Question:
Has anyone else felt this way? I've get a late-summer/early-fall allergy
attack every year (which I *think* is supposed to mean I have a ragweed
allergy). It just kicked in a week or so ago. It's not *too*
debilitating, and I don't take any drugs to alleviate symptoms - better
to sneeze a lot than have dried out sinuses & feel weird (well, more
weird than usual) for weeks on end. I noticed a big drop-off in my energy levels. I was dragging ass on the
tennis court yesterday, and my squat reps seemed *really* tough to crank
out today. I wonder if it's due to the allergies, or overtraining?
I don't *think* it's overtraining, because I've only been "serious" about
lifting for 10-11 months, and was doing a nearly worthless (for me) "HIT"
style of training up until around 4 weeks ago. I'm 31, and in reasonably
good health (get a cold maybe once every 2 years). Here's my normal
workout schedule:
Mon - Chest/Triceps
Wed - Upper Back/Biceps
Sat - Legs/Lower back
Sun - Writhe in agony from squat/deadlift workout
Mon - Repeat
The lack of energy is a very recent development - only in the last few
days. Any idea how long I should give it before I decide I *am*
overtrained? Anyone else feel like a puddle of goo in the squat rack
during allergy season? I'd hate to stop training now, since I just
started on Creatine...
Answer:
I've been the same way for the past couple of weeks. I don't know what
part of the country you're in, but I'm chalking it up to allergies for
myself. When it starts to bother me, I usually take some decongestant
before I go to bed, and I feel much better in the morning than if I
don't. You could always get an allergy test done if you want to be
certain, but that is kind of expensive. (I've only recently broken away
from the graps of allergy shots . . . ) I suffer from seasonal allergies and have found that they can be quite
debilitating to my training. I use the prescription medication Flonase which
is a nasal spray that blocks the receptor sites of the allergens. I notice
no side effects whatsoever, except the lack of allergy symptoms! There are
others like it - Vancenase, Nasalcrom and others. See an allergist for
details. You might be very glad you did.
Judging from the responses I've seen so far, my original question is
answered - it's more likely the allergies than overtraining that have
caused my energy level to drop. I think it's the same answer either way,
though - get more rest. I've been trying (successfully for the past two
days) to get at least 8 hours/night of sleep, and feel *much* better for
it. I was going off of the "Don't you do this again around here, giving
advice about medication." one-line statement he (she?) made, which
sounded a bit self-righteous, even for a doc (after all, it was an
allergy med that requires a prescription). Was he being sarcastic maybe?
