What can cause inconsistent strength?

[zipdoa]

So I'm sure this has happened to others - you lift x amount of weight one week, and the next you're unable to do the same amount. What I'd like to understand is, what causes this variation in power output?

My guesses are:

Poor sleep
Carbohydrate consumption
Inadequate recovery
Calorie defecit
Time of day that you lift (biological clock dictates we are strongest at 530PM)
Testosterone levels
'Mind Pump' (having the attitude/motivation to lift heavy)

I'm trying to remain constant in my routine to generate predictable results at the gym. If there's something you guys can think of that will sap strength, share your thoughts!

[buh_buh]

The one I notice most by far is lack of sleep. 6hr sleep vs 8hr sleep makes a huge difference to my workout day.

[Lex350]

For me it is lack of sleep and time of day. Diet doesn't seem to be the biggest factor for me.


I need 7 hours of sleep to function best. I have tried many times to switch to morning workouts and they are not nearly as productive and I never can lift like I can at 3:30 - 7:30 pm.

[zipdoa]

Originally posted by rotten42
For me it is lack of sleep and time of day. Diet doesn't seem to be the biggest factor for me.


I need 7 hours of sleep to function best. I have tried many times to switch to morning workouts and they are not nearly as productive and I never can lift like I can at 3:30 - 7:30 pm.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/30/Biological_clock_human.svg/800px-Biological_clock_human.svg.png

[Tej.S]

I think the time of day is a major factor. I know for a fact that I can't lift the way I do in the mornings compared to evenings(5~). Carb consumption would also kind of make sense, but then again, a lot of people work out in a fasted state and use pwo to make for the lack of energy. I argue against the lack of sleep because I actually worked out after not sleeping for about 28 hours and although I felt like ass, I could still lift without any issues. Caloric deficit shouldn't be a factor if your diet is in check.

What about CNS recovery? I don't know how you would tell if your CNS is okay or not, but it probably plays a role though. Example: I run a four day split, so if I were to squat twice a week and deadlift that same week, that would be very taxing on my CNS, not to mention the lumbar. I think you mentioned a lot of the factors though :p

[rx7boi]

Originally posted by zipdoa


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/30/Biological_clock_human.svg/800px-Biological_clock_human.svg.png

How accurate is this human clock diagram?

[heavyfuel]

#1 main cause is, giving a fuck about how much you can lift lol

[brucebanner]

Zip I think you pretty well have it covered. For me, I think it's the mindset/mind pump. Like there is one guy I lift with often at work and I'm generally always on point when we're lifting. Always bettering weight/reps.

Just last week, all of my lifts were down. I was on days off, lifting by myself, different time of day and everything was down. Also, I think I do my best lifting first thing in the morning, versus mid day or later.

[403ep3]

Hah I go to the gym at 22:00 and I tried lifting in the morning once and I failed hard. I'm not sure if different times of the day matters to most people. I think it's more of what your body gets used to and the time you lift most often.

One thing that does mess up my lifts is when I eat like shit. For example, if I ate fast food with a whole bunch of greasy ass fries. I feel like shit and lift like shit.

[bigbadboss101]

I say inflammation. That and dehydration, sleep, and mindset all matters.

[YamahaV8]

I usually lift in the mornings but occasionally I am able to go to the gym in the evenings. When I go in the evenings I always seem to be able to lift heavier. I just chalked it up to having multiple meals in me prior to the gym instead of just 1 meal.

[Tej.S]

Originally posted by heavyfuel
#1 main cause is, giving a fuck about how much you can lift lol

You can't be serious.. Ego lifting aside, why would you not care about how much you can lift? Do you not set goals for yourself and attempt to reach/surpass them?

[heavyfuel]

Originally posted by Tej.S


You can't be serious.. Ego lifting aside, why would you not care about how much you can lift? Do you not set goals for yourself and attempt to reach/surpass them?

<--------------------You have no idea how serious I am lol

[403ep3]

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9qiNGYkITRQ/SFxTJYoWYMI/AAAAAAAAEHg/fevLO1jujOk/s400/22am4h.jpg

[heavyfuel]

Time of day, what you ate, general mood, how your day went, injuries/recoveries, hangovers, to name a few, when I used to work out religiously I remember those were all factors. Since I stopped making a big deal out of it and started going to the gym just when I'm feeling it (which is 2-3 days/week at best) it's just one less thing to lose sleep over. I only do legs and a random rotation of 1 upper body exercise anyways, followed by 30 mins on the bike and then a 1-2 hr blade session if it's nice out, usually the day before I go skiing or boarding. A few pounds more, a few reps less, big deal. I feel great when I leave the gym and I don't look like a Ronnie. That's all that should matter.

[max_boost]

Originally posted by heavyfuel
#1 main cause is, giving a fuck about how much you can lift lol :rofl: :werd:

For me it's just how I feel. Some days I feel great, some days I feel like shit :nut: I generally do better lifting at night.

[revelations]

For me in order of importance:

1 - tired/sleep
2 - lack of good food before hand
3 - time of day
4 - lack of POTASSIUM

[KRyn]

Being a pussy and poor programming.
I have made numerous personal bests while hungover (still somewhat drunk) and running on no sleep.

[ddduke]

Originally posted by KRyn
Being a pussy and poor programming.
I have made numerous personal bests while hungover (still somewhat drunk) and running on no sleep.

:werd:

I've noticed I can usually lift heavier when hung. My strength seems to be lower if I work out in the morn (I usually in the late afternoon).

Just do what I do. Keep some super pump in your bag and use it when you're gassed to get some extra motivation.

[Darkane]

Funny as it sounds, but How I'm moving that day.

If My mobility is good, I'm strong.

If I find it takes me longer than normal to warmup and I'm tight, no good.

Its some sort of Nervous system power output brake.

Best lifting I do is Usually after a massage.

[scboss]

For me it always comes down to 3 things

Sleep
Pre Workout Meal
Shit Programming

Obviously this does not include injuries