Psychological factors in workout

[beenie]

I moved a few months ago and took about 3 months off before joing a new gym. After going back the weights I am able to lift are MUCH lighter. I was attributing most of it to losing some of my conditioning. A few days ago, I went to the gym of one of my friends and it is so much nicer than the place to which I go. Interestingly, the amount I could lift was much closer to where I had left off than it is to what I seem to be able to do in my new gym.

While I have to say that I like my friends gym much more than my own, the weight I could handle was much more (albeit not what I had been handling 3 months earlier). I find it really hard to believe that the environment can make that much of a difference. Is it possible? Also, while I use mostly free weights, they are a different brand and the grips are different from what I have used in the past and what they had in my friend's gym. It is not possible the weights on the dumbells are miscalibrated, right?

Anyone have any thoughs on the subject?

[Strut99GT]

I truly believe that in some gyms, the weights are heavier than in others. Then again, it could be all in our head, but hey, you have to be comfortable where you work out.

[Buddha_Red]

do you think you were motivated to lift more because you were among friends?

in your new gyn did you workout alone or with your friend?

Sometimes people change the way i work out. Sometimes i go heavier when im working out with friends.

[beenie]

Its true that I dont work out with friends at the new place, and when I do work out with them I go heavier than I might ordinarily go to impress them. This being said, when I worked out over the weekend they gym I went to was huge and we worked out seperately, so I really just dont know. The place I am going to now seems really cramped, and there is something about it I don't like. That being said, its probably the best gym for me bause it is really close to where I live and I know that I'll get there.

Originally posted by Buddha_Red
do you think you were motivated to lift more because you were among friends?

in your new gyn did you workout alone or with your friend?

Sometimes people change the way i work out. Sometimes i go heavier when im working out with friends.

[Yung Wun]

everytime i go to a new gym
i find myself able to lift heavier weights as well
all i know is when i reach a sticking point in my routine (weight wise)
i'll head to my buddies gym and workout out there
and the next thing i know i'm puttin up heavier weights
i workout solely by myself so i dont think its about trying to impress my buddy i find it kinda hard training with a partner but thats a whole thread by itself. so what else u guys think is it in are heads or sumthin else??