Most workouts you should be feeling very fatigued after you have completed them. That is where your recovery supplements and meal plan come into affect to help your muscles repair and grow. The only workout that you shouldn't feel to fatigued from is when you are training for an ultra marathon. Yes I am serious turns out when you are first training for one you only train to a certain heart rate then stop. So lets say you get to 120 heart beats per minute jogging you would then stop. You are training your body to run the least slowest out of your competitors for an ultra marathon. With Squats that is a different story you are using a very big muscle group when performing them.
So why do squats make us so tired?
With squats they are a major compound movement so you are working many muscles at the same time. This entails your muscles needing more oxygen which in turn will make you more tired especially if you are training to failure. This is also why your legs are usually sore for multiple days as well as it takes time to also repair these bigger muscles.
The more you train and get into shape the more you will be able to push and recover much more quickly. The way you need to look at it is that it is a great thing you are exhausted that means you are doing something right. If you get done with a workout and aren't fatigued at all then you aren't going to have great results.
Below we scoured the internet for real weightlifters, powerlifters and bodybuilders to ask them the same thing on why squats make them so tired so check it out.
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Why Do Squats Make Us So Tired According To Real Weight Lifters
We gathered this information so you didn't have to take our word on this matter. We went to several different forums including BodyBuilding.com, a few Sub Reddits and some Facebook groups. This information was curated so nothing was changed besides any spelling or grammar where needed.
1. AlisonStone “Feeling lightheaded is normal” – Feeling lightheaded or faint is actually somewhat common when people do squats. One reason is that you are not breathing properly. Try taking an extra breath or two between reps to see if that helps.
I used to be a “fainter” when it comes to squats. Some people just have a vasovagal type response (they might feel a bit lightheaded simply from standing up too fast) to squat-like movements, which causes heart rate or blood pressure to abruptly change and that could lead to dizziness, blurred vision, fainting, etc. It helps to warm up and not suddenly go to heavy weights. Also, I think it helped me to occasionally do third world ATG squats throughout the day so my body gets used to that position. A lot of muscles, arteries, and nerves get compressed a bit when you drop down to an ATG squat and if you are not used to it your body may respond in a weird way.
2. Vaztes “Just starting out you will have that” – You're new so your work capacity is very low. As work capacity increases, you'll be able to do more sets and lift more weight without getting tired.
3. Dissects_People “Save squats for end of routine” – “Lifting heavy things, while effective, is often exhausting.” Consider doing squats at the end of your routine. I do that.
4. FFFFJFD “Take longer rest periods” – Take longer rest periods, maybe drink more coffee. For a beginner running 4×10 squats I think 2-3 minute rests are appropriate (this is longer than would normally be used for 10s). If that doesn't help you can try 4×8. Subbing deadlifts won't help unless you do them very light. Deadlifts are usually about as CNS fatiguing as squats, but with more back fatigue (and more interference with upper body lifts following). You could also run it with 5×5 squats but at that point it's pretty far removed from the original; if you want that, why not run a program built on 5s?
5. Boylin “Squats are one of most difficult workouts” – Squats are supposed to be difficult, it's correct that you're fatigued after doing them.
6. RzK “Save squats for last” – I'd save the squats for last. But I remember feeling the same way at the beginning, but your body adapts. Do you take any pre-workouts, Creatine? etc? When I started using pre-workout it eliminated that mental/physical fatigue that at one time made me stay for only an hour.
7. Piglet24 “Squats are exhausting” – Squats exhaust me. I have accidentally pushed myself to dehydration with them on days where I didn't get enough water. Make sure to take longer rest between sets, and consider going for less reps + more sets.
8. AgentOfDoom “Choose weight that is challenging enough” – Squats are hard man. What you can try to do is do an amount of weight that challenges you in squats BUT leaves you with enough energy for the rest of your routine. If you are doing 5×5 linear up to 200, maybe do like 175 or something so its not as taxing to let you do other exercises. And then slowly work your way up as you get stronger.
9. RightTheHand “Keep squatting it gets better” – I had the same problem when I started. After a set felt like I just sprint a 100yrd dash. Keep squatting it gets better.
10. xAengusx “Squats are never going to be easy” –Squats are never going to get easier so long as you're making an effort to progress but you'll get better at recovering and dealing with it. For me, it was the smaller muscles that had to “catch up” and until then squats took a lot out of me. Once your body gets more used to doing them your recovery will improve. I don't know that there will ever be a time where your subsequent lifts don't suffer a little bit after a serious squat session.
11. CaptainWints “Squats/Deads 2 of most taxing exercises” – Man, deadlifts and squats are the 2 most taxing exercises. If your not tired after doing them your not doing them right. So keep on pushing, stretch and rest.
12. Demonyx12 “Supplement mobility routine for help” – I am older lifter with some low back issues. I do 10-20 minutes of a basic stretching and mobility routine 3-5 times a week at lunch. I also include low intensity walking or hiking a few hours a week. Has made all the difference.
13. MisterGrip “Keep pushing forward” – Dude I do leg, core and back day 3x a week. Grow a set of bollocks, pain is part of the path to glory. I do calisthenics and stretching for mobility and additional strength training. I also go bouldering twice a week. You need to get plenty of sleep and eat a diet which can effectively fuel your exercise. That sort of stuff cannot be understated – if you ain't living right and you're doing intense physical activity you will feel like crap.
Exhausted After Squats
So if you are exhausted after squats it is normal 2 of the 3 powerlifting exercises Squats & Deadlift are two of the most taxing on the body. Meaning your body is using up so much oxygen to perform those lifts. Especially in the beginning stages.
Out of the polls we did 98% of lifters responses said Squats Fatigue was very normal. Unless you are injured you will recover and your body will thank you for it later on.
So how do you improve and push forward?
There are several options that were provided in our research.
- Squats To The Back – One big one that around 20% of weightlifters suggested is moving squats to the end of your workout if you are having issues completing your routine.
- No Exhaustion – another option around 13% suggested especially in the beginning is to keep your routine the same, but make the squat weight a little less challenging. So you don't push yourself to the brink of failure. Once you get months into a lifting routine this will change and you can push yourself hard.
- Rest Periods – another options 9% of lifters suggested is to increase your rest period even doubling them if you must. So lets say you rest 2 minutes in between increase that rest to 3 minutes then 4 if 3 isn't working.
- Recovery – make sure you are supplementing your body with not only recovery protein, but some carbs if needed and healthy digesting foods. Also water as you will get more dehydrates as some of the lifters states as well.
Why Do Squats Feel Like Cardio?
Squats feel like cardio because they are the most taxing workout in any program besides deadlift. Once you get both these lifts under control all you need is bench to become a powerlifter. Your body uses up so much oxygen when you use bigger muscles just like you do with something like burpees. That is why that is one of the most taxing cardio moves that everyone hates.
Squats Make Me Tired
It is NORMAL! to feel tired from squats so you don't have anything to worry about there. If you are a beginner slow it down and lighten it up for several weeks before starting to really push it on your squats. Then when you get to that point make sure you are trying different exercises to supplement your squat routine like front squats, lunges, hamstring, glute and quad exercises. These will help make you less tired as you are using a lot of muscles during your squat move.
So make sure you train slowly, take rest periods between sets at least 1-2 minutes if not more and drink your recovery drink with lots of water to follow.
Related Questions
Why Do I Feel So Tired After Leg Day?
Leg day is tough and will make you tired and fatigued when done right. You are using the biggest muscles in your body so in order to fuel that your heart has to work overtime pumping blood and oxygen to keep up. Doing squats is a great routine and a lot of people think of it as cardio and they are somewhat right with how high your heart rate will get.
Why Are Squats So Difficult?
Squats are so difficult because they have become an unnatural movement with evolution. We have become a society that sits down most of the day and only bend over to pick things up when needed. So you are training your body to keep your back straight and proper form with squats. There are a lot of people that struggle so you are not alone just look up some youtube videos to see you aren't the worst one out there. It will take work and patience to improve. Start with light to no weight (bodyweight) squats before going heavy.