shakey after work outs

My work outs are intense. I do whatever I'm doing full force and push myself as hard as I can. But when I leave the gym I feel like I've just been run over by a big mac truck and get the shakes. Is this okay? Normal? Something that will eventually go away?

The only thing I like about it is that I feel accomplished and the next day I am sore. I look like a crack addict walking out of the gym though. Can barely get the door etc. Lmao!!

Just wondering if you guys do this? It's been about a month 1/2 now that I'm doing this, only I am having less and less time to get to the gym so I'm actually increasing my momentum when I do find the time and working out till I just about cry or vomit.

You might be pushing too hard or you might not be eating enough before the workout.  Make sure that you have enough energy stored up before you start the workout.

Yeah, are you eating enough?

One thing that happens to some people is that they have a really high threshold for discomfort or at least they lack the responsiveness to those pain/discomfort triggers.  My husband used to be an exercise junkie and would run until he threw up.  He simply lacked the awareness of pain, nausea that signals you are going too hard.  He eventually burnt himself out on weight-lifting until he hated it. 

20 years later, he refuses to work out.  He won't even ride a bike or walk in the park. 

If this is your case, you may need to create a schedule for working out that is gentler to your body.  But then, you'd have trouble with challenging your muscles. 

As the other folks said, are you eating before you exercise? I've read that a handfull of raisins is as effective as an energy gel in giving you a boost while exercising (I believe it was in a cycling magazine, but I read a ton of fitness magazines :)). If I'm already running on empty before heading to the gym, I try to grab a few and it seems to be working.

Also, make sure you are fully hydrated before, during, and after working out. Not having enough fluids can seriously make you feel awful.

Definitely be careful and make sure that you are giving your body a day off during the week. You may want to also mix up intense workouts with less intense workouts so you don't feel like you are going to die every time you leave the gym.

I have had similar problems after a workout of severe intensity. I hit the gym again for the first time in about 6 months last novemberish with a friend I met at University. He is one of those body builder football guys and the work out he gave me to try was really hard. High weight and lift until you can lift no more then do another set of 12 pretty much haha. A lot of the muscles I worked I either hadn't worked in a long time or had never worked and I was VERY shaky for the first few days. I was at the point where I had to pretty much roll out of bed I couldn't sit up or push myself up. That said the shakes went away for the most part after I started to get use to the certain lifts I was doing. I had similar problems when playing highschool basketball, doing linedrills until I could do them no more or I until I had to run to the bathroom to throw up. I don't think it is healthy to workout with that intensity, you really do kind of just have to make time to hit the gym lift slow and get the form right. Cramming a hour and half workout into 30 minutes is generally a bad idea. Also to restate everything they said keep hydrated and lots of healthy food to keep nourished. Just wanted to let you know your not the only one looking like a crack addict when you leave the gym =)

i get the shakes too.  in my quads if i do a lot of leg stuff.  today in my hamstrings.  but i don't get sore the next day.  i don't know what the deal is w/that.

Odie I think you are pushing your body to hard you need to bring your body slowly up to the fitness level ...you could be doing more damage to yourself by pushing so hard ...you should never feel like throwing up after a work out .

Do you drink alot of fluids while you work out?

How long do you work out at a time?

What kind of work outs do you do?

I work out for an hour doing 5 miles every morning and I am drenched after my work out but never feel like throwing up but it has taken me 6 weeks to get to working out at a real intense level

I am sometimes shaky after a workout, but for me it usually doesn't happen until ten to twenty minutes after I work out.  However, my shaking has never prevented me from opening a door or anything like that.

You might be working yourself too hard.

Thank you everyone and so many good points here. But yes food and drink should not be the problem here as I get plenty of both. Usually high complex carbs before and a high protein meal afterwards. Tons of water.

But yes I do probably work out too hard & I do think I have an extremly high tolerance for pain. I have less time to devote than I used too and just try to get the most out of my work outs. I too burnt myself out on exercise for a lot of years too. Perhaps I'm just a little obsessive because when I do things I do them full force and to the best of my ability. :) IDK!

 Ps- oh sorry, for those of you who asked what I'm doing. On my cardio days I do 10-20 mins of intervals. (Extremly fast pace for 30 secs then normal pace the next 30 secs.) I repeat that cycle for 10 mins.

On work out days I just do 3 sets of 8-12 reps of the highest weight I can do that many times without going over or under. Then 3 sets of deadlifts, the ab machine, and some more abdominal stuff. My work outs usually last 45 mins-1 hr.

I'd eat something high in sugar afterwards. soemthing like an apple, raisins, even protein bar or something.  I've gotten that feeling before after a really intense workout, and what I believe it is, is that you have used up your glycogen stores that your body uses to power your muscles.  I find that it goes away if I eat something like jelly beans, powerade, apple, etc. Something high in sugar, to get that blood sugar up again.