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

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  • oh_happy_day
    oh_happy_day Posts: 1,137 Member
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    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
    tank1539 Posts: 55 Member
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    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 :D
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,695 Member
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    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
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  • McCloud33
    McCloud33 Posts: 959 Member
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    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 :persevere:
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
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    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 :persevere:

    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
    Karen_can_do_this Posts: 1,150 Member
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    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
    McCloud33 Posts: 959 Member
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    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 :D
  • LiveLoveLift48
    LiveLoveLift48 Posts: 379 Member
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    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
    shor0814 Posts: 559 Member
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    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
    caci88 Posts: 53 Member
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    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.
  • KittensMaster
    KittensMaster Posts: 748 Member
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    A weak day at the gym that you power thru strengthens your chacter.

  • hamlet1222
    hamlet1222 Posts: 459 Member
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    You probably just hadn't quite recovered from the previous workout, could have been poor sleep, not enough rest, non-optimal diet. If the problem persists I would try adding an extra day of recovery between workouts.

    Everyone is different and some people can work out more frequently than others.
  • ovidnine
    ovidnine Posts: 314 Member
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    Yup, I have those days sometimes. I've been lucky enough to keep hitting my main & auxiliary goals, but sometimes my accessory work I'm just roasted for so I'll drop that down.

    Sometimes I know why it happens, lack of sleep, ate too little the day before, etc. Other times its just 100% WTF?

    I figure as long as I'm having more good days than bad I'll keep plugging away. lol
  • colors_fade
    colors_fade Posts: 464 Member
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    stevencloser wrote: »
    Yeah that happens. Sometimes you struggle with weight that you managed last session, then next time you breeze through it.

    Brett Contreras has said that for every four workouts you do, two will be mediocre, one will suck, and one will be great. I've talked to guys in my gym about this and they feel that assessment is spot-on. I've seen pretty much the same thing.

    I think the key is, when you have that really sucky day, don't quit or go home. Finish the workout, and leave it all out there. You'll feel good afterward that you gave your best effort, even if your energy sucked that day.

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