I make a note of all my lifts when working out, and note down the amount of weight lifted on each set as well as the number of reps I managed. I then try to beat my previous amount of reps or weight the next time I come in, based on what I made a note of.
Unfortunately at times I actually LOSE a rep the next week. Most of the time I’m able to add a rep, or at least do the same amount of reps as the week before, but what should I do if I lose a rep? For example, let’s say I managed 8 reps one week, so I note it down, but the next week I come in I only manage 7 reps.
Should I then update my notes to signify that I only managed 7 reps, and then base my progression off that, or should I just stick with my highest amount of reps which I got the week before? It just seems a bit strange to erase the 8 reps I noted down, and write 7 instead because I had a somewhat bad workout. The motivation to progress tends to suffer then as well, as I know that I actually managed 8 reps at one point, and now all I’m doing is trying to get back to it instead of actually progressing to more reps or a higher weight than I’ve done in the past.
don’t panic if it’s just a few sessions. Performance can fluctuate even when doing everything right
consider eating more (in the vast majority of cases this is enough to fix the issue)
consider sleeping more and/or better
consider reducing the amount of work you’re doing
consider increasing the amount of work you’re doing (it depends on variables such as current training volume, calories etc. which one is the better call)
consider deloading, or reducing the weight a building back up doing a ton of reps
are you progressing on other movements? If you’re only stuck on an exercise, it’s worth considering whether you could benefit from adding an assistance exercise to fix a specific weakness
Thanks for the tips Samul, much appreciated. Although should I write down my new reps on my notes instead, even if I get 1 less rep than the week before? And then base my progression off THAT?
It’s just my Flat Dumbbell Bench that has regressed. I was stuck on 7 reps for about 3 weeks, and figured today was the day I was going to get 8 reps. Unfortunately the opposite happened, and I only managed 6 reps, which I felt was quite strange, considering I’ve been staying consistent at 7 reps for a few weeks now.
What’s also strange is the fact that I’m seeing progression (either in weight and/or reps) in most of my other exercises, including Flat Barbell Bench, so I’m not sure why my Dumbbell Bench has regressed.