In this post we discuss why you sometimes feel stronger one day and weaker the next when you go to the gym.
If you’ve been strength training (resistance training) for a period of time it’s likely you’ve experienced large differences in what you can achieve one day compared to the next.
This can be disheartening, especially if you feel like you’re going backwards rather than forwards.
The first thing to say is this is completely normal. Progress in strength training varies between individuals but is rarely linear.
That said let’s look at some possible causes of these fluctuations.
Nutrition
This is a big one, especially if you’re trying to restrict either calories or carbohydrates for fat loss goals.
Here’s the problem, you won’t be able to train with intensity unless you’re eating sufficient carbohydrates. Your body will recognise the deficit and reduce your ability to perform in order to conserve energy.
In the long term this will impede your progress in the gym and will likely torpedo your fat loss goals.
Try eating a carbohydrate rich meal 1-2 hours before training and see if that helps.
Sufficient levels of protein are also required to aid recovery and muscle repair between sessions. If you struggle to recover from training sessions check your protein intake and make sure you’re receiving between 1.2 – 1.7g of protein per kg of body weight per day.
Sleep
Whilst there’s plenty of research on the short term effects of sleep restriction and deprivation, there’s little on the long term impact. Perhaps this isn’t surprising, who would volunteer for that study?
If you’re a new parent, guess what? You volunteered!
The good news is that a bad night’s sleep here and there has only a modest impact on training performance. Nothing that a strong coffee won’t remedy.
It’s worth noting however that scheduling your workout earlier rather than later in the day will help to offset some of these deficits. The longer you’re awake the more impactful that bad night’s sleep becomes.
Time between training sessions
The standard advice here is to allow at least 48 hours between training sessions. This is subject to considerable individual differences however.
If you’re new to strength training, or fortunate enough to have made it to your 60s, 70s or 80s, you may require longer. Some studies have suggested older populations may require up to 72 hours to fully recover from exhaustive training sessions.
The best gauge is how you feel. If your muscles still feel tired during a training session then space your sessions further apart.
Exercise selection
The exercises you choose to perform during each training session is intimately related to the time you should allow between sessions.
If you’re just starting out you will likely be performing the same set of exercises each time you visit the gym. Here your only concern is the order in which you perform the exercises on any given day.
Obviously if you were to jump on a leg press directly after exhausting your thigh muscles on a leg extension machine, you would notice a drop off in performance on the second exercise.
Interestingly I see this more often in home based rehab programmes where the lack of equipment leads to exercise choices that work similar muscles repeatedly, despite having different names.
More advanced trainees may be working with two or more programmes. Here the challenge is to ensure the muscles involved receive adequate recovery time between sessions.
This can get complicated and requires a working knowledge of both anatomy and exercise mechanics to fully grasp. Again how you feel is a good gauge as to whether you should change things up.
Time of day
There is some evidence to suggest the time of day you train may have an influence on performance. Body temperature typically peaks in the late afternoon and early evening. Studies show this leads to higher power output and hand grip strength scores when compared to testing in the morning.
Ultimately this doesn’t seem to influence long term results however. A recent review of the subject found no difference in outcomes from training at different times.
Ideal training times may still vary from person to person and are dependent on your individual circumstances. Experiment if your schedule allows and see what suits you best. The fact you’re actually training is far more important than the time of day you choose to do it however.
Life circumstances
Finally no training session exists in a vacuum. Inevitably it’s influenced by what’s going on in the rest of your life.
If for example you’re experiencing a particularly stressful period at work, you can expect a reduction in your ability to perform in the gym.
Think of your overall energy availability as a pie. If psychological stress usually takes up 5% of the pie but at the moment it’s at 25%, that leaves less available for other tasks.
That doesn’t mean you should stop training. Far from it. Exercise can help you cope with these situations.
What it does mean however is you shouldn’t be focusing on your results at this moment. Focus instead on maintaining an exercise habit.
Summary
It’s perfectly normal to feel stronger one day and weaker the next when you train.
Experiment with some of the suggestions above but most of all don’t get hung up on these aberrations.
Do what you can on that given day and focus instead on the process rather than your performance.
Results will come if you just keep showing up.