Are there days you just don't have it while lifting?

McCloud33

Was just not feeling it this morning. I've been doing a "modified" 5x5 for awhile now. Basically just a laddered sets up to a max 5x5 on my last one. This morning I started with my squats and did 135x5, 185x5, 225x5, 275x5, but then when I went to do 305x5 I could only get 2 reps and just felt weak. Same kind of thing happened when I went to do my bench. 135x5, 155x5, 185x5, 205x5 and then 220x2 and ended up having to do the roll of shame as I couldn't even get the 3rd rep up to the bottom rack position. I don't think it was not taking enough recovery time (3 min on both between the last completed and the one that I failed) and I didn't really do anything different with my diet. I guess I just haven't experienced it yet where the strength that was there last workout wasn't there this workout, without drastically dropping my calories or something like that where I could pin down the reason for it. Last Friday I was able to do 225x5 and 245x2.

Does this regularly happen to anyone else? Is this just a sign that I'm finally moving out of beginner status?

AJ_G

This will happen every now and then. There have been days where I've gone into the gym and only done about a third of my workout and left because what I had done so far was garbage and there was no use in continuing. You just need to come back the next day and get it done. No harm done

stevencloser

Yeah that happens. Sometimes you struggle with weight that you managed last session, then next time you breeze through it.

McCloud33

AJ_G wrote: »

This will happen every now and then. There have been days where I've gone into the gym and only done about a third of my workout and left because what I had done so far was garbage and there was no use in continuing. You just need to come back the next day and get it done. No harm done

Yeah, I was supposed to do rows as well, but after failing at the other two I just said forget it.

tank1539

I had the same type of day today. Bench suffered the most. I dropped another 450 cals off my intake yesterday though. Also went to sleep late so caused me to get into the gym 2 hrs late. I've just learned to except that the bad days exist. There's too many variables

piperdown44

Yep. All kinds of things can cause it too.
There have been days I'm energized and have had poor performance and days I had to drag myself into the gym and, lo and behold, hit pr's.

fannyfrost

Yes that happens to me. Sometimes it is a signal I need a day off, sometimes it is just a bad day. Usually it is only one day and then I am fine

JoRocka

yes- it happens.

I lift anyway- for about the same time frame as I would normally run. If I'm dragging so much *kitten* it takes me an hour and a half to do half what I would normally do in that time frame I'll leave. But usually I'll grind it out as much as I can. Success is showing up even when it sucks. For any reason.

XavierNusum

It happens to all lifters. Some sessions are +10 some are -10. You just gotta check the box and put in the work regardless. I had a crappy squat sesssion this week, but came back 2 days later and PR'd bench in a cut.

juliewatkin

Lift for long enough and you will experience a lot of peaks and valleys. You get used to it and just move on. I've been going through a valley of my own recently. Rather than grinding with weight I can't do, I just drop the weight. Strength doesn't just disappear. Sometimes there are external factors that will affect it like stress.

tennisdude2004

Yep - those days happen. Sometimes it's best to just pack your bag up and come back the next day. If you are not feeling it you may be more likely to push for a result and get an injury.

I do the 5 x 5 and yesterday I got PB's on the Squats and Dead lift, but for the life of me couldn't even manage a full set on the Over Head Press and I was only increasing the weight by 5Lb

yusaku02

happened today, though it was my first day back in the gym after a 10 day absence. I just did a lighter weight day and got through my sets. I'll kick it back up tomorrow.

urloved33

Are there days you just don't have it while lifting?

of course

cwolfman13

it's like anything in life...you have good days and bad days.

DopeItUp

At least once a week. If all of your lifting days are good ones, you are probably mailing in your workout. You SHOULD have some bad days.

Willbenchforcupcakes

Not regularly but they happen. Usually tied to a higher stress level or not eating enough the few days prior.

arditarose

Yep. Especially in a deficit. I can have some really rough days. I'm doing SL too and last week I couldn't get into the gym until 8 pm. I didn't even MAKE it to my dead lifts. Two lifts was all I could do? I wasn't ashamed though because I was so tempted to skip and still made it in.

jfitnessguru

We all go through our share of rough days in the gym. I've had my share recently but i still will give it 100 percent. I always remind myself that i will never get these training sessions back if i quit mid way during the workout or decide not to show up at all. Reminding myself of that helps me dig deeper when I'm feeling like pure *kitten*.

SueInAz

That was me on Wednesday. I still did the whole routine I just didn't get as many reps each set as I would have liked. I didn't see a reason to quit, though. A bad workout is still a workout and better than not doing it at all.

I have running days like that, too. 30 seconds in and I already feel like I've run 6 miles...

JoRocka

DopeItUp wrote: »

At least once a week. If all of your lifting days are good ones, you are probably mailing in your workout. You SHOULD have some bad days.

nods nods nods

nossmf

Preach it, my brothers and sisters of iron...

oh_happy_day

piperdown44 wrote: »

Yep. All kinds of things can cause it too.
There have been days I'm energized and have had poor performance and days I had to drag myself into the gym and, lo and behold, hit pr's.

I find it interesting how my performance can fluctuate and it's not necessarily related to how I feel before I start. The other night I practically dragged myself into gym - tired, hungry, sore and generally feeling cr*p. Smashed it! And other days where I bounce in and then can't find my groove, things don't feel right, I can't push myself, weights feel impossibly heavy etc.

tank1539

oh_happy_day wrote: »

piperdown44 wrote: »

Yep. All kinds of things can cause it too.
There have been days I'm energized and have had poor performance and days I had to drag myself into the gym and, lo and behold, hit pr's.

I find it interesting how my performance can fluctuate and it's not necessarily related to how I feel before I start. The other night I practically dragged myself into gym - tired, hungry, sore and generally feeling cr*p. Smashed it! And other days where I bounce in and then can't find my groove, things don't feel right, I can't push myself, weights feel impossibly heavy etc.

Haha I call this the "chainsaw" effect. Right before a chainsaw or weed whacker etc.. Runs out of gas it revs up really high for a short bit while it runs on fumes before it shuts off. Now that's my quote so don't ask me if its true or if there's any science about it. Just some similarities I've noticed over the years haha

ninerbuff

Happened to me last week. But then I was lagging in sleep the night before. Damn, WD series.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

McCloud33

DopeItUp wrote: »

At least once a week. If all of your lifting days are good ones, you are probably mailing in your workout. You SHOULD have some bad days.

@DopeItUp once a week! Really? Now I don't go till failure, and just do a progressive overload each workout, but usually I can keep adding weight (overhead press aside) until finally I fail three times in a row and drop the weight back down 10-20%. That's usually at 4 reps though and its usually just one lift. I've been lifting for a little over a year, and other than when I went on a big cut, I've never just not had it like I did today. I guess I can expect some more of this in my lifting future

DopeItUp

McCloud33 wrote: »

DopeItUp wrote: »

At least once a week. If all of your lifting days are good ones, you are probably mailing in your workout. You SHOULD have some bad days.

@DopeItUp once a week! Really? Now I don't go till failure, and just do a progressive overload each workout, but usually I can keep adding weight (overhead press aside) until finally I fail three times in a row and drop the weight back down 10-20%. That's usually at 4 reps though and its usually just one lift. I've been lifting for a little over a year, and other than when I went on a big cut, I've never just not had it like I did today. I guess I can expect some more of this in my lifting future

I'm about 3.5 years in. I lift 4x a week and half of my sessions are "meh" and then one good one and one bad one. On average anyway. If I have two bad sessions in a week I generally take some time off because I'm dying at that point.

Karen_can_do_this

I'm only relatively new to lifting. But I have to say that I'm loving the positivity and supportiveness of all of you guys!!!!

McCloud33

Thanks for all the words of encouragement that I'm not just crazy LOL Today was definitely a much better day. Finished with a new PR for deadlift at 415. Broke 425 off the ground, but couldn't stand all the way up with it. Always nice too when the much bigger guys at the gym marvel at what a small-ish guy can lift

LiveLoveLift48

For me its usually something i ate or lack of sleep....however if i train hard for most days of the week i can have a day where im just wiped out to lift my normal.

shor0814

It happened today and this is a deload week. I felt good, I felt rested, and everything I did felt uncomfortable like I had never been under a bar before. I did grind through it because the weight itself wasn't a problem, just the uncomfortable feeling.

Same thing Friday, I could only do 450x3 instead of 450x5-6 like I wanted to. Earlier that week I hit a PR on my squats and the week before a PR on deadlift. Sometimes it just happens, sometimes it is just the body being wore out.

You will probably see it happen more often and you just have to learn to roll with it and adapt by realizing that it happens to the best and it is no big deal.

caci88

Are you in a calorie deficit? Could be why, even if you haven't dropped your cals further. Sleep is also a big player.. how many days a week do you train? I'd have a deload week if you're not feeling it.. sometimes you just need to go easy and have a few more days off.. then kill it the next week. Your body isn't a machine (haha okay it CAN be sometimes) but it's not the same all the time - hormones will make a big difference too, food intolerances, hydration, weather, sleep, mood, rest in between sets, rest days.. etc etc. keep an eye on it and just put it down as a *kitten* workout. Although as long as you gave it 100% (regardless of the outcome) then it's a great workout in my books.