@robg This might be a stupid question but how much water are you drinking? I used to keep a water bottle by my bed in one of those metal ones so I could keep ice in there all night. Having my alarm go off (the T. rex roar from Jurassic park) I’d try to drink water for 5 seconds straight. That usually woke me right up.
Jokes aside, it takes some time to improve capacity. Especially if you are pushing yourself regularly you might add to your fatigue and not really get rid of it.
7 hours isn't really a lot either. I'd try and treat sleep as the absolute priority. There is nothing as good as sleeping enough. No supplement and no training will be more beneficial than sufficient sleep.
@robg You need more sleep. Your body is repairing itself. You're asking it to do more when you're already getting the bare minimum required (7-9 is necessary for normal life). Any other comment aside from above is superfluous.
@robg If you are in bed by 10 and have to get up by 5 you only have a 7 hour window to sleep. If it takes you half an hour to fall asleep, and maybe you wake up once or twice you end up with less than 6-6.5 hours of sleep. You really need a longer sleep-window to ensure you get at least 7 hours of sleep, 8 or more would be preferable.
You're putting your body through a lot of workload, it needs time to recover and build muscle
@robg Lots of great responses here. I'm just going to add that, if you can, go get a blood test and check for nutrient deficiencies. Iron deficiency in particular is pretty common, and results in fatigue and dark circles under the eyes. Training on top of an iron deficiency will only make this more pronounced. Definitely get a test before supplementing, as it's easy to overdo it with iron supplements and they can have some uncomfy sides. However if you are deficient, getting your levels up will make you feel super human.
@robg You might be under eating...
I have been working out for years, and whenever i workout and don't get all my macros in, the next day i am very tired.
@robg If you have to wake at 5AM, you should wake at the same time 7 days a week and take a nap on your off days if you are tired.
Waking up at 5AM M-F and then sleeping until 9AM on Sat and Sun or whatever messes up your circadian rhythm.
I've had periods where woke early and exercised immediately after waking up. After 10 days or so I was walking up before my alarm ready to exercise even on my rest days.
The body likes consistency.
Also get 60s or so of sunlight outside as early in the morning as possible.
@robg As others have said, your body definitely needs more sleep when you're working out hard.
One other thing to consider is how late in the day are you doing your workouts? If I do mine too close to bedtime it can make it harder for me to fall asleep properly, so that could also be part of your issue.
@robg You are overtraining. I mean everybody have a distinct metabolism and recovery time. It’s up to you to learn about yourself.
Maybe reduce intensity or length of your sessions and see. Or maybe a specific exercises drains you more than others. You’d have to go easier on these, till you get adapted.
@robg Being sore is only part of the equation. If the muscles you are working that day are adapted and you don’t push them to failure, you might as well be tired without being sore.
Happens to me often
If changing your routine like mentioned above don’t work, maybe a one week break and see.
