Here’s Why Your Muscles Shake During Workouts

By
Ariel H
-
Image via Vadymvdrobot/depositphotos

If you exercise often chances are you’ve felt your muscles shake or tremble when you have a tough workout or when you’ve been holding a pose for a long time. First, it’s nothing to be worried about as long as it’s not happening outside of the gym as well. So, why do your muscles shake?

Fatigue

This is the most common reason your muscles shake. When you contract a muscle, it’s actually quite a complex process as when you do it your nervous system sends chemical messengers to the targeted muscle via nerve cells (motor neurons) which tell your muscle fibers to contract. Your muscle fibers don’t all work at the same time so when some are activated others are relaxing and they aren’t fired until they need to be. If you hold a position for a long time your muscle fibers get fatigued, which causes you to shake. The more you work out, the more equipt these muscle fibers will be to signal when to relax and contract.

Dehydration

When you become dehydrated your blood flow slows down and it doesn’t send the necessary nutrients to your muscles, which causes them to shake. The good news is this is completely preventable as all you have to do is drink 11-13 8-ounce glasses of water per day.

View this post on Instagram

While teaching Kapalabhati, a pranayama exercise in which one rapidly pumps the diaphragm to forcefully expel air, a new face approached me after class to say this exercise simulated the sounds of a panic attack and triggered anxiety. . As a teacher who works to hold space that’s accessible and trauma-informed, this was a problem. Kapalabhati (also known as Skull Shining Breath, and very similar to Breath of Fire) is a common breath manipulation exercise with tremendous benefits when practiced with care and intention. On its face, I saw two immediate options: continue teaching the breath, or deny the practice to the many in the interest of the few. . I still don’t have a good answer. Teachers and students alike: your thoughts? . P.S. Stay tuned to my stories until the 31st as I complete the @tenthousand.cc 12-day yoga circuit. Today’s circuit is a 60-second Vasistasana. . 📸: @gabesniderphoto. . . . . . . . . #mayurasana #armbalance #plank #armbalancejunkie #yoga #yogalove #yogateacher #dcyoga #mensyoga #ytt #pranayama #pranayamas #kapalabhati #yogapose #yogachallenge #betterthanyesterday #menatyoga #yogaguy #yogaguys #yogainspiration #yogapractice #armbalances #armbalanceaddict #secondseries

A post shared by James Richardson (@jamesalanrichardson) on

New Exercise

Your muscles may just be shaking because you’re doing a new exercise. With practice and repetition, your body learns to send signals through your nerve cells. Over time, the shakiness will subside.