Have any of you ever had a really bad workout? (3 Viewers)

[Shoom]

You know I only started like 4 weeks ago and I was making good progress IMO, with the bench pressing, Monday I did 35 kilos comfortably and today I was ready to do 37.5, I got no idea why, but 30 kilos itself felt like a ton. I was so distracted and unfocused today, that probably played a factor, but I only did upright rows and bicep curls and went home.



DAMN IT!

 

[BreezerD]

You know I only started like 4 weeks ago and I was making good progress IMO, with the bench pressing, Monday I did 35 kilos comfortably and today I was ready to do 37.5, I got no idea why, but 30 kilos itself felt like a ton. I was so distracted and unfocused today, that probably played a factor, but I only did upright rows and bicep curls and went home.



DAMN IT!

Yup, it definitely happens. Don't worry about it. Eat up, rest up, come back next time and do your thing.

 

[quik.]

Everyone has crap days in the gym. Don't worry about it.

Sometimes you'll surprise yourself, and what started out as a crap workout where you felt horrible, will end up being an awesome day where you smash your lifts.

 

[gibbo153]

all true ^^^^^

its just natural. sometimes i just have a dud session where, for no obvious reason, i just don't seem to go as well/feel as good as usual.

sometimes you plateau out a bit and don't make as much progress in the same amount as time as you have been previously, but it picks up again just as quickly as it dropped. nothing to worry about really

 

[Tim035]

Don't sweat about it, just make sure you warm up sufficiently and are correctly fueled for your next session and you'll be sweet!

Kinda Hijacking thread here- this female exercise physiologist at my uni (she seems f*&ked in the head regardless) said that creatine should only be consumed by elite athletes under medical supervision, and even then only as a one off such as prior to a competition. She said guys who take it on a weekly basis to aid with their gym workouts are seriously damaging their kidneys. I was like lol wut!?!

 

[BreezerD]

Haha yes, the millions of gym rats with kidney problems are testament to creatine's immense detriment to healthy kidney function. Did you know that creatine makes you give birth to children with red hair?

 

[Shoom]

I said IMO. Im not insecure so I dont need to brag about how much I can press. I could easily have said I bench press 107.5kilos, but no need.

 

[loquasagacious]

@OP:

Everyone has bad days. Tiredness, stress or overtraining tend to be the leading causes. How frequently are you working your chest?

@Shane:

Slow day in the office?

 

[Shoom]

Every second day, so Mon, Wed, Fri.



Whats the best amount/type of food to have in the time leading to a workout?

 

[BreezerD]

Every second day, so Mon, Wed, Fri.



Whats the best amount/type of food to have in the time leading to a workout?

Type: Anything
Amount: All of it

Especially around workout times, macronutrient ratios aren't that important (though carbs and protein can be utilised by the body a lot better at these times). I wouldn't worry too much about WHAT you eat, simply that you ARE eating.

This advice applies to a skinny kid by the way, which I'm assuming you are.

Typically pre-workout I just drink milk or sometimes eat nuttella/pb sandwiches with bread as well, and then post-workout I like to have a good dinner-type meal. Lasagna, meat stir fry, curry etc are favourites.

 

[Oliver04]

Tim your barbell row is solid, I only just got up to 90 this week.

btw guys, I bought microplates.

 

[Omie Jay]

also, dont work out directly after eating, have at least an hour gap.

and oliver04, what are microplates?

 

[pman]

what you are experiencing is called the training effect. as hard as it may sound, the best thinn to do is keep working at the old rate even on these hard days, when you find yourself feeling as good as you did before, you need to up the loads. this means that your body actually improves instead of staying static!

just something i learnt from my cycling coach

 

[Tim035]

Tim your barbell row is solid, I only just got up to 90 this week.

btw guys, I bought microplates.

Cheers man, they are prob the one exercise where I question my form a bit though. The 4 - 5th reps aren't super controlled static lifts, I tend to break 90 degrees and pull upwards a bit quicker then I should.

Back in my gymnast days I could do iron cross on the rings, which requires a hell of a lot of lat strength (also only weighed 60kg back then though ).

Considering changing from incline bench to military press. Are the military presses in 5x5 standing, barbell behind the head?

 

[Oliver04]

also, dont work out directly after eating, have at least an hour gap.

and oliver04, what are microplates?

They're very small plates (1kg, 0.5kg, 0.25kg) which means that when you get more advanced and can't put 2.5kg on the bar every week you can go up in smaller increments and maintain constant progression. They're really expensive ($110 to get a full set in metric), so I rang samsfitness and arranged for them to sell me four 0.5kgs and some collars which weighed 300g (roughly 0.25kg), so now I can go up in 0.5kg increments.

 

[pman]

They're very small plates (1kg, 0.5kg, 0.25kg) which means that when you get more advanced and can't put 2.5kg on the bar every week you can go up in smaller increments and maintain constant progression. They're really expensive ($110 to get a full set in metric), so I rang samsfitness and arranged for them to sell me four 0.5kgs and some collars which weighed 300g (roughly 0.25kg), so now I can go up in 0.5kg increments.

um, 300g is exactly 0.3kg, thats the definition

 

[Oliver04]

Cheers man, they are prob the one exercise where I question my form a bit though. The 4 - 5th reps aren't super controlled static lifts, I tend to break 90 degrees and pull upwards a bit quicker then I should.

Don't worry too much about it, a bit of hip drive is fine. As long as you're not letting your knees get involved.

Considering changing from incline bench to military press. Are the military presses in 5x5 standing, barbell behind the head?

Military press (aka overhead press) is a far better exercise for the shoulders imo. You take a natural stance and move the bar from your collarbone directly above your head in line with your spine. No behind the neck, behind the neck anything is just asking for shoulder injuries.

If I could only do 5 exercises (which is all I do, lol) they'd be a squat, deadlift, bench, overhead press and either a row, pull up or powerclean.

 

[Oliver04]

um, 300g is exactly 0.3kg, thats the definition

yesss, but its the closest I could get to 0.25kg. I'm not a professional lifter and I won't notice a 100g difference.

 

[pman]

no, the fact you stated that its roughly that, you should have said it was the closest you could find!

 

[Oliver04]

no, the fact you stated that its roughly that, you should have said it was the closest you could find!

you knew what I meant, now you're being pedantic