Tired After Leg Day? (5 Simple Reasons Explained!)

Ever wondered why you are so tired after leg day?

Don’t panic, we’ve got you covered.

In this article, we cover the reasons why leg day makes you exhausted as well as some tips, tricks and hacks to help reduce leg day tiredness.

5 Reasons Why Leg Day Is So Tiring

As someone who’s been involved in the health and fitness industry for over 10 years, I’ve done plenty of leg workouts in my time.

I’ve found that the below are likely reasons why you feel exhausted on leg day:

• You Take Pre-Workout On Leg Day
• High Carb Intake
• High Amount of Calories Burned
• Increased Sweating
• You Take Mass Gainer On Leg Day

Let’s explore these in more detail.

1. You Take Pre Workout On Leg Day

Thanks to its ability to improve focus, energy and fat loss, many people take pre workout on leg day.

Now one of the main ingredients of pre workout is caffeine, and some pre workouts contain a whopping 400mg of caffeine per serving!

(This is the equivalent to 4 cups of coffee’s worth of caffeine.)

But caffeine is a double-edged sword.

While it helps you feel energized in the short term, once it’s worn off, it can leave you feeling like a zombie.

And so, if you take pre workout on leg day to give you that burst of energy, don’t be surprised if you feel exhausted afterwards.

2. High Carb Intake

Many people eat more carbs on leg day, and for good reason too.

Carbs are your muscles’ preferred source of energy.

When you eat carbs, your blood sugar levels spike up as the carbs are broken down into sugar.

But since high blood sugar levels are toxic, your body releases insulin which instructs your cells to take in the sugar.

This sudden spike and drop in blood sugar can result in an energy crash which can leave you feeling tired and exhausted.

3. High Amount of Calories Burned

There’s no doubt that leg day is hard.

One of the reasons is that your legs are the largest muscle group, and so you burn more calories on leg day.

This can leave you in a calorie deficit, which will help you lose weight, but also leaves you feeling low on energy.

4. Increased Sweating

As we’ve just covered, training your legs requires a ton of energy/calories.

Now when your body burns calories, heat is generated in the process.

But the body can only survive within a very small temperature frame.

So in order to cool you down, you end up sweating buckets.

(This is why you sweat more on leg day.)

Unfortunately, this can leave you feeling tired for 2 reasons.

First, if you’re not replacing the water lost in sweat, you could end up dehydrated, which causes tiredness.

And second, if you’re not replacing the minerals lost in sweat, you could end up with a mineral imbalance, which also causes tiredness.

5. You Take Mass Gainer On Leg Day

Lots of folks take mass gainer on leg day to increase their calorie intake for more energy.

But mass gainer can make you sleepy thanks to this high calorie content.

If you take mass gainer on leg day and are feeling tired, give it a break and see if it helps.

4 Ways To Prevent Leg Day Exhaustion

While tiring leg workouts can be frustrating, the good news is that there are ways to reduce leg day fatigue.

These are:

• Stop Taking Pre-Workout On Leg Day
• Save Your Carbs For The Evening
• Drink More Water Around Your Leg Workout
• Take Some Himalayan Pink Salt

Let’s take a look at these in more detail.

1. Stop Taking Pre-Workout On Leg Day

If you do supplement with pre-workout on leg day, then it may be the reason why you’re feeling fatigued.

So the obvious remedy is to just stop pre-workout.

That said, there are some caffeine-free pre-workouts on the market which are less likely to make you feel tired.

The one I love the most is Genius Pre-Workout Powder.

It’s a caffeine-free pre-workout that includes an adaptogen called Rhodiola Rosea. This helps you feel alert and focused without the nasty caffeine crash.

Check price and read more reviews of Genius Pre-Workout Powder on Amazon.

2. Save Your Carbs For The Evening

If you’re one to stuff your face with syrup and pancakes before training legs, then that may explain why you’re low on energy on leg day.

Instead, you should eat the bulk of your carbs at night as this well help you relax before going to sleep.

This will help you feel revitalized and fresh the next day after a good night’s sleep.

3. Drink More Water Around Your Leg Workout

Replacing the water lost in sweat is crucial if you don’t want to feel fatigued.

But rather than drinking 5 litres of water while you’re training legs, it’s best to drink a consistent amount over the course of the day.

Otherwise, if you binge it all while training, you could end up feeling sick on leg day!

4. Take Himalayan Pink Salt

Replenishing minerals lost through sweating is also key if you want to avoid tiredness.

You can do this through various means, including taking electrolyte supplements, or even adding a dash of Himalayan pink salt to your meals.

(I prefer the second option, as it tastes delicious and offers plenty of other health benefits too.)

Conclusion

In summary:

• It’s normal to feel tired after leg day.
• Taking certain supplements around your leg workout is often the cause of leg day exhaustion.
• One of the best ways to prevent leg day fatigue is to ensure you’re sufficiently hydrated during your workout.

That’s all for this article, but why do calf raises make you want to poop? Or does leg press work abs?

Hope this helped!

Sources

Reactive Hypoglycemia