Whether you love it or hate it, we all need exercise. But if you’re suffering with adrenal fatigue, your sweat sessions may be making things worse.

“You mean, I can’t spin at Soul Cycle or rack up my reps on the bench press?”

It depends. Your hormones are running the show, and they may require you to adapt your routine.

It’s More than Burning Calories

Every movement you make during a workout sends signals to your hormones.

During a workout, you’re not only burning calories and building muscle. Every movement you make is sending a message to your body’s hormones—and each movement communicates something different. For instance, powerful short bursts stimulate HGH (human growth hormone) and testosterone, while low-force, sustained movements rev up cortisol and can decrease testosterone if performed too long. The goal is to pick a style of exercise that creates the best conversation with all your hormones.

When you have adrenal fatigue, this can be tough. Your adrenal gland system is already severely overworked, and the addition of a hormonal shift can send it into overdrive. So, which exercises are the worst offenders for adrenal fatigue?

3 Exercises to Avoid if You Have Adrenal Fatigue

1. Long-Duration, Steady-State Cardio
Say good-bye to those long-distance runs if you have adrenal fatigue. The biochemical signal it sends is just too stressful for your adrenal system. A University of British Columbia study found that men who ran over 40 miles per week had noticeably lower testosterone levels than short-distance runners. In another study, researchers found that cortisol levels more than doubled and remained higher than baseline runners a day after a long race. They also noted the runners had higher levels of the enzymes lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase (CK), both of which are associated with muscle tissue damage and breakdown.

Crossfit pushes your body to its limit, which is bad for those who suffer from adrenal fatigue. (Photo: Rose PT Group)

2. Circuit Training
While jumping from machine to machine is a great way to optimize your time at the gym, the signal this sends to your hormones is too stressful for your body to tolerate. You need more rest periods between exercises when doing resistance training.

3. Crossfit
The lure of heavy squatting, deadlifting, and benching can be strong, but those Crossfit routines are challenging more than your muscles. Strength training that that pushes your body to exhaustion for long periods can be disastrous if you’re struggling with adrenal issues.

Don’t Pack Away Your Gym Clothes Just Yet

The good news is you don’t have to stop doing these exercises completely… you just have to adapt them.

• Extend rest periods until you feel like you’re recovered
• Keep cardio intensity low, especially if you’re doing it longer
• Opt for weight training instead of cardio
• Choose high intensity/heavy training in short bursts with long periods of recovery

Keep the weight heavy, the reps low, and the rest periods long (i.e. Five reps with up to two minutes of rest in between)

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