weight machines

majekaba
majekaba Posts: 9 Member
edited November 25 in Fitness and Exercise
Does anyone else ever have to go down in the weight they use on the machines? Some days I feel really strong and can do a weight machine at a certain weight with no problem. The next time I go and use it again I find that I cannot do it at the same weight I used before and have to lower it. Is this common? For instance, I typically do 100 lbs. on the seated tricep dip and last night I struggled at 90 lbs. I've been doing 75lbs on the pulldown lat machine for the last month and it's been so good that I thought I would go up to 80 last night. Not only could I not do 80, I couldn't do 75 and had to go down to 70, which was a struggle. Just curious if this happens to anyone else?

Replies

  • Rose18l
    Rose18l Posts: 147 Member
    Strength can be influenced by many factors. The first one would be if you prefatigued the muscle. If you did some exercises before that machine it can impact how much weight you can do. The second factors could be: sleep, fatigue, amount of food etc....
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited March 2018
    Are you working the same stuff day in and day out consecutively...are you getting rest and recovery? You shouldn't be working the same muscles/groups of muscles on consecutive days, and you need rest and recovery days because that's where you actually improve.

    Otherwise it could just be an off day. I have some rides that are better than others...some lifting sessions that are better than others.
  • DebLaBounty
    DebLaBounty Posts: 1,169 Member
    That's happened to me. It usually happened when I was worn out from my job and not getting enough sleep for a couple nights in a row.
  • majekaba
    majekaba Posts: 9 Member
    Thank you all so much! I'll see how it goes this weekend and use some of the advice you've given. :) I didn't know you should eat 20 grams of protein before working out. Very good to know!
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,997 Member
    Strength training using weights is no more linear than weight loss is.

    There will be days when you will feel stronger or weaker or hit a plateau, but it is the trend that is most important.

    If you can lift more than you could a month, 3 months, 6 months or a year ago, you are making progress and that's fine.

    The rate of progress varies for everyone, usually faster early on for beginners and slower later on for more experienced and practiced lifters. This is the result of diminishing returns.

    Bear in mind there is a theoretical point at which you can reach your absolute maximum strength potential based on your individual genetics and body structure.

    Few of us actually reach this limit but for those who do, it is a wall that cannot be scaled w/o the use of drugs and/or substantially increasing the risk of injury.

    There is no way to actually measure what you maximum strength potential is but a good way to assess it is to compare your strength with others of the same gender, age and body weight (which are all factors that affect strength).

    I find that using the website at strengthlevel.com is very useful for this purpose. Take a look to see how your lifts compare w/others .

    This will make clear that the possibility of continual strength gains are not infinite for anyone.

    The sooner you realize these things, the less frustration you will feel and the more realistic your strength training goals will be.

    Good luck!
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    majekaba wrote: »
    Thank you all so much! I'll see how it goes this weekend and use some of the advice you've given. :) I didn't know you should eat 20 grams of protein before working out. Very good to know!

    You don't have to eat 20g of protein before working out.
    It won't make the slightest difference to your performance during your workout.
  • majekaba
    majekaba Posts: 9 Member
    sgt1372 wrote: »
    Strength training using weights is no more linear than weight loss is.

    There will be days when you will feel stronger or weaker or hit a plateau, but it is the trend that is most important.

    If you can lift more than you could a month, 3 months, 6 months or a year ago, you are making progress and that's fine.

    The rate of progress varies for everyone, usually faster early on for beginners and slower later on for more experienced and practiced lifters. This is the result of diminishing returns.

    Bear in mind there is a theoretical point at which you can reach your absolute maximum strength potential based on your individual genetics and body structure.

    Few of us actually reach this limit but for those who do, it is a wall that cannot be scaled w/o the use of drugs and/or substantially increasing the risk of injury.

    There is no way to actually measure what you maximum strength potential is but a good way to assess it is to compare your strength with others of the same gender, age and body weight (which are all factors that affect strength).

    I find that using the website at strengthlevel.com is very useful for this purpose. Take a look to see how your lifts compare w/others .

    This will make clear that the possibility of continual strength gains are not infinite for anyone.

    The sooner you realize these things, the less frustration you will feel and the more realistic your strength training goals will be.

    Good luck!

    Thanks. I appreciate your input. The strengthlevel site is really cool. :)
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