Pissed and could use some insight

[Valentine85bu]

Been going hard in the gym for awhile now but my diet and supplementation has always been pretty good. Here this week my lifts have seriously suffered.

I felt great going into today's workout, I was wrong.

My first working set on flat press is usually 205, push that out 10 reps no problem...today, 2nd and 3rd working set I had to stay at 200..and last working set I could only force out 5 reps...really struggling.Last time I max'd on flat I pressed 3, that was2 months ago...now I'm lucky to hit 240 on my rep sets...what gives?! Not too sure what the problem is, CG press went down 30 lbs and 5 reps on my 2nd and 3rd working set..only thing not feeling weak were my biceps...

Upset and confused tbh, especially seeing I have my max coming up the following monday...jklasghdjkghasdfg!!!!!

[musikguy72]

You didn't mention any of the factors that could have possibly caused it so it might be hard for us to guess without such information. for instance: how has your sleep been? Diet? Macros? Stress? Weight going up, down or leveled off?
I would look at my diet first. Are you still gaining weight?

[Valentine85bu]

And sorry for the double post, but you guys think it's time for a deload week before I max on lifts again?

[Valentine85bu]

You didn't mention any of the factors that could have possibly caused it so it might be hard for us to guess without such information. for instance: how has your sleep been? Diet? Macros? Stress? Weight going up, down or leveled off?
I would look at my diet first. Are you still gaining weight?

Weight is going up, I've been dirty bulking so eating everything. But I stay away from junk food and alcohol. I only drink water and milk. I supplement fish oil twice a day everyday, multi-vitamin, glutamine and creatine. I only take protein on hard workout days and when I feel I need the extra protein from a long day at work and wasn't satisfied with my intake.


truth be told though, sleep has been slightly lacking the past couple days. Had long days at work and had trouble winding down and falling asleep at a decent time. Been working swing shifts at work so can't get a decent sleep cycle going.

[musikguy72]

Weight is going up, I've been dirty bulking so eating everything. But I stay away from junk food and alcohol. I only drink water and milk. I supplement fish oil twice a day everyday, multi-vitamin, glutamine and creatine. I only take protein on hard workout days and when I feel I need the extra protein from a long day at work and wasn't satisfied with my intake.


truth be told though, sleep has been slightly lacking the past couple days. Had long days at work and had trouble winding down and falling asleep at a decent time. Been working swing shifts at work so can't get a decent sleep cycle going.

Don't underestimate the value of a good nights sleep when it comes to your workouts. It that's the only thing that's changed recently coinciding with your less than perfect workout, I would focus on that for a bit. The next time you can get some good rest several days in a row, see how the workout that follows goes. If all goes well, I wouldn't worry too much about it unless this sleep problem becomes permanent.

[Valentine85bu]

Don't underestimate the value of a good nights sleep when it comes to your workouts. It that's the only thing that's changed recently coinciding with your less than perfect workout, I would focus on that for a bit. The next time you can get some good rest several days in a row, see how the workout that follows goes. If all goes well, I wouldn't worry too much about it unless this sleep problem becomes permanent.

Do you recommend a de-load week before I max on my lifts? I don't feel exhausted or weak, but apparently my body feels otherwise during my lifts.Maybe I've pushed too hard and need a week's rest for my nervous system and body? Just curious what your thoughts are on that.

[musikguy72]

Do you recommend a de-load week before I max on my lifts? I don't feel exhausted or weak, but apparently my body feels otherwise during my lifts.Maybe I've pushed too hard and need a week's rest for my nervous system and body? Just curious what your thoughts are on that.

the general rule is simple: take a deload when you think you need one.

that being said, when was the last time you did a deload? Every 12 weeks or so works pretty good for a lot of routines. Some have deloads built in to them (see dual factor periodization).
If it's been a while, then go for it and see how that changes things. Otherwise, I might look into changing up your routine as well. Again, I don't know how long you've been doing your current routine, but I find that when my lifts all start stalling at the same time, it's less about the muscles and more about my mindset. A fresh routine is something new I can get excited about.

[Valentine85bu]

the general rule is simple: take a deload when you think you need one.

that being said, when was the last time you did a deload? Every 12 weeks or so works pretty good for a lot of routines. Some have deloads built in to them (see dual factor periodization).
If it's been a while, then go for it and see how that changes things. Otherwise, I might look into changing up your routine as well. Again, I don't know how long you've been doing your current routine, but I find that when my lifts all start stalling at the same time, it's less about the muscles and more about my mindset. A fresh routine is something new I can get excited about.

Same routine for the past 3 months. Me and workout partner decided to max quarterly to gauge where we are and adjust accordingly. The 3month mark is just a little over a week away.