I’m starting this log in hopes of motivating me to persist through a sudden and significant decline in strength. One month ago I hit 180lb back squat for 4 reps @ RPE 10. It has been declining ever since. Yesterday I failed on 145lb back squat and was saved by the safety bars. I’m hoping that is the low point and I can begin building back up. . .
Stats -
32 y/o
5’10"
170lbs (up from 160 four months ago).
13" arms cold flexed, 33" waist
Started lifting about four months ago. Initially a starting strength variation. After two months I got my deadlift up to around 225x5 and squat to 165x5. I then switched to the barbell medicine beginner template, but since i’d been lifting for two months I started on phase 2. I really enjoyed the exercise variety and around the end of the first month was feeling good. I then sort of hit a two week period where my deadlift seemed to stick around 250lb and my back squat around 175. I pushed to get 180 (mistake), and it left me so burnt-out feeling that I figured that I should just restart the beginner program form the beginning (phase 1).
Week 1 my back squat was around 160x4 @ 9. Week 2 it was 145x4 @ 8.I was just starting my third week of phase one, when I failed my second RPE 8 set of back squats on the second rep at just 145lbs. . . I started to ascend out of the hole, got loose/buckled, and collapsed down and back.
Ugh.
My bench and deadlift have seen more of a stall/slight decline in strength but nothing so drastic as with the back squat.
Deadlift is down to around 225x4 @ 8
Bench is steady about 130x8 @8
I’m going to redo things tomorrow morning and see how they go. I will set up a youtube so I can post form video.
I cannot place why the drop in strength, except maybe tweaking something when I did the 180lbs. I do seem to have some nagging back pain that started up around that time. My sleep has been poor, but much, much better than the first three months I was lifting.
Will keep on keeping on.