Feel Defeated w/out Progress. Anyone Else?

Bigger Stronger Leaner Competitive Bodybuilding
1

Hey everyone, just want to know if anyone feels the same way. Sometimes when I’m at the gym, I’m pumped and ready to progress on a major compound lift to a heavier weight then the week before. I warm up and everything, then when I add that heavy weight, I can barely move it and need a spotter to help me get the minimum number of reps, for all my sets.

I don’t know about you guys, but I always feel so demoralized, it’s as if my testosterone suddenly drop and the rest of my workout feels so dull and half-hearted because of this feeling of weakness that clouds my mind for the rest of my workout.

How do you guys deal with this feeling?? like today I had a really bad chest and tri day today, I planned on hitting 3x4-6 for 205 on the bench today and felt so weak on all my warm up sets that I could barely hit even 3 reps for 205 on the first set. Does missing 3 days last week have anything to do with it?

what would you guys do in this situation?? more sets & reps at a lower weight, or proceed with the progression and attempt to lift it to failure with a spotter assisting??

2

I get those days too. It gets frustrating, but when that happens I just try and focus on a pump. I usually will go lighter and maybe do some pausing. I have turned some disappointing workouts into good ones.

3

[quote]NeedforStrength wrote:
what would you guys do in this situation?? more sets & reps at a lower weight, or proceed with the progression and attempt to lift it to failure with a spotter assisting??[/quote]

Sounds like you need more food, try it.

4

[quote]daneq wrote:
NeedforStrength wrote:
what would you guys do in this situation?? more sets & reps at a lower weight, or proceed with the progression and attempt to lift it to failure with a spotter assisting??

Sounds like you need more food, try it.[/quote]

actually happened to me today in the gym, and i know it’s because i didn’t take in enough calories the previous 2 days.

5

If something just feels a little off I switch movements. If the whole damn bodypart doesn’t feel right, I hit something else. If I am hitting shit numbers that are well below where I should be that day, then something is wrong (lack of food, sleep, etc) and I will just hit a few sets to gauge how overtrained or whatever I am and how mnay days I will take off. Then I take the days off.

Lifting a weight with a spotter assisting for all the reps is lame. Just lower the weight. You must realize that in addition to helping you lift the weight, the spotter is also helping you stabilize the bar and can also throw off your normal groove. Leave the spotting for a couple forced reps on the end of some sets, not the whole damn workout.

6

Better try a different max then,switch reps or weights to get a feeling of satisfaction. In a way,it may be a case of fooling oneself but if that’s what it takes,then so be it. If a new max is not coming,then best to hit the old one for maintenance and concentrate on other moves. A plateau in one move is not so bad when one still progresses in one or more other lifts. Think positive.

Could also have to do with unconcious technique alterations affecting leverages.

7

You are suffering early symptoms of CNS fatigue. I know that alot of people don’t want to believe in it and think it’s only underfeeding but you are getting into the overtraining syndrome.

You exceeded your body’s ability to recover, compensate and super compensate for your workouts. The effect is feeling psychologically “low” “demoralized” and " unmotivated" this also accompanies muscle weakness and lack of a full satisfying pump.

8

get angry then try again

9

[quote]NeedforStrength wrote:
Hey everyone, just want to know if anyone feels the same way. Sometimes when I’m at the gym, I’m pumped and ready to progress on a major compound lift to a heavier weight then the week before. I warm up and everything, then when I add that heavy weight, I can barely move it and need a spotter to help me get the minimum number of reps, for all my sets.

I don’t know about you guys, but I always feel so demoralized, it’s as if my testosterone suddenly drop and the rest of my workout feels so dull and half-hearted because of this feeling of weakness that clouds my mind for the rest of my workout.

How do you guys deal with this feeling?? like today I had a really bad chest and tri day today, I planned on hitting 3x4-6 for 205 on the bench today and felt so weak on all my warm up sets that I could barely hit even 3 reps for 205 on the first set. Does missing 3 days last week have anything to do with it?

what would you guys do in this situation?? more sets & reps at a lower weight, or proceed with the progression and attempt to lift it to failure with a spotter assisting??[/quote]

This happened to me last week. I warmed up, then hit my first working set which should have been 8 reps. I barely made 4 reps and still had three sets to go. I new from this that my performance for this workout was not going to be up to snuff so I left the gym and went home. I had something to eat, went to bed early and hit my reps the next day. Don’t overanalyze this shit. Listen to your body and train accordingly.

10

Yeah it’s best to just go home and fight another day.

11

Lack of food/rest on days prior to the session in question.

12

This happens to everyone. You’re not going to have a kick ass workout every single time. You should expect a varying level of performance and when your body is telling you it needs more rest and food you should listen. Don’t try to push past it by going heavy. Eat and get more rest. Listen to your body.

That is all.

13

[quote]Gregus wrote:
You are suffering early symptoms of CNS fatigue. I know that alot of people don’t want to believe in it and think it’s only underfeeding but you are getting into the overtraining syndrome.

You exceeded your body’s ability to recover, compensate and super compensate for your workouts. The effect is feeling psychologically “low” “demoralized” and " unmotivated" this also accompanies muscle weakness and lack of a full satisfying pump. [/quote]

I’m sorry, but I think this is a bullshit diagnosis. One poor workout is not indicative of “CNS fatigue” or over-training. You have no idea what his training schedule is like, what his intensity levels are, and what he is doing to facilitate or inhibit his recovery. An appropriate analogy:
OP: I have a headache what’s wrong?
Your response: It’s a brain tumor.

Sure it could be. But it’s a million times more likely to be something else. Anything from a hangover to eye strain.

You should always apply Occam’s razor before jumping to conclusions. This is especially true when giving advice.

14

[quote]MC sp3 wrote:
Gregus wrote:
You are suffering early symptoms of CNS fatigue. I know that alot of people don’t want to believe in it and think it’s only underfeeding but you are getting into the overtraining syndrome.

You exceeded your body’s ability to recover, compensate and super compensate for your workouts. The effect is feeling psychologically “low” “demoralized” and " unmotivated" this also accompanies muscle weakness and lack of a full satisfying pump.

I’m sorry, but I think this is a bullshit diagnosis. One poor workout is not indicative of “CNS fatigue” or over-training. You have no idea what his training schedule is like, what his intensity levels are, and what he is doing to facilitate or inhibit his recovery. An appropriate analogy:
OP: I have a headache what’s wrong?
Your response: It’s a brain tumor.

Sure it could be. But it’s a million times more likely to be something else. Anything from a hangover to eye strain.

You should always apply Occam’s razor before jumping to conclusions. This is especially true when giving advice.

[/quote]

I think Gregus makes a good point. Mild overtraining is not a ridiculous assumption. Being short on sleep, or just not fully recovered could be considered CNS fatigue.

If for instance you came back to the gym later to “fight another day” as someone else posted on here, and then did reach your targeted rep goal, it would prove that you were not fully recovered.

I think lack of progress could either be mild overtraining, or adaptation to a current routine.

Another good way of telling if you are overtraining is swollen lymph nodes. The times that I have been stalling on progress, I could almost always feel the little bump in my armpits.

15

[quote]NeedforStrength wrote:
Hey everyone, just want to know if anyone feels the same way. Sometimes when I’m at the gym, I’m pumped and ready to progress on a major compound lift to a heavier weight then the week before. I warm up and everything, then when I add that heavy weight, I can barely move it and need a spotter to help me get the minimum number of reps, for all my sets.

I don’t know about you guys, but I always feel so demoralized, it’s as if my testosterone suddenly drop and the rest of my workout feels so dull and half-hearted because of this feeling of weakness that clouds my mind for the rest of my workout.

How do you guys deal with this feeling?? like today I had a really bad chest and tri day today, I planned on hitting 3x4-6 for 205 on the bench today and felt so weak on all my warm up sets that I could barely hit even 3 reps for 205 on the first set. Does missing 3 days last week have anything to do with it?

what would you guys do in this situation?? more sets & reps at a lower weight, or proceed with the progression and attempt to lift it to failure with a spotter assisting??[/quote]

Be patient. Just hang in there and keep on trudging ahead. Days like this ought to be used as a reminder that quitting is not an option and motivation for a better showing during the next session.

Personally, I’ve found that the days leading up to a specific session’s performance are critical. I squat every tuesday; I make it my purpose to eat clean and get plenty of rest on sunday and monday, so that when i get under the bar on tuesday night i have no doubt in my mind that I’ve done everything i could to put myself in the best state possible to dominate the weight. And then i do just that…

I’ve also noticed that if i slip up and eat like crap, the next training session is more difficult than usual. Sometimes its hard to pass up a beer at lunch, but if so thats the price I pay.

A lot of lifting is about mental toughness. Just because the weight might feel “heavier” on a particular day does not mean that you can’t move it. Every time i squat my heavy set (currently 415) and get to my 5th rep, there is a part of me that thinks there is no possible way I’m going to bang out 3 more reps. Then I suck it up, let out a grunt or two, and move the weight. By the time I get done, the room is spinning and the middle-aged men are condescendingly shaking their heads in my direction. But when I get the silent, slow nod of approval from across the room from the biggest guy there, I crack a half smile and know it was worth it. I can’t wait to add 5 more pounds the next week. I love the battle for the extra rep or the extra 5 pounds. I’ve had this attitude for a good while now and have been making steady improvements and good gains.

Also, you may want to examine and re-evaluate the structure of your training split if you are constantly having these shitty days. For example, if you worked your shoulders the day prior to benching, fatigue could explain why the bench weight feels “heavier” than it normally would. I don’t know what kind of split your working, but I make sure to leave 3 days between my chest day and shoulder day. Same thing with back and arms. I’ve found that this takes the fatigue factor out of the equation for me. Basic common sense.

16

[quote]NeedforStrength wrote:
Hey everyone, just want to know if anyone feels the same way. Sometimes when I’m at the gym, I’m pumped and ready to progress on a major compound lift to a heavier weight then the week before. I warm up and everything, then when I add that heavy weight, I can barely move it and need a spotter to help me get the minimum number of reps, for all my sets.

I don’t know about you guys, but I always feel so demoralized, it’s as if my testosterone suddenly drop and the rest of my workout feels so dull and half-hearted because of this feeling of weakness that clouds my mind for the rest of my workout.

How do you guys deal with this feeling?? like today I had a really bad chest and tri day today, I planned on hitting 3x4-6 for 205 on the bench today and felt so weak on all my warm up sets that I could barely hit even 3 reps for 205 on the first set. Does missing 3 days last week have anything to do with it?

what would you guys do in this situation?? more sets & reps at a lower weight, or proceed with the progression and attempt to lift it to failure with a spotter assisting??[/quote]

This happens to me. When I feel great and expect a great workout, I perform like shit. When I feel like crap I have great work outs. So unless I’m really sick or something I always start my warmups and see how my body responds, and proceed from there.

17

Eat a lot, sleep a lot, try again. This is the best medicine for plateau busting in my opinion.

18

[quote]Uncle Gabby wrote:

This happens to me. When I feel great and expect a great workout, I perform like shit. When I feel like crap I have great work outs. So unless I’m really sick or something I always start my warmups and see how my body responds, and proceed from there.[/quote]

ur fucked up in the head =p