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Q&A: Fatiguing Too Soon
Q: Sometimes the first 5 minutes of my workout feel the hardest. What’s happening?
A: This happens in any exercise, but a lot of people notice when they go for a run or hop on a bike. Your body is reaching what’s called "steady state" during exercise.
Think of it as an oxygen debt—your body isn’t able to transport oxygen to your muscles quickly enough so it builds up lactic acid and you start to really feel it. Gradually, your body makes the transition to the aerobic state, where your ventilation rate has increased and your body is now able to supply oxygen to your working muscles effectively.
If you can grind through this initial period, it’ll get easier and you won’t quit on yourself. The simple solution is to always perform a gradual warm-up. By ramping up the intensity slowly, your body always uses oxygen efficiently so you’ll avoid sputtering out early.
About The Author
Alwyn Cosgrove – Alwyn Cosgrove is renowned for his fat loss training programs and for being a dynamic and educational speaker. He is a contributing writer for CorePerformance.com.
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