[fasteo]

I was in the same wagon, but note that being sore is not the problem. Heavy lifting is very taxing to the central nervous system and this is what causes the systemic fatigue that won't let you be productive at work. A couple of recommendations that worked for me (46 years old)

1. Lower the intensity. There are a tons of ways to do this, but the simplest would be doing heavy lifting only in the first core lift of the day (squat, deadlift, bench or press). Then, increase the volume (lower the weights, increase the reps) for the rest of the exercises.

2. Periodize your workout plan. This is a science in itself, but the general idea is to adjust the intensity and volume over a period of 4-8 weeks, including a deload week every now and then.

3. Ditch the deadlift. At least for me, deadlift is too taxing.

Hope this helps.

[rubicon33]

Deadlifts and Squats are the two that REALLY make the next couple of days a challenge. And I agree that it's likely not just the fact that the muscles are sore, because, the feeling is systemic. My entire mind and body entity are functioning on a lower level (recovering) in the days following intense Deadlifts or Squats, and to a lesser degree other lifts. I already struggle a TON with "getting going" in the morning, sometimes not reaching peak mental capacity until the early after noon. Lifting only delays this further.

I've talked with "professional" body builders (not IFBB level but people who do it for a living) and most of them say they suffer from very little if any soreness / mental fatigue. It has led me to believe, as crushing to my ego as it is, that I just don't have the same recovery capability as these guys, nor the same potential for growth.

I've gone so far as to get my labs checked, just to be sure I didn't have some obvious problem. Tests all came back normal.

As such, gaining muscle seems out or reach as it requires an intense regimen, and tons of food. When that starts to take away from my work, I gotta do something else. Hence, running :(

[FeteCommuniste]

People making a living from bodybuilding are (mostly) taking steroids. That helps recovery quite a bit.

[delecti]

Your comment seems rather strange to me, because my mood and alertness both improved noticeably when I started lifting weights last summer.

[3131s]

I know what they mean. It's sort of a calm, hazy feeling for me, but I'm probably more productive in that phase anyway.

[magic_beans]

My first month of lifting I was sore for days after every single workout. Now I don't get sore at all, even when I PR squats and deadlifts.

Eat a lot and well, and your body will adapt.

[magic_beans]

There's no shame in deadlifting light.