causes of Muscle Tremors
First and foremost, as I have said over and over again in previous articles, you have to pay attention to your nutrition. All day you have to eat to prepare for your workout. And to make the most of your training sessions, you have to be just as prepared with your pre- and post-workout meals. Having low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia) is a very good cause and probably one of the main reasons someone would experience shaking during a workout. Simply put, your body needs sugar (glucose) to maintain normal body functions. Without it, you feel tired and experience shaking. This is your body’s natural way of telling you it needs fuel and as soon as possible. If the shaking doesn’t occur until the workout is complete, then that’s another indication that you’ve used up all the stored glycogen and now it’s time to replenish. This situation can become very serious if you happen to be a diabetic, but most diabetics are very attuned to what they need and pay even more attention to their nutrition than the average person with no problems with blood sugar levels. Another reason you can experience shaking during or after a workout is due to the stress you put on your CNS (central nervous system). Heavy squats, deadlifts or any compound exercise that requires the recruitment of more than one muscle group, more than one of your lever systems and taxes the entire body can cause severe shaking. When this happens it’s known as physiological tremors. It’s not serious, it just means you brought yourself to another level of intensity, completely assaulted your body and CNS, and now you need to recover and let your body return to homeostasis. This happens to me quite often, especially if I’m trying to use more weight for more reps than usual or if I happen to kick it up a notch in the intensity area. The tremors usually subside within a couple minutes and then it’s time to do it all over again! The last reason for experiencing shaking could be due to the use of certain stimulants. Everyone has a threshold of what they can tolerate with stimulants. Once you cross that line, you will experience tremors, as well as a list of other unwanted side effects. In some cases, the stimulant you used thinking it will give you a boost for your workout, works against you and you feel less than capable of performing your routine for the day.Prevention and Treatment
Like I touched on earlier, paying close attention to your nutrition is going to be your best bet when trying to avoid shaking like a leaf during your workout. Eating slow-digesting carbs throughout the day will ensure your blood glucose levels are even the entire day with no fluctuations, other than when you need it pre and post workout. Eating adequate amounts of protein and healthy fats will provide you with essential energy needed for your training. If you do all of this, and the shaking or tremors still happen, just make sure you immediately get some food into you, walk around a bit before sitting down, focus on your breathing and slowly you’ll return to normal and the shaking will subside.Supplements
To fight off the shakes, supplement with this ALLMAX stack:- Waxy Maize 2300
- Isoflex
- Omega-3 essential fatty acids
