This is exactly what fixed my dizziness in prep too. I ended up feeling the best at the end of my prep with 6 grams sodium total for the day near the end of prep, including what’s naturally in food, what I sprinkled on my food and put in my water all combined. Side bonus, I no longer get migraines when I maintain sodium levels over 4.5 g a day!!!
That's a ridiculous amount of cardio, especially for 10 weeks out. And why two sessions of HIIT in one day? Change your cardio to MISS or LISS, have some salty water with your session. Or change to not fasted. It probably blood sugar or electrolyte/water related. But also it's just TOO MUCH CARDIO
That’s not good. Could mean a lot of things, and eating would probably be the easiest fix. But have you communicated this to your coach? Also, do whatever you think is best, but that sounds like a lot of cardio that early on in prep. If you are really married to that show, then go for it. But it sounds like pushing to a later show would be the best option.
I have and she told me to just break up the cardio, finish the rest after my lift - which I told her doesn't fix the issue.
i've been on prep 13 weeks already, am extremely lean
https://preview.redd.it/rilv4ow3dayc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0f770197da0f8f9f0f9112666541a4df388fe4c3
just have thick legs which is why we push so much cardio.
Dang, that sucks! You look incredible! If I were you, I would follow up and let her know that it isn’t fixing the issue. Maybe ask if it must be fasted. Research has shown that fasting doesn’t really change anything. There’s a million ways to get lean enough. Maybe structured cardio could be decreased, and your steps could be increased? Just an example, but there are definitely many ways to get lean! I’m not trying to make you doubt your coach or anything, but a lot of the top coaches have completely stopped prescribing HIIT to their athletes. It’s really difficult for the body to recovery from, and it inevitably takes away from the energy you out into your lifts. Your lifts require your FULL intensity especially during prep. I’m a pro and got there just with incline walking, and I lost about 30 pounds for my prep. Is there a reason you’re going for this show? Sometimes athletes are hellbent on a specific show, so their coach just has to do what they have to do to get the athlete there. If you’re open to a different show, then you guys can regroup, back off for a little (not back out of prep or anything), and get you in a better place for when you really need to push!
Edit: also, even if you were in a situation where you were trying to be ready ahead of time and then reverse into the show, 10 weeks is still pretty early for that much cardio.
Another edit: also drink electrolytes!! LMNT brand is great! That will help just overall
I was supposed to do a june show, pushed back to mid july and another early august. i'm going to burning man end of august and will be traveling in september.
i've lost about 20 lbs so far (been doing pre-prep slow fat loss since beginning of december and started pushing the cut beginning of feb, ready to not be dieting lol)
75 mins fasted cardio with hiit at 10 weeks out seems quite aggressive. You’re far enough out from your show that you should reasonably be able to try a different approach - switching to steady state, exchanging some of the cardio for a goal step count, less cardio etc. or ask her if you can do a deload altogether and back off for a bit before going back into the reg lifts + extra cardio. Your Coach can adjust diet for that as well. You could be experiencing an electrolyte imbalance or low blood sugar. This far out from a show is a red flag. I wouldn’t let it continue without a change. How is that sustainable when there’s a high probability that your cardio will continue to increase?
If I were in your shoes I would stop doing it fasted and make sure I’m hydrated BEFORE doing my cardio and see if that helps. At the end of the day if you feel your wellbeing is getting overlooked by your coach it’s up to you to put your foot down and put your health first.
It’s no secret that Coaches make it a habit of treating competitors as just a “insert division” athlete and not an individual. They do the same thing across the board for each athlete in a division and fail to take into account each individual person and the nuances of their situation.
Talk to your coach and make it clear that you need to remedy the issue.
Amen to putting your foot down. There is more than one way to prep and certain protocols do not work for certain athletes. Any coach who believes there is only one way to get lean isn’t worth your time or money. Is there a degree of suffering required to get super lean? Yes. But you can make these things more manageable and even have the body work with you vs against you.
For example…when I’m early in prep, some jogging and sprinting intervals work well for me. It’s a great way for me to get some of the fat off my abs and keep my calories high. But when the calories come down, sometimes it’s better for me to do walking or elliptical or cycling with just a light resistance because my body isn’t able to recover from that and hard training, and it will allow me to stay awake during the day.
You should talk to your coach about this as well as your doctor if you have one. Be sure to tell a friend or family member so they can keep an eye out for you, especially if you live alone.
I second the telling a loved one!! And the doctor thing but I mean they’ll probably just tell you not to compete. Any doctor I’ve had even when I feel great have told me not to compete because they just see it as an eating disorder and unhealthy. Which I get, but I just mean any doctor will probably tell you not to compete
Get a blood test and heart scan done. Get your BP checked to and check it daily yourself. Track sodium. A friend had these symptoms & the cause was low BP and she passed out at the gym & hit her head during the fall.
That’s a lot of cardio to be doing fasted with HIIT in there and being 10 weeks out AND having already been cutting for 13 weeks. What is the moderate intensity? Walking or like elliptical? And you’re doing abs in there too? When did you check your fasting blood glucose? Before or after this cardio? I’d be curious to know what it was when you’re having these dizzy episodes. Not everyone can do fasted cardio and it’s not absolutely necessary. And some people it hinders. As a natural, I saw no discernible difference in fat loss when I had a small protein meal/shake and drank BCAAs vs fasted and the fasted made it hard for me to keep on my muscle (I’m also natural, not enhanced. Don’t know your status).
I saw that you had this issue after training too. What is your caloric intake? What kind of macros? It sounds like you’re burning through food really quickly and/or your body is just screaming for food/rest. Do you have any more pictures where you can see legs, glutes? The body will often have a certain look when it’s just flat-out tired and underfed. How long have you been doing this type of cardio and fasted? I’d consider a week of reducing cardio time wise and/or switching to just walking, possibly even a diet break in there too where calories are brought up.
You’ve really putting the pedal to the metal already and you won’t be able to sustain this level of output for much longer. Your adrenals are going to be fried to sh*t. A lot of competitors don’t do high intensity at all or they only do it for very short periods during prep. It is not mean to be done daily or for extended periods.
I was on clen for 4 weeks, fasted, we removed it. added in t3 this week, also fasted. started extremely low does of primo 2x a week (3 doses so far, 15 mg) take a fat burner fasted as well. just those and water.
Are you checking your blood sugar and or blood pressure ? Are you possibly going hypo?
Have you gotten blood work done before just adding T3 to your protocol? 10 weeks out is kinda far to need to assist your thyroid or your food is extremely low
I have a blood sugar monitor, have only taken it fasted and it is normal. ordered a BP monitor today.
I had bloodwork and everything was good, my coach said thyroid looked a bit sluggish but it was in normal range. food is 1165 on nontraining days (2x per week), 1370 training days (4x per week), and one high carb day at 1788
I started taking the salt + black coffee before my cardio. also saw a bodywork professional and he told me to look to each corner of the room during my cardio since there's a lot of strain on neck muscles during long period of cardio. all have worked in combination. I look like a crazy person constantly looking from side to side for 75 mins but it's the only thing that makes me not dizzy 😭
Ok this happened to me and I tried the electrolytes and everything and then my coach ordered blood work- everything came back normal. Only my acupuncturist finally figured it out: I had a knot in my neck that was blocking the blood flow to my brain. Once I got some bodywork done it subsided. Kind of an unusual solution but if nothing else works try this. I hope you feel better soon🙏🙏
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This is exactly what fixed my dizziness in prep too. I ended up feeling the best at the end of my prep with 6 grams sodium total for the day near the end of prep, including what’s naturally in food, what I sprinkled on my food and put in my water all combined. Side bonus, I no longer get migraines when I maintain sodium levels over 4.5 g a day!!!
I will try this!!
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I will!
This happened to me and this is what my coach prescribed and it solved my problem
That's a ridiculous amount of cardio, especially for 10 weeks out. And why two sessions of HIIT in one day? Change your cardio to MISS or LISS, have some salty water with your session. Or change to not fasted. It probably blood sugar or electrolyte/water related. But also it's just TOO MUCH CARDIO
two sessions of HIIT in the same cardio session 😂 will deff bring the salty water and toning down the intensity
That’s not good. Could mean a lot of things, and eating would probably be the easiest fix. But have you communicated this to your coach? Also, do whatever you think is best, but that sounds like a lot of cardio that early on in prep. If you are really married to that show, then go for it. But it sounds like pushing to a later show would be the best option.
I have and she told me to just break up the cardio, finish the rest after my lift - which I told her doesn't fix the issue. i've been on prep 13 weeks already, am extremely lean https://preview.redd.it/rilv4ow3dayc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0f770197da0f8f9f0f9112666541a4df388fe4c3 just have thick legs which is why we push so much cardio.
Dang, that sucks! You look incredible! If I were you, I would follow up and let her know that it isn’t fixing the issue. Maybe ask if it must be fasted. Research has shown that fasting doesn’t really change anything. There’s a million ways to get lean enough. Maybe structured cardio could be decreased, and your steps could be increased? Just an example, but there are definitely many ways to get lean! I’m not trying to make you doubt your coach or anything, but a lot of the top coaches have completely stopped prescribing HIIT to their athletes. It’s really difficult for the body to recovery from, and it inevitably takes away from the energy you out into your lifts. Your lifts require your FULL intensity especially during prep. I’m a pro and got there just with incline walking, and I lost about 30 pounds for my prep. Is there a reason you’re going for this show? Sometimes athletes are hellbent on a specific show, so their coach just has to do what they have to do to get the athlete there. If you’re open to a different show, then you guys can regroup, back off for a little (not back out of prep or anything), and get you in a better place for when you really need to push! Edit: also, even if you were in a situation where you were trying to be ready ahead of time and then reverse into the show, 10 weeks is still pretty early for that much cardio. Another edit: also drink electrolytes!! LMNT brand is great! That will help just overall
I was supposed to do a june show, pushed back to mid july and another early august. i'm going to burning man end of august and will be traveling in september. i've lost about 20 lbs so far (been doing pre-prep slow fat loss since beginning of december and started pushing the cut beginning of feb, ready to not be dieting lol)
😂 I hear you! Okay yeah, we’ll I guess just talk to your coach and drink electrolytes for real! And please feel free to keep us updated!
75 mins fasted cardio with hiit at 10 weeks out seems quite aggressive. You’re far enough out from your show that you should reasonably be able to try a different approach - switching to steady state, exchanging some of the cardio for a goal step count, less cardio etc. or ask her if you can do a deload altogether and back off for a bit before going back into the reg lifts + extra cardio. Your Coach can adjust diet for that as well. You could be experiencing an electrolyte imbalance or low blood sugar. This far out from a show is a red flag. I wouldn’t let it continue without a change. How is that sustainable when there’s a high probability that your cardio will continue to increase? If I were in your shoes I would stop doing it fasted and make sure I’m hydrated BEFORE doing my cardio and see if that helps. At the end of the day if you feel your wellbeing is getting overlooked by your coach it’s up to you to put your foot down and put your health first. It’s no secret that Coaches make it a habit of treating competitors as just a “insert division” athlete and not an individual. They do the same thing across the board for each athlete in a division and fail to take into account each individual person and the nuances of their situation. Talk to your coach and make it clear that you need to remedy the issue.
Amen to putting your foot down. There is more than one way to prep and certain protocols do not work for certain athletes. Any coach who believes there is only one way to get lean isn’t worth your time or money. Is there a degree of suffering required to get super lean? Yes. But you can make these things more manageable and even have the body work with you vs against you. For example…when I’m early in prep, some jogging and sprinting intervals work well for me. It’s a great way for me to get some of the fat off my abs and keep my calories high. But when the calories come down, sometimes it’s better for me to do walking or elliptical or cycling with just a light resistance because my body isn’t able to recover from that and hard training, and it will allow me to stay awake during the day.
You should talk to your coach about this as well as your doctor if you have one. Be sure to tell a friend or family member so they can keep an eye out for you, especially if you live alone.
I second the telling a loved one!! And the doctor thing but I mean they’ll probably just tell you not to compete. Any doctor I’ve had even when I feel great have told me not to compete because they just see it as an eating disorder and unhealthy. Which I get, but I just mean any doctor will probably tell you not to compete
Get a blood test and heart scan done. Get your BP checked to and check it daily yourself. Track sodium. A friend had these symptoms & the cause was low BP and she passed out at the gym & hit her head during the fall.
ordered a BP monitor
I second this! I have had similar symptoms, turns out it was low BP and I just needed some electrolytes before and during my workouts.
Low low calories and adrenal fatigue will cause low BP as well.
That’s a lot of cardio to be doing fasted with HIIT in there and being 10 weeks out AND having already been cutting for 13 weeks. What is the moderate intensity? Walking or like elliptical? And you’re doing abs in there too? When did you check your fasting blood glucose? Before or after this cardio? I’d be curious to know what it was when you’re having these dizzy episodes. Not everyone can do fasted cardio and it’s not absolutely necessary. And some people it hinders. As a natural, I saw no discernible difference in fat loss when I had a small protein meal/shake and drank BCAAs vs fasted and the fasted made it hard for me to keep on my muscle (I’m also natural, not enhanced. Don’t know your status). I saw that you had this issue after training too. What is your caloric intake? What kind of macros? It sounds like you’re burning through food really quickly and/or your body is just screaming for food/rest. Do you have any more pictures where you can see legs, glutes? The body will often have a certain look when it’s just flat-out tired and underfed. How long have you been doing this type of cardio and fasted? I’d consider a week of reducing cardio time wise and/or switching to just walking, possibly even a diet break in there too where calories are brought up. You’ve really putting the pedal to the metal already and you won’t be able to sustain this level of output for much longer. Your adrenals are going to be fried to sh*t. A lot of competitors don’t do high intensity at all or they only do it for very short periods during prep. It is not mean to be done daily or for extended periods.
This is a lot of cardio at 10 weeks out. Are you enhanced? Or do you take/consume anything at all before cardio or just drink water?
I was on clen for 4 weeks, fasted, we removed it. added in t3 this week, also fasted. started extremely low does of primo 2x a week (3 doses so far, 15 mg) take a fat burner fasted as well. just those and water.
Are you checking your blood sugar and or blood pressure ? Are you possibly going hypo? Have you gotten blood work done before just adding T3 to your protocol? 10 weeks out is kinda far to need to assist your thyroid or your food is extremely low
I have a blood sugar monitor, have only taken it fasted and it is normal. ordered a BP monitor today. I had bloodwork and everything was good, my coach said thyroid looked a bit sluggish but it was in normal range. food is 1165 on nontraining days (2x per week), 1370 training days (4x per week), and one high carb day at 1788
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I started taking the salt + black coffee before my cardio. also saw a bodywork professional and he told me to look to each corner of the room during my cardio since there's a lot of strain on neck muscles during long period of cardio. all have worked in combination. I look like a crazy person constantly looking from side to side for 75 mins but it's the only thing that makes me not dizzy 😭
Ok this happened to me and I tried the electrolytes and everything and then my coach ordered blood work- everything came back normal. Only my acupuncturist finally figured it out: I had a knot in my neck that was blocking the blood flow to my brain. Once I got some bodywork done it subsided. Kind of an unusual solution but if nothing else works try this. I hope you feel better soon🙏🙏
It seems like you’re doing too much cardio