Sudden drop in strength - no injuries/ sickness

Hi guys!

I'm back in Sweden again after living in Thailand and the 5 weeks I have been home, I've lost both a lot of strength and some weight.

I managed to achieve several pb's 1rm the week before I came home (no aas):
Squat: 145kg
F. squat: 120kg
Deadlift: 230kg
Military: 95kg
Db. press: 60kg
Bench: 135kg

185cm, 90kg*

I felt that I could do more and got stronger by the week.

Now 5 weeks in Sweden I'm down to 85kg bw and I have dropped atleast 20kg in each of these exercises.
20 kg is a lot for several weeks! :/
Dead is down to 200kg with bad form.
And I can't raise the weights.

The only thing that has changed is the weather and that I don't get laid anymore....
Training is the same and diet is actually better.
Diet in Thailand was 90% white rice and chicken, now I actually eat a lot of different quality foods and total kcal is over.

Any ideas?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Fiskevatten

Hi guys!

I'm back in Sweden again after living in Thailand and the 5 weeks I have been home, I've lost both a lot of strength and some weight.

I managed to achieve several pb's 1rm the week before I came home (no aas):
Squat: 145kg
F. squat: 120kg
Deadlift: 230kg
Military: 95kg
Db. press: 60kg
Bench: 135kg

185cm, 90kg*

I felt that I could do more and got stronger by the week.

Now 5 weeks in Sweden I'm down to 85kg bw and I have dropped atleast 20kg in each of these exercises.
20 kg is a lot for several weeks! :/
Dead is down to 200kg with bad form.
And I can't raise the weights.

The only thing that has changed is the weather and that I don't get laid anymore....
Training is the same and diet is actually better.
Diet in Thailand was 90% white rice and chicken, now I actually eat a lot of different quality foods and total kcal is over.

Any ideas?

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Hello fiskevatten
Scandinavian Power[emoji48]

Du har nok knullet for mye bro. Få tak i noen chlamydiapiller straks [emoji48]

Sent fra min SM-N9005 via Tapatalk

LMAO....get chlamydia pills?

Viking Power! Tror jag knullat för lite, jag tappade ju styrka när jag kom hem och behöver plötsligt jobba för vita framstjärten!^^

Why clean it out? My dick is way larger now from all the viruses cramped up in there, I can almost see it now
And I bet there isn't a single antibiotic that can cure me, my mutant sperms can inpregnate everything from dogs to a kitchen table

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Fiskevatten

Viking Power! Tror jag knullat för lite, jag tappade ju styrka när jag kom hem och behöver plötsligt jobba för vita framstjärten!^^

Why clean it out? My dick is way larger now from all the viruses cramped up in there, I can almost see it now
And I bet there isn't a single antibiotic that can cure me, my mutant sperms can inpregnate everything from dogs to a kitchen table

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Well you do have that going for you.

Furg um en der arse!

Stiiik et en er poopah!

You might try taking a break for a couple weeks. Happens to me a couple timesa year. A lil break usually fixes it and I come back and throw an extra 20lbon my worksets

I can't rest, it may create a situation where I bungyjump with the rope attached to my neck to black out my crazy brain
Gym is my loving rehab *snuggles

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Fiskevatten

Hi guys!

I'm back in Sweden again after living in Thailand and the 5 weeks I have been home, I've lost both a lot of strength and some weight.

I managed to achieve several pb's 1rm the week before I came home (no aas):
Squat: 145kg
F. squat: 120kg
Deadlift: 230kg
Military: 95kg
Db. press: 60kg
Bench: 135kg

185cm, 90kg*

I felt that I could do more and got stronger by the week.

Now 5 weeks in Sweden I'm down to 85kg bw and I have dropped atleast 20kg in each of these exercises.
20 kg is a lot for several weeks! :/
Dead is down to 200kg with bad form.
And I can't raise the weights.

The only thing that has changed is the weather and that I don't get laid anymore....
Training is the same and diet is actually better.
Diet in Thailand was 90% white rice and chicken, now I actually eat a lot of different quality foods and total kcal is over.

Any ideas?

---

You could be overtrained and could benefit from a small break from training.

Hard to speculate as it could a combination of several factors, physical and or psychological...Overtraining perhaps. But what about the new environment? Ex-Military here, and I’ve moved a ton. Sometimes it takes a while for the body to adjust. Have u tried tweaking your routine? Maybe that might help. But The sex part is what I try first. Find some hot Swedish blonde and see if u can match the intensity in the gym to the bedroom. Endorphins may play a role

Gotta try the sex part, it doesn't work banging a thermos with over-cooked pasta anymore...
I almost managed to return just now.
I tweeked the diet a little and managed to get 95% of my strength in everything except my bench which is really bad atm, but GREAT pumps and energy!
Got some cash as well and wanted to celebrate last saturday.
Drank to 06.30 (never drink usually) and it got me back to -5 again.
Small injury in back from backtraining and swimming 2 days after, pump gone, sleep shit and no strength to this day.
Can't even see the definitions.

Will take a full break from alcohol and go back to the tweeked diet, hope for the best!

It can absolutely be a change of country since I'm much more stressed here, and the fact that life here is much more serious and over there it's more jolly-fun.
Plus the fact that "winter is coming"

Disruptions in good sleep patterns can cause dramatic decreases in power and strength.

You had a transition from totally different time zones, and it sounds like a bit of late night activities.

Be sure you are getting quality rest.

Im currently on and i even experience the same. I have some injuries and would stray away from heavy weight/ free weights and do machines until i felt better. i would still be lifting alot of weight on machines but when i came back to free weights i noticed a decrease in my strenght. I went from being able to bench 105 bumbells in each hand on incline to 80 being tough. What i think increased/got back my strenght after a break from free weights was keep going heavy, ex. maybe your used to doing 15 reps of 80 ib dumbells on incline and now can only get half. I would do as many as i could (lets say you only can make half 7-8) and keep doing it everyday ( i tend to do full body) and doing something like that ill start hitting 10, 12, 14 reps etc. as time goes on. Hope that makes sense.

Are you maxing out all the time? Even high level strength athletes rarely test PR's or go over 90% of their 1rep max except when peaking. Sounds to me like over training or not letting your CNS recover from going heavy all the time. Without knowing your training program / schedule its hard to tell.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jackfrost88

Are you maxing out all the time? Even high level strength athletes rarely test PR's or go over 90% of their 1rep max except when peaking. Sounds to me like over training or not letting your CNS recover from going heavy all the time. Without knowing your training program / schedule its hard to tell.

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Can be CNS issues, don't think it's the PR's since that kind of training made wonders on me and this happened since the transition back home more or less.
I do work in the moving business form time to time, which is very demanding.
I've started to hit back much more and that has helped me get back some, as well as putting on a few nice lines. (Lats for bench e.g.)
Also try to go short burst in bench until fail and then let the bar rest 3-4 sec on chest before doing 3 full reps for a few sets each week (more explosive and fatigued) - hope that might help me get back in bench.

Tried rest for 3 days and that made me weaker, maybe need more?
Eating more at least, sleep is up and down.

At the moment, it seems like bench, inc db press and squats + front squats are the ones that refuse to return strength-wise.
All else is either back or better.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Fiskevatten

Can be CNS issues, don't think it's the PR's since that kind of training made wonders on me and this happened since the transition back home more or less.
I do work in the moving business form time to time, which is very demanding.
I've started to hit back much more and that has helped me get back some, as well as putting on a few nice lines. (Lats for bench e.g.)
Also try to go short burst in bench until fail and then let the bar rest 3-4 sec on chest before doing 3 full reps for a few sets each week (more explosive and fatigued) - hope that might help me get back in bench.

Tried rest for 3 days and that made me weaker, maybe need more?
Eating more at least, sleep is up and down.

At the moment, it seems like bench, inc db press and squats + front squats are the ones that refuse to return strength-wise.
All else is either back or better.

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Sounds like fatigue and CNS recovery to me 100%. You maxed out a week ago, and now you go to max out again and drop 20kg on lifts which is in your head. Nothing can change really in a week unless you injured yourself. No muscle loss or real strength loss can happen that quickly. I'd recommend doing a deload (less volume and less weight) to let your body recover. Before you go hard on heavy lifts again build your strength up more slowly. For example, do a 5x5 for a month working up in weight, then a 5/3/1 rep scheme the following month. Then hit your 1rep maxes and I'm confident they will be more than before.

Going balls to the wall every workout is not optimal for strength gain have to periodize training and you will get much better results.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jackfrost88

Sounds like fatigue and CNS recovery to me 100%. You maxed out a week ago, and now you go to max out again and drop 20kg on lifts which is in your head. Nothing can change really in a week unless you injured yourself. No muscle loss or real strength loss can happen that quickly. I'd recommend doing a deload (less volume and less weight) to let your body recover. Before you go hard on heavy lifts again build your strength up more slowly. For example, do a 5x5 for a month working up in weight, then a 5/3/1 rep scheme the following month. Then hit your 1rep maxes and I'm confident they will be more than before.

Going balls to the wall every workout is not optimal for strength gain have to periodize training and you will get much better results.

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Thanks man, appreciate the answer! Will follow the advice above and see what I can make of it. Where should I stop on the fatigued level? I mean, even if I drop the weights, I can still hit several exercises and train more explosive to end up in fail anyway. Should I have 1 or 2 reps left in me or how does it work? I'm used to max out one way or another

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jackfrost88

Sounds like fatigue and CNS recovery to me 100%. You maxed out a week ago, and now you go to max out again and drop 20kg on lifts which is in your head. Nothing can change really in a week unless you injured yourself. No muscle loss or real strength loss can happen that quickly. I'd recommend doing a deload (less volume and less weight) to let your body recover. Before you go hard on heavy lifts again build your strength up more slowly. For example, do a 5x5 for a month working up in weight, then a 5/3/1 rep scheme the following month. Then hit your 1rep maxes and I'm confident they will be more than before.

Going balls to the wall every workout is not optimal for strength gain have to periodize training and you will get much better results.

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This^
If your diet and sleep hasn't changed
Do a deload week. I've read a study where if you can identify that you are overreaching, and do a deload week, you should come back stronger than before the overreach
Make sure you do the deload proper. A lot of people lower the weight but increase the reps equalling the same volume. This is wrong, you want to cut volume in half.

Sent from my LG-LS993 using Tapatalk

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Fiskevatten

Thanks man, appreciate the answer! Will follow the advice above and see what I can make of it. Where should I stop on the fatigued level? I mean, even if I drop the weights, I can still hit several exercises and train more explosive to end up in fail anyway. Should I have 1 or 2 reps left in me or how does it work? I'm used to max out one way or another

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What I've been coached on for power lifting deload leading up to a comp was always a rep scheme of something similar to this:

Exercises: for whatever body part your training do 3-4 exercises with around 50% of your max or even less. Do 3 sets and only 4-5reps.

For example - a leg day would be squats 3 sets of 4 at 50% of your max (if you do not know your max pick a weight that you could do for 15 with a couple left in the tank). lunges for 3 sets of 5 and maybe some leg extensions or an accessory for 3 sets of 5 as well.

The whole point is that you are continuing to perform the movements you want to be strong on so your muscle memory stays, BUT and this is important, you are RECOVERING. This deload is not meant to push yourself. It will feel like you wasted your time in the gym but this is the point. The alternative is taking time off completely from the gym but then you need to relearn the movements and get the body used to them which a deload is meant to prevent.

Do this for 2 weeks and then start another program

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jackfrost88

What I've been coached on for power lifting deload leading up to a comp was always a rep scheme of something similar to this:

Exercises: for whatever body part your training do 3-4 exercises with around 50% of your max or even less. Do 3 sets and only 4-5reps.

For example - a leg day would be squats 3 sets of 4 at 50% of your max (if you do not know your max pick a weight that you could do for 15 with a couple left in the tank). lunges for 3 sets of 5 and maybe some leg extensions or an accessory for 3 sets of 5 as well.

The whole point is that you are continuing to perform the movements you want to be strong on so your muscle memory stays, BUT and this is important, you are RECOVERING. This deload is not meant to push yourself. It will feel like you wasted your time in the gym but this is the point. The alternative is taking time off completely from the gym but then you need to relearn the movements and get the body used to them which a deload is meant to prevent.

Do this for 2 weeks and then start another program

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Holy f*ck! That will be hard on my soul! Wouldn't even be considered a warm-up
How would you split that? I mean, since training wouldn't even feel like training, should I go 3-4-6 days with this?
I've never been away like that, not even when I've been sick^^

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Fiskevatten

Holy f*ck! That will be hard on my soul! Wouldn't even be considered a warm-up
How would you split that? I mean, since training wouldn't even feel like training, should I go 3-4-6 days with this?
I've never been away like that, not even when I've been sick^^

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Haha yeah I wouldn't even consider it a "real workout" but its the best move for the OP to combat over training and CNS fatigue. You can make a completely new deload if you want but personally, I just take the program I'm currently doing and drop the weight and reps down significantly. Even remove some of the accessory movements.

Way to look at it is - this is not a training block but a quasi rest period. At this stage the OP is at much higher risk of injury (especially if he tries to keep reaching the weight he used to when his body was ready for it). Additionally, the body will not want to grow as it is overtaxed.

This is a pretty well documented strategy with basically all athletes who are looking to peak for a competition incorporating it. Swimmers/oly lifters/sprinters/powerlifters/crossfit everything. Even if peaking is not the goal, deload can be used to recover.

Edit: I'm basically recommending what I believe to be the highest reward/lowest risk move at the stage your at (clearly overworked body and nervous system). The risk of an injury is high to sideline you for much longer than a deload. If you can check your ego when lifting, even when that big booty fit chick walks by, and take the intensity back I'm confident you'll benefit a LOT more from this than continuing to grind through the fatigue like you clearly want to do lol. Time and a place for tryharding and this is not one of them :)

Sleep/nutrition in my opinion
I've had days before where I couldn't move the bar at all and i know for a fact i've done that weight, than two weeks go by and i'm lifting 50-85lbs more than that time i got stuck... Time to deload if that happens, something isn't right
I've had it happen a few times before, i knew i could move this weight but for some reason it wouldn't work, tried a few times in the same day and bar would barely move..
Yes deadlift day, and i know for a fact i've moved that weight before
You need to deload/sleep/rest maybe?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jackfrost88

Haha yeah I wouldn't even consider it a "real workout" but its the best move for the OP to combat over training and CNS fatigue. You can make a completely new deload if you want but personally, I just take the program I'm currently doing and drop the weight and reps down significantly. Even remove some of the accessory movements.

Way to look at it is - this is not a training block but a quasi rest period. At this stage the OP is at much higher risk of injury (especially if he tries to keep reaching the weight he used to when his body was ready for it). Additionally, the body will not want to grow as it is overtaxed.

This is a pretty well documented strategy with basically all athletes who are looking to peak for a competition incorporating it. Swimmers/oly lifters/sprinters/powerlifters/crossfit everything. Even if peaking is not the goal, deload can be used to recover.

Edit: I'm basically recommending what I believe to be the highest reward/lowest risk move at the stage your at (clearly overworked body and nervous system). The risk of an injury is high to sideline you for much longer than a deload. If you can check your ego when lifting, even when that big booty fit chick walks by, and take the intensity back I'm confident you'll benefit a LOT more from this than continuing to grind through the fatigue like you clearly want to do lol. Time and a place for tryharding and this is not one of them :)

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Bless your heart young sir for your advice!
I went to the gym with the best intention to follow your rehab suggestion, but I ended up doing a killing shoulder set by Seth Feroce^^
It's damn hard getting up, driving all the way to the gym, meet the guys and then lift less than the kids there showing off their first pubes.
Will give it a new try tomorrow

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Fiskevatten

Bless your heart young sir for your advice!
I went to the gym with the best intention to follow your rehab suggestion, but I ended up doing a killing shoulder set by Seth Feroce^^
It's damn hard getting up, driving all the way to the gym, meet the guys and then lift less than the kids there showing off their first pubes.
Will give it a new try tomorrow

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Lmao. Give it a try for just a week - get the young kids with the 2 curly pubes out of your head lol. Ever notice the guys who ego lift and hit heavy weight every gym sesh keep looking the same?