Cardio exercise and Reta

[Red40]

ThatNextGril said:

Reta has clearly made a difference in how my training sessions go. Back when tirz was the only thing I was taking, I could usually summon enough energy on any given day to get to the gym and hit my lifting numbers. After I reintroduced reta in Jan, several lifts that used to feel manageable have become a struggle. I've been trying to eat extra carbs before working out, but it doesn't appear to make much of a difference. It's fascinating to me how differently each of us responds to these peps. My reta + tirz experiment wraps up at the end of the month, and I'm eager to find out whether my lifts return to normal once the reta clears out.

*I realize this thread was about cardio, but for me weight lifting is my main cardio!

Do you run Reta alongside Tirz? I've been considering giving that combination a try.

 

[Kelloggs1307]

My heart rate seems elevated compared to what it normally is. Strength-wise things haven't really changed, but my stamina feels lower, like I'm weaker in that department. Not sure whether a severe calorie deficit is the reason behind it.

 

[ThatNextGril]

Red40 said:

ThatNextGril said:

Reta has clearly made a difference in how my training sessions go. Back when tirz was the only thing I was taking, I could usually summon enough energy on any given day to get to the gym and hit my lifting numbers. After I reintroduced reta in Jan, several lifts that used to feel manageable have become a struggle. I've been trying to eat extra carbs before working out, but it doesn't appear to make much of a difference. It's fascinating to me how differently each of us responds to these peps. My reta + tirz experiment wraps up at the end of the month, and I'm eager to find out whether my lifts return to normal once the reta clears out.

*I realize this thread was about cardio, but for me weight lifting is my main cardio!

Do you run Reta alongside Tirz? I've been considering giving that combination a try.

Right — after being stuck on tirz for several months, I figured in Jan I'd test whether adding reta could get things moving thanks to the glucagon component. My tirz dose is still lowered at 8mg, and I've worked my way up to 5mg of reta. There does seem to be some slimming in specific spots (belly and upper arms), but the ruined sleep and the energy slump I mentioned before are genuinely rough. The plan was only ever to run this stack for roughly 2-3 months, and next week I hit the 2 month point. At that stage I'll work out whether to continue for another month or simply go back to tirz alone, so my sleep and energy can recover.

 

[SVT810E]

WYSiWYG said:

Cyclist/triathlete here — for me it comes down to the intensity. On a genuine zone 2 ride there isn't much in it, except that holding the lower end is a bit harder because the baseline sits higher.

The difference shows up once I'm pushing harder, on sustained efforts or interval and speed work. At the top end I do feel a little capped, as though the bucket drains sooner — nothing dramatic — but the staying power for a long 300w effort has gone.

Not HR related, but through the hotter months I've struggled with hydration and fueling. Getting enough in during a ride is difficult; fueling properly on the long days was already an effort. Now I'm working around the fullness and trying not to tip into queasiness when I need to eat and drink close together. Hope that made sense

The issue here is that you're no longer genuinely in zone 2. While heart rate serves as an indirect measure of the metabolic demand beneath the surface, if you're altering heart rate, the entire curve gets shifted. To properly capture that underlying metabolic demand, you need to recalibrate your zones—otherwise, you could end up just messing about in zone 1.

 

[Boggit]

For me, the change wasn't really noticeable.

That said, I run Cardarine (GW-501516) in 6 week cycles. There is 100% no doubt in my mind that my cardio gets better. You'll notice the difference 3 days after starting it. Given the study's that came before, I'm careful about how much of this stuff I use, so I cap it at 10mg/day and never go past 6 weeks.

 

[WYSiWYG]

SVT810E said:

WYSiWYG said:

Cyclist/triathlete here — for me it comes down to the intensity. On a genuine zone 2 ride there isn't much in it, except that holding the lower end is a bit harder because the baseline sits higher.

The difference shows up once I'm pushing harder, on sustained efforts or interval and speed work. At the top end I do feel a little capped, as though the bucket drains sooner — nothing dramatic — but the staying power for a long 300w effort has gone.

Not HR related, but through the hotter months I've struggled with hydration and fueling. Getting enough in during a ride is difficult; fueling properly on the long days was already an effort. Now I'm working around the fullness and trying not to tip into queasiness when I need to eat and drink close together. Hope that made sense

The issue here is that you're no longer genuinely in zone 2. While heart rate serves as an indirect measure of the metabolic demand beneath the surface, if you're altering heart rate, the entire curve gets shifted. To properly capture that underlying metabolic demand, you need to recalibrate your zones—otherwise, you could end up just messing about in zone 1.

That makes sense to me — though when people talk about 'true zone 2', it usually comes up in situations like a friend saying, hey, let's do a Z2 ride, when in reality it turns into Z4-5 lol

 

[nitrohyper]

For me, cardio hasn't really changed. My Apple Watch hasn't shown a resting heart rate that's above my normal. That said, I seem to have slightly better endurance lately — though I chalk that up to focusing on better running form and having proper beginner shoes now (Brooks Ghost Max 3, I'm a big fan!!!)

 

[anhydrous]

Minkster said:

I'm having a bit of a tough time at the gym. Out of nowhere I'll get hit with nausea, and lifts that used to feel manageable now feel heavier. Maybe that's just from eating less and dropping weight? I began Reta roughly 4.5 mos back, and my current dose is 3.5mg.

What I've gone through is basically the same as what you describe. I'm more driven to actually get to the gym than I've ever been, yet when I'm in a caloric deficit or hit unpredictable waves of nausea, my output drops off. I can usually manage 2-3 different lifts before heading to the treadmill, where I walk uphill for 30-40 mins, or until the nausea makes me stop.

 

[Minkster]

anhydrous said:

Minkster said:

I'm having a bit of a tough time at the gym. Out of nowhere I'll get hit with nausea, and lifts that used to feel manageable now feel heavier. Maybe that's just from eating less and dropping weight? I began Reta roughly 4.5 mos back, and my current dose is 3.5mg.

What I've gone through is basically the same as what you describe. I'm more driven to actually get to the gym than I've ever been, yet when I'm in a caloric deficit or hit unpredictable waves of nausea, my output drops off. I can usually manage 2-3 different lifts before heading to the treadmill, where I walk uphill for 30-40 mins, or until the nausea makes me stop.

When I snack on a small amount, say 2 almonds or a bite of a protein bar, the nausea goes away. Still, it's a hassle, and it tends to come on right after a heavy set. I'm testing various pre workout nutrition options to find out if that makes a difference.

 

[LabRatts]

New to reta, I'm a fit 59 yo guy, and I'm in week 6 now. My heart rate is up, though I don't see that as a bad thing (let the engine rev a bit!) and my athletic performance hasn't changed noticeably. Not for the worse, at least. I just "feel" as though the reta is working, if that comes across. As if you're aware that something "else" is on board and it's up to "things", and right now all of it looks positive. Happy researching!

 

[anhydrous]

Minkster said:

anhydrous said:

Minkster said:

I'm having a bit of a tough time at the gym. Out of nowhere I'll get hit with nausea, and lifts that used to feel manageable now feel heavier. Maybe that's just from eating less and dropping weight? I began Reta roughly 4.5 mos back, and my current dose is 3.5mg.

What I've gone through is basically the same as what you describe. I'm more driven to actually get to the gym than I've ever been, yet when I'm in a caloric deficit or hit unpredictable waves of nausea, my output drops off. I can usually manage 2-3 different lifts before heading to the treadmill, where I walk uphill for 30-40 mins, or until the nausea makes me stop.

When I snack on a small amount, say 2 almonds or a bite of a protein bar, the nausea goes away. Still, it's a hassle, and it tends to come on right after a heavy set. I'm testing various pre workout nutrition options to find out if that makes a difference.

I'll toss a couple of snacks into my gym bag and find out whether eating a little something makes a difference.

 

[desinr-gal]

Red40 said:

gimmeshelter said:

Hello Everyone -

I'm wondering about people who are lifelong lifters (3-4x per week) and also put in a solid amount of cardio. What does cardio feel like while on reta? Do you lose strength? Is fatigue worse? On average I ride about 2500 miles a year on the roadbike from March through December. I skip the winter months (I know I shouldn't, but I do). I'm in the research phase right now and want to shed 30lbs of stubborn muffin fat. I'm 6 5" 255 and my ideal look is lean with a bit of definition.

Thank u in advance !

I began Reta not long ago, and on a morning when I had taken my dose before heading to the gym (I'm there 5/6 days a week), the treadmill left me feeling very light headed with a fast heart rate. Because of that, I now plan to inject on the days I don't work out.

The highest level of Reta tends to arrive a day later, or even after that. You can check the GLP1 tracker app as a guide.

 

[fatdude]

I'm 46, I do weight training 3 days per week and boxing e days per week. When I first began reta, boxing felt tough — I suspect it was because my calorie intake fell sharply. 6 months in on reta, my boxing isn't impacted at all. In fact, my cardio has improved since I'm no longer hauling around the additional weight.

 

[ivelweyz]

Minkster said:

Anami said:

Minkster said:

I'm having a bit of a tough time at the gym. Out of nowhere I'll get hit with nausea, and lifts that used to feel manageable now feel heavier. Maybe that's just from eating less and dropping weight? I began Reta roughly 4.5 mos back, and my current dose is 3.5mg.

Yep, being in a calorie deficit — plus possibly depleted glycogen or insufficient carbohydrate intake — can do it. If eating feels like a chore, try spreading your meals out more. And take the weight loss slowly.

My pace has been gradual—roughly 19lbs gone over nearly 5 mos. My daily protein target is at least 100g, though 140g would likely be a better fit, and my carb intake is probably too low.

For me, this is where it gets hard. With about 200g protein and 60-80g fat, squeezing carbs in when I have no appetite is going to be harder than it was roughly 12 years back.

 

[Arkend]

woundcarping said:

I've recently gotten back into gym training, and doing cardio while on Reta plus TRT has been feeling fine. One thing to keep an eye on is blood sugar — I've never crashed and I don't normally deal with glucose problems, but when carbs are low, Reta may put more strain on glucose levels.

Did some incline work this week. Compared to you, I weigh more, am several inches shorter, and am far less trained.





View attachment 10714

My Tirz start date was December 12th, and Reta began on January 10th.

Apple recorded today's resting rate at 57bpm. I only started using an Oura this month.

View attachment 10715

My non-fasted glucose reading at the doctor was 73 roughly 5 days prior to beginning Reta. During that initial week on Reta, I looked up what I was experiencing online and it seemed to match low blood sugar, so I would eat some fast carbs—banana, oatmeal, a handful of nerd clusters—and then feel improved. That occurred 2 or 3 times, and after I stopped eating fairly low carb, those symptoms disappeared.

 

[richtyke]

gimmeshelter said:

Hello Everyone -

I'm wondering about people who are lifelong lifters (3-4x per week) and also put in a solid amount of cardio. What does cardio feel like while on reta? Do you lose strength? Is fatigue worse? On average I ride about 2500 miles a year on the roadbike from March through December. I skip the winter months (I know I shouldn't, but I do). I'm in the research phase right now and want to shed 30lbs of stubborn muffin fat. I'm 6 5" 255 and my ideal look is lean with a bit of definition.

Thank u in advance !

Good post, and it's helpful to see what results others are getting. This topic interests me as well — I used to go to the gym 2-3x per week plus a few runs.

Right now I'm getting ready for a half marathon (it's in 2 weeks), but once that's done I was thinking about going back to a gym-focused routine while still running, since I have a trail half coming up in September, which means I'd need to shift back to prioritizing running.

My main concern is avoiding any drop-off in running performance, since that could cause issues. On the other hand, I was only thinking of using Reta as a short-term 'quick shift' to get a bit leaner. I'm open to advice on whether that sounds sensible or not, given that my knowledge/experience is limited and I haven't started reta yet.

cheers