The gym feels harder than before

As I mentioned in this post, one of my fall projects is to go to the gym regularly. This isn't some new hobby of mine; I went regularly last spring and only took the summer off because I was convinced that I would get the same workout done at a free outdoor gym or by swimming in lakes.

Well, turns out that I only went to an outdoor gym once or twice and that swimming is a different kind of workout from the gym.

So now, having gone to the paid indoor gym for a few days, I'm exhausted. Perhaps it's because I haven't worked out in the same capacity since April or May and my body has decayed over the summer. Or perhaps I'm not fueling my body enough to stand the workouts. Or perhaps I don't rest enough.

Whatever it is, it feels good. Exhaustion feels good. Being tired in my body feels good.

I see two scenarios resulting from this:

1. My body adapts to the exhaustion quickly and I'll no longer feel this tired after a workout, allowing me to do some good old progressive overloading without changing anything else (like eating or resting more).  
2. My body collapses under the pressure.
3. I adapt, either by downscaling the exercise routine or eating more or resting more.

Option 1 would be optimal, as it would mean that I'm making progress at the gym.

Option 2 makes no sense as it has never happened to me before.

Option 3 is possible, although not by downscaling the routine but by eating more. It's natural for your appetite to increase when you start working out.

As a preemptive measure, I shall now go make my famous beef-egg thingy as my post-workout meal.

RK out, before I pass out.