Hey,
I’m 44 years old and I’ve been lifting for almost a decade now. I’ve never really lifted any crazy amounts of weight but I was able to hold my own at a Power Lifting Comp in 2018. I suffer from GAD (Anxiety) and it caused me to experience several weeks of insomnia this past summer. I also work a stressful job and my diet needs improvement. I had to stop lifting during Covid because the gyms were closed. When I started back up again, I noticed that I wasn’t progressing like I used to. I decided to do your Low Back Rehab Template. I was on week 10 and noticed again that I was really struggling to increase the weights. This isn’t normal for me. Before my sleep issues, I was able to consistently get my strength numbers back up in a relatively short amount of time. I’m so fatigued lately that I’m not even motivated to lift even though I have a Squat stand, barbell and plates in my bsmnt apartment. I’m wondering if I should just stop entirely for a few months and relax. Or if I should keep lifting light weights for a while. Or should I try to push through? This is really frustrating and upsetting because I used to absolutely love lifting and now I find myself often dreading a session.
Hi there,
Sorry to hear about this. Unfortunately this is a bit too complex of an issue to provide a simple answer via the forum.
Lack of progress in the gym is often related to multiple factors including programming issues, as well as outside life issues/stressors, sleep, etc.
Fatigue in general is a symptom/experience that has a long list of potential causes and contributors, ranging from sleep/stress issues, depression/anxiety, and other medical issues like sleep apnea, anemia, thyroid issues, hypogonadism, and many others.
You could get some brief input via our form check service, which may provide some general technique and programming advice. Outside of this, getting further individualized advice would require a more formal consultation, whether with us or with your doctor.
Thanks for the reply. I understand it’s not diagnosable online. However, do you think I should keep lifting? And how do I get more formalized consultation from you guys?
I do not see a reason in your post that you would need to stop training, although you may need to adjust your programming approach, and/or your expectations for progress in the short term.
You can submit an email inquiry to info@barbellmedicine.com.