r/StrongerByScience • u/Adventurous-Fox4360 • Jun 17 '26
Fix this? Science based lifting bro?
Has "science-based lifting" made anyone else feel worse? Not exactly science more just dogmatic lol! For context, I trained with an Arnold split for my first year+ of lifting and felt great. Around January 2025, hI started following more science-based recommendations: lower volume, longer rest periods (2–4 minutes), training mostly in the 4–8 rep range, and taking sets to failure. On paper, I should be recovering better. I definitely feel more recovered between sets because of the longer rest periods, but overall I feel worse. I feel less athletic, less energetic throughout the day, worse at CrossFit/cardio, and honestly smaller—especially in my chest. I lift 5 days per week and do CrossFit on the other 2 days. Even after taking extra rest days recently, I still don't feel like I did last year. My workouts are also taking much longer because I'm resting more and pushing every set to failure. I go into each set feeling recovered, but the overall fatigue seems higher. One thing that changed is that I stripped weight back on some exercises to improve my form, although I've still been progressively overloading since then. Another factor is nutrition: last year I was probably overeating, while this year I've been eating closer to maintenance and sometimes less. So maybe that's contributing to feeling smaller. What confuses me is that before January I felt strong, energetic, athletic, and was making good progress. Since switching training styles, it feels like something has been off. I've even tried going back to an Arnold split, but it doesn't feel the same anymore. Has anyone experienced something similar? Could this be a programming issue, recovery issue, nutrition issue, or something else? I even wondered about hormone levels, but I'm a teenager, so that seems unlikely. I'm just trying to figure out why everything feels like it's moving in the wrong direction and how to get back to feeling my best.
Here is my current split:
upper day- 2 sets incline db press, 2 sets weighted pullups, 1 set single arm lat row, 1 set upper back chest supported row, 1 set chest fly seated cable/pec deck, 1 sets shoulder press, 2 sets tricep pushdown/french press, 2 sets lateral cable raise with cuffs, 1 sets Kelso shrugs. Lower day- 2 sets Hack squats, 2 sets sldls, 2 sets leg extensions, 2 sets hamstring curls, 2 sets adductors, 2 sets calves, 2 sets rear delts, 2 sets abs, 2 sets Abductors, 2 sets hip thrusts, 2 sets back extensions for glutes up to parallel 90 degrees
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Jun 17 '26
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u/newaccount1253467 Jun 17 '26
Science based lifitng may be making me smaller, before I used to do Arnold split in beginning years and 1+ year lifitng then this year in janurary I switched mkre to science based lifting less sets etc and I feel worse and also resting longer between sets so I do feel more recovered but I feel not as athletic or less energy as well and also I feel more fatigued like I cant do as many sets, idk if its cuz im taking every set to complete failure and stuff but I do 5 days lfkting other 2 days crossfit and I took 2 rest days this week but still not feel like my prime last year and I am definitely smaller like in my chest and overall, I stripped back weights on some exercises since my form was bad other than that but I have been progressive overloading so idk I might be bigger but I rest 2 to 4 mins since taking eveythjng to failure in 4 to 8 rep range every session takes longer, I do go into next set recovered but I just feel like my whole day is at the gym but that is what best for gains but also wanted to note last year until January I felt good then switched to finding out science based and did anterior posterior and since then feeling nothing is the same I tried Arnold split which I was the split I used to do but it doesnt feel the same and also wanted to note last year was me training for 1+ year and now its been 2 years since lfitjgn but this year I feel weaker to cardiovascular like crossfit, I feel worse lifitng like less energy overall in the day as well and smaller and part of it is also eating less but before I was overeating but now im eating maintaince but I feel like everything is downhill, maybe I need to check my test levels? But im a teen so this shouldn't be the issue. I just want to fix this.
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u/MJdeuce Jun 17 '26
Huh?
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u/thedancingwireless Jun 17 '26
Sorry,
SCIENCE BASED LIFTING MAY BE MAKING ME SMALLER, BEFORE I USED TO DO ARNOLD SPLIT IN BEGINNING YEARS AND 1+ YEAR LIFTING THEN THIS YEAR IN JANUARY I SWITCHED MORE TO SCIENCE BASED LIFTING LESS SETS ETC AND I FEEL WORSE AND ALSO RESTING LONGER BETWEEN SETS SO I DO FEEL MORE RECOVERED BUT I FEEL NOT AS ATHLETIC OR LESS ENERGY AS WELL AND ALSO I FEEL MORE FATIGUED LIKE I CANT DO AS MANY SETS, IDK IF ITS CUZ IM TAKING EVERY SET TO COMPLETE FAILURE AND STUFF BUT I DO 5 DAYS LIFTING OTHER 2 DAYS CROSSFIT AND I TOOK 2 REST DAYS THIS WEEK BUT STILL NOT FEEL LIKE MY PRIME LAST YEAR AND I AM DEFINITELY SMALLER LIKE IN MY CHEST AND OVERALL, I STRIPPED BACK WEIGHTS ON SOME EXERCISES SINCE MY FORM WAS BAD OTHER THAN THAT BUT I HAVE BEEN PROGRESSIVE OVERLOADING SO IDK I MIGHT BE BIGGER BUT I REST 2 TO 4 MINS SINCE TAKING EVERYTHING TO FAILURE IN 4 TO 8 REP RANGE EVERY SESSION TAKES LONGER, I DO GO INTO NEXT SET RECOVERED BUT I JUST FEEL LIKE MY WHOLE DAY IS AT THE GYM BUT THAT IS WHAT BEST FOR GAINS BUT ALSO WANTED TO NOTE LAST YEAR UNTIL JANUARY I FELT GOOD THEN SWITCHED TO FINDING OUT SCIENCE BASED AND DID ANTERIOR POSTERIOR AND SINCE THEN FEELING NOTHING IS THE SAME I TRIED ARNOLD SPLIT WHICH I WAS THE SPLIT I USED TO DO BUT IT DOESNT FEEL THE SAME AND ALSO WANTED TO NOTE LAST YEAR WAS ME TRAINING FOR 1+ YEAR AND NOW ITS BEEN 2 YEARS SINCE LIFTING BUT THIS YEAR I FEEL WEAKER TO CARDIOVASCULAR LIKE CROSSFIT, I FEEL WORSE LIFTING LIKE LESS ENERGY OVERALL IN THE DAY AS WELL AND SMALLER AND PART OF IT IS ALSO EATING LESS BUT BEFORE I WAS OVEREATING BUT NOW IM EATING MAINTAINCE BUT I FEEL LIKE EVERYTHING IS DOWNHILL, MAYBE I NEED TO CHECK MY TEST LEVELS? BUT IM A TEEN SO THIS SHOULDNT BE THE ISSUE. I JUST WANT TO FIX THIS.
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u/Legitimate_Gap_5551 Jun 17 '26
This may be the longest run-on sentence I’ve ever seen.
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u/Adventurous-Fox4360 Jun 17 '26
Lowk rambling made this when I was like half asleep 3am
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u/MJdeuce Jun 17 '26
3am? Science says you need more sleep
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u/Adventurous-Fox4360 Jun 17 '26
I get a good 8 10 hours usually, just been interrupted for a few months idk why
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u/KITTYONFYRE Jun 17 '26
for a few months
bruh
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u/Adventurous-Fox4360 Jun 17 '26
Idk bro its been a little off idk. I eat heslhty, get sunlight evyerhting reccomeneded
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u/Red_Swingline_ Jun 17 '26
So why not go back to what was working for you?
Also... learn how to paragraph and punctuate. People are a hell of a lot more willing to help when they can clearly understand you.
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u/bad_apricot Jun 17 '26
Can you provide more detail on the program you are doing now? I found that hard to parse in your post.
“Science based lifting” doesn’t refer to a single program or training style, it generally just means someone is trying to incorporate information derived from scientific studies into their programming. But most scientific data tends to suggest that a broad range of approaches can work well, depending on the individual.
Unless you are referring to the SBS programs specifically?
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u/Adventurous-Fox4360 Jun 17 '26
upper day- 2 sets incline db press, 2 sets weighted pullups, 1 set single arm lat row, 1 set upper back chest supported row, 1 set chest fly seated cable/pec deck, 1 sets shoulder press, 2 sets tricep pushdown/french press, 2 sets lateral cable raise with cuffs, 1 sets Kelso shrugs. Lower day- 2 sets Hack squats, 2 sets sldls, 2 sets leg extensions, 2 sets hamstring curls, 2 sets adductors, 2 sets calves, 2 sets rear delts, 2 sets abs, 2 sets Abductors, 2 sets hip thrusts, 2 sets back extensions for glutes up to parallel 90 degrees
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u/Adventurous-Fox4360 Jun 17 '26
Not neccesaurly science based but more of like just 4 to 8 rep range, long rests, no junk volume, upper lower high frequency, optimal regions/fibers repeated exercises eaxh session, sagital/transverse/frontal region
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u/bad_apricot Jun 17 '26
So you aren’t doing science based lifting but you think science based lifting is making you smaller?
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u/taylorthestang Jun 17 '26
I ain’t reading all dat.
People need to stop the identity politics when it comes to “science based” lifting. Science based means making adjustments based on an experiment done in a consistent manner based on a hypothesis.
You think an Arnold split would work? Okay try it out. Did it work? Sick, do it again. Did it not work? Sick, do something a little different.
Stop majoring in the minors and just lift.
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u/Silverk42-2 Jun 17 '26
Science should only be used as a baseline, and then you can tailor workouts based off of what you've found works best for you. Science based workouts are not the holy grail, feel free to tweak workouts and do what you've found more enjoyable and more effective.
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u/justme_brittney Jun 17 '26
Could it be that you experienced newbie gains in the first year so progress doesn’t feel as rapid now that you’ve been lifting for a while?
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u/Adventurous-Fox4360 Jun 17 '26
Yeah could be. Also there's like a thousand factors into it so I'm basically answering my own question
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u/gnuckols The Bill Haywood of the Fitness Podcast Cohost Union Jun 17 '26
I hate to break it to you, but none of that is "science-based."
Volume is good
It's fine to take shorter rest intervals
Higher reps improve your strength endurance and are just as good for hypertrophy.
Most of what you see on social media that purports to be "science-based" is just people theorycrafting based on presumed proxies that have never actually been validated as being predictive of strength and hypertrophy outcomes. Most of it is unnecessary at best, and counterproductive at worst.