Earlier on in my lifting "career", I went a whole month with sub-optimal lifts; my strength died and I didn't know what to do. I had recently progressed, quite rapidly, training each muscle group 2x/week, from 80lb DB's for 8-10 reps on flat bench, to 100's. I was incredibly proud I was finally in the 100lb db club and thought I could keep progressing at a similar pace. Boy, was I wrong. Much to my disappointment, I only got up to 105's before my strength seemed to be zapped from me, and a month followed where I could only get 3-5 reps before burning out. I was devastated.
As NewAgeMayan astutely observed, there are myriad variables that could be affecting you. I will share what happened to me, and how I got over it, but obviously YMMV.
1. I had not de-loaded in close to a year. A "De-Load" is an incredibly important tool in any lifter's toolbox. It gives your body/muscles/CNS time to recover from intense, progressive-overload stimulation. You need to take a week or two (sometimes up to a month depending on how bad other stress factors in your life are), and train less frequently with lighter weights. I like to slow down to 1x/week per muscle group, and 50-60% 1rm. During this time I try to eat in a caloric surplus (at least 250cal+), and strive for an extra 1.5hrs of sleep per night. Sometimes it may even be necessary to take a week or two off from lifting entirely.
2. I had been stressed and not tracking my calories. Stress, even that which we don't perceive as something that should affect our training, can have seriuosly detrimental effects on CNS health and muscle fiber recruitment. Furthermore, it can murder an appetite. It turned out I was eating -500cals below where I should have been. These two together + over-reaching with no break resulted in a death sentence for my strength progression.
By taking time for a proper de-load, focusing on health (both physical and mental), getting extra sleep, and eating properly, I came back stronger than ever.
Taking an adaptogen wouldn't hurt either. At 42, a well-formulated test booster with a high-quality Tongkat Ali extract and Ashwagandha would probably do wonders for you in concert with the above suggestions. Not only will there be beneficial physiological effects, but a big part of your strength loss is also probably mental, and a good product like this can help you feel more confident, energized, alpha, etc. It certainly does for me and I'm 34.
In short, I'd recommend:
1. De-Load. Immediately.
2. Focus on de-stressing and getting more sleep
3. Track your calories STRICTLY and make sure you're getting enough cals and carbs for that matter.
4. If desired, grab a test-booster with potent adaptogens like Olympus Labs K1ng's Blood, which contains among other beneficial ingredients, 3 patented adaptogens: Eurygold Tongkat Ali, KSM-66 Ashwagandha, and PrimaVie Shilajit.
Be sure to answer these other poster's questions. Lots of good advice and inquiries in here so far. I can only say that, if you're like me, my prescribed solutions above will have you back to full-strength (or higher) in no-time.
Good luck!
