ok. i set my personal record a couple weeks ago. bench pressed 315 x 2.

after that things got ugly. i started working again which is AWESOME but it takes away my gym energy. i got into the barfight, even though i won i was still pretty sore. i quit taking creatine,(only used one bottle ) and switched to glutamine.

well, a few weeks ago i could bench press 265 6-8 times no sweat. 295X4 and 315X2.

now... i dont know if its just lack of ambition, tired, the quiting creatine, but... i fell down hard on my strength

arent you suppose to take a week off every 8 weeks? another website ( power and bulk ) people said that i shouldnt take time off if it doesnt help. but ive heard if you dont, your muscles start to breakdown.

and of course, on this certain website you always get replies from jerks who have nothing better to do. so youre not always sure if you are getting a decent reply or not.

anyways... anyone experience this lack of strength? how long did it take you to get it back?

 

What about sleep and Diet? (besides the creatine has your diet changed?) And Yes your energy level has alot to do with power lifting. So if your working again give yourself some time to adapt.

 

BigD- i can always count on you for repies to this subject!

ive been getting 8-9 hours of sleep a night. my diet hasnt really changed, ive been lacking on my protien shakes though due to $$

when i switched from lifting like this-
mond.

repeat... wedensday, thursday, friday, saturday, rest sunday

so when i switched to...
monday-biceps, legs, abs
tuesday, triceps, back, chest
wednesday -OFF/rest
thursday-biceps, legs, abs,
friday-triceps, back, chest
saturday-OFF/rest

the extra day off every 3rd day boosted my strength in every muscle group. it was definanlty what i needed. but im still on that schedual.
so i really feel like my rest has improved, my food intake is still about the same, ony thing different is no creatine/less protien...

anyways...

 

BigD- i can always count on you for repies to this subject!

ive been getting 8-9 hours of sleep a night. my diet hasnt really changed, ive been lacking on my protien shakes though due to $$

when i switched from lifting like this-
mond. biceps, legs, abs,
tuesday, triceps, back, shoulders,
wednesday, biceps, legs, abs,
thursday, tricep, back, shoulders
friday-bicep legs abs,
saturday- tricep, back, shoulders
sunday- rest
so when i switched to...
monday-biceps, legs, abs
tuesday, triceps, back, chest
wednesday -OFF/rest
thursday-biceps, legs, abs,
friday-triceps, back, chest
saturday-OFF/rest

the extra day off every 3rd day boosted my strength in every muscle group. it was definanlty what i needed. but im still on that schedual.
so i really feel like my rest has improved, my food intake is still about the same, ony thing different is no creatine/less protien...

anyways... i just dont have the stamina/pump/drive/ in the gym now. hope i can earn it back?

and do i NEED to take that week off every 8 weeks? i started feeling fatigued so i decided it was neccisary

 

sorry... my long reply, # 3 is missing some bits of info, please delete it if you get the chnce mods.

 

I have done a lot of lifting over the years for football, in high school and in college. Usually our programs progressed so that we peaked at a certain time where they tested us and recorded the results. My best ever was 3 reps of 365 and it was EASY, a week later during testing (when my program was designed to peak) I couldn't come close to getting 405 once (I think that charts indicated that based on 365 for 3, 405 once was realistic, plus we were all really excited and competitive), I only got 385 once and it was HARD. I think that sometimes you are just in the zone and the right place in your program and everything just clicks. A lot of times after a really steady gain you plateau and go down a bit and have to work a lot for little or no gain, but eventually you start gaining again. Hang in there, you'll go back up. Some people just hit a wall too, where they reach the max that they can reasonably get depending on build, natural muscle mass, age and genetics. It's really hard to get to the gym when you are tired from work, it does sap your strenght a little and hurts motivation, been there done that. The week off every 8 is a good idea.

 

What kind of work do you do? With a 4 day split, you could be taxing your body too much. I'd go with a 3 day split if you job involves heavy labor. I have a desk job, but I'm on a 3 day split that looks like this:

M Chest/back
T rest
W Legs
Th rest
F shoulders/arms
S rest
S rest

Don't work a body part directly more than once per week. Looking at your schedule indicates to me you aren't allowing enough recovery time.

Go to www.ironmagazineforums.com for expert advice. This is more of a bodybuilding site but does have some very knowledgeable people when it comes to training and nutrition.

You should always take some time off periodically. There isn't a set rule, but every 8 weeks is a good start. You will be weaker after a layoff, but strength will come back quickly. I've been in the gym 1 out of the last 3 weeks due to business travel. Last night was a killer but my strength was good even though I'm sore as heck.

 

Have you lost weight? When I went from 250lbs body weight down to 240lbs in body weight I could not maintain my max strength. Also I found that after a month or so of the same routines I needed to mix it up some and use my muscles in different ways with different exercises. My body responded well. By mixing your work outs up when you feel you hit a plateau or just get bored you find you will start making gains again. You said you were sore after a Bar fight? Besides the obvious pains associated with a fight, were your muscles sore from exertion? If so it's because you used those muscles in a different manner then when you lift. So that means there is still strength potential in those muscles that you can tapp into if you alter your exercises. Muscle mags have all kinds of different exercises for the same muscles for that reason.

 

My advice would be to take a week or two rest and then hit it again hard...I am starting No2 soon....I just started lifting again about 3 months ago after taking a good 3 years off, Back up to 315X1 and 295X4 as of lately...I first used Creatine and Amino Chain Acids for the frist few months, now going to do a bottle of No2 and then back to the Creatine and Amino's...I love the protein shakes...Eating right is a big part of lifting strong and finding the right part of the day is key it seems, but I must agree that lately I have been lifting pretty crappy, not even wanting to go lift to be honest, I even skipped today....

 

Keelar, If you're using NO2 now be sure to use creatine with it. You'll really be impressed by the results. NO2 dialates the blood vessels in the muscle tissue (whole body actually) so it will increase the effectiveness of any supps you use including creatine and protein powders.

Creatine does not have to be cycled on and off. This theory comes from prohormones but does not apply to creatine as it does not affect hormone levels in the body. Most likely you're lacking strength due to the recent lack of protein. If you can't buy powders make up the difference in your food. With the training schedule you're using your body is really pushed for recovery. If you keep the protein intake really high you may be able to keep up with it. If not I'd drop to once per week for each body part until you can resume your powders again.

 

Hmmmmn.......you should really avoid these bar fights.

 

NO2 is a HUGE waste of money.

 

a friend of mine quit using N02 once he started um... having troubles performing in bed... and trust me his girlfriend is HOT... since he quit hes been keeping her happy i guess!
ill go to GNC tommorrow and buy some protien powder again. that might be the missing link.

BigDmizer, if i have lost any weight its 5 pounds or less but the scale at the gym is a piece of crap so who knows...

anyways its my heavy day at the gym ill post in a few hours

 

F250,

I suspect your problem might be intensity of lifting and/or lifting using the same intensity or set rep pattern without varying your routine. If you have a gym to lift at, ask them who certifies their trainers. If they say NSCA or ACSM, then you can likely trust the source.

There is way to much to discuss on the board in order to get you in the right direction.

My guess would be that you need to alter your routine a bit. Muscles will respond to training...I suppose that is why we lift. Your own response to stimulus (set/rep/intensity) will likely begin to decrease at about the 6-8 week period...if you use the same pattern. If you vary the pattern, the stimulus is always changing and your muscles will likely see much more growth and strength. It is not so much that the muscles break down, but, that they don't see any reason to change since the stimulus remains the same. AH, heck, I am starting to get long winded again.

BTW, I have a PhD in exercise physiology, worked for two pro sports teams during the off summer and been a strength and conditioning coach at a div I school. Now I do the same thing for the Navy. So it is not as if I fell off the turnip truck.
Here are a couple of sites to look up. The first has the most up to date books on strength training and nutrition. The next two are self explanatory.

http://www.humankinetics.com/

http://nsca-lift.org/

http://acsm.org/index.asp

There are a few other things I will suggest. One is to buy a book called "Power, A Scientific Approach" by Fred Hatfield. The guy is good.

The second is to listen to folks who are certified and have the experience to back up their info. The biggest guy in the gym isn't necessarily the smartest or the most up to date on what is real. You probably won't get hurt following his lead, but, if you choose to seek advice from certified folks, you will reach your goal more efficiently.

Or you can email me.

good luck.

 

thanks FEDDOC

i "know" a former Mr. Minnesota through a few friends and i see him at my gym maybe... every few months so i dont get much chance to ask him stuff.

ive asked the trainers at the gym simple questions like " should i do Lat-Pull-downs on days i work my bi-ceps or on days i work my tri-ceps ? " they didnt have the slightest idea what i was trying to ask them.

anyways i think they are catching up to me... my membership at the gym expired first week of august... and i still go @4times a week... think i gotta pay up tonight!!

ill make an update in a little while how i did. off to the gym now