jmon1977 said:
I usually take MOTS-C 20-30 minutes before my workout. I have noticed that sometimes during my workout, I get a really bad shortness of breath. It seems to happen most on big days (Legs/Back). After a while, it subsides, but I'm curious if anybody else is having this reaction? When are you taking your MOTS-C?
I don't do large doses of MOTS-C like some do, either. I take 1-2 mg/day.
jmon1977 said:
I usually take MOTS-C 20-30 minutes before my workout. I have noticed that sometimes during my workout, I get a really bad shortness of breath. It seems to happen most on big days (Legs/Back). After a while, it subsides, but I'm curious if anybody else is having this reaction? When are you taking your MOTS-C?
I don't do large doses of MOTS-C like some do, either. I take 1-2 mg/day.
Turbo-Farmer said:
I run every day, I haven't missed a day in 30 months. My dog wouldn't let me miss a day, out the door rain or shine every morning. So what ever I do it's around that. It's easier for me to run up the mountain in the woods behind my house than make it to the gym.
MOTS C Killed My Workouts — Here’s Why
MOTS C is supposed to give you an energy boost when taken before a workout. But sometimes I experienced the opposite? I had to dig into the biology to understand what was happening, I learned MOTS C must be used in the right context with what’s going on in your body.
MOTS C = AMPK Stressor
MOTS C activates AMPK, the same cellular energy stress pathway triggered by exercise.
•When you train hard, you stress your mitochondria.
•That stress activates AMPK.
•AMPK then drives adaptation for better mitochondrial efficiency, improved fuel use, and sometimes a mid workout surge of energy, an AMPK shift.
But There’s a Limit: Overtraining
Anyone who has overtrained knows the feeling: you show up at the gym, your body simply won’t go. You’re fatigued, sluggish, and weaker than the day before.
Your AMPK has been over stressed and hasn’t recovered. Mitochondria have an upper limit to how much AMPK activation they can handle before they push back and say, “enough.”
What Stresses AMPK?
•Intense or high frequency exercise
•Calorie deficit / fasting
•Drugs like metformin (used for diabetes and sometimes longevity)
•MOTS C itself
Each one is manageable on its own. But stacking them is where things go wrong.
My Mistake: I Was Stacking Everything
I did all the following at the same time:
•Intense, frequent workouts
•A mini cut with sustained calorie deficit
•Metformin for longevity
•And then I added MOTS C on top
I could have gotten away with one of these plus MOTS C, but not all of them together: That’s a full contraindication for MOTS C because it pushes AMPK past its recovery capacity.
The Results Were Ugly
I had to quit my workout halfway through. I simply had no energy. An hour later, I bent down to pick something up and straightened up and got lightheaded and dizzy.
Those are classic signs of AMPK over activation and insufficient recovery.
How to Combine MOTS C With Exercise
MOTS C is not a free energy boost. Because it activates the same AMPK pathway as hard training, it works best when paired with days where your recovery is solid, your calories aren’t deeply restricted, and you’re not stacking other AMPK stressors. Use MOTS C only on well fed, well rested training days. Keep the signal in the “adaptive” zone instead of the “overstressed” zone, when your mitochondria have the bandwidth to respond, rather than piling stress on top of stress.
