You know the feeling. You’re working hard and giving your workout everything you’ve got when suddenly, it seems your muscles want to give out. What’s going on? Read on to learn more about this mysterious muscle reaction.
My muscles are shaking. What’s going on?
According to Amy Rushlow, writing for Yahoo Health: Challenging exercise depletes the chemical messengers that carry the messages between nerves and muscle cells. This causes some of the nerves and their corresponding fibers to drop out of service, (Dr. Len) Kravitz tells Yahoo health. And since your cells don’t fire all at once – some are contracting as others are relaxing – your body shakes like a car sputtering on a low gas tank.
What can I do about my shaky muscles?
Don’t worry. Shaky may not feel great but the condition is harmless. Here are a few things you can do if you are really bothered by the trembling.
Stay hydrated – Dehydration may also contribute to muscle shaking during exercise so be sure to monitor your fluid intake before and during exercise.
Keep exercising – As you build strength your muscles will be better able to meet the demands of vigorous exercise.
Skip the late show – inadequate sleep doesn’t just make you feel sleepy, it also gives your muscles less power to perform during your workout. More sleep may mean less shakiness.
Take rest breaks – There is absolutely nothing wrong with going hard during your workout, just be sure you pace yourself. Alternate periods of high intensity with lower intensity exercise or take a break periodically.
Take rest days – Give your muscles adequate time to recover between workouts. When you start with fatigued muscles you are more likely to experience shaky muscles during exercise. You’re also more likely to experience overtraining injuries. Pace yourself so you build strength and stay on track rather than get sidelined because you hurt yourself doing too much, too soon.
After your hard workout, remember to hydrate and have a snack with protein and carbs with a little healthy fat. According to Reader’s Digest, a good rule of thumb is to have a snack of about half the number of calories you burned during exercise. That means if you burned 300 calories your post workout snack should be about 150 calories. Protein and carbs help you replenish energy stores and build muscle. Good choices include tuna on whole grain toast, hard-boiled eggs and hummus or cheese and fruit or trail mix (without candy).
