Anyone with experience lifting weights, help?

[super-shy-irish-guy]

So i have been lifting weights (dumbells and bodyweight excercises). for nearly 2 years now. In the last six months or so, i have started seeing god results with my arms. However in the last, say... wekk.. or two... I've been working out, same as always, except a few days after my arms are smaller? i take whey protein, and my diets not bad? I worked out yesterday evening, and woke up thismorning and , just like that my right arm is like a twig?

[Ghosty]

Kind of an extreme change what you describe, do you feel any pain?
What comes to my mind spontaneously is the principe of the training variation. After a few months your body gets used to your workout routine, and isn't that pushed by it anymore. Thats why Some people work out with microcycle programs and alter their workout splits&routines every 2/3 months. What could be that after 2 years your body just is used to a special type of exercise and the muscles not involved in it started to get weaker.

Another possibility could be that getting used to weights and stuff, with not enough "work" for your muscles you started to go in the direction of strength-stamina. Look at a marathon runner, they are like twigs, but surely will f*ck you up when it's about running. You need to give your muscles enough impulse to grow every time you hit the gym. Such that you're not able to wash your hair afterwards cuz you don't get your hands higher than your belly.

But those are small changes over time, if you lost centimetres over night, and it's asymmetrical, maybe go see a doctor.

[Neurath]

Ghosty is correct but i also want to add the other side spin to bolster what he's saying.

It sounds to me like you have built the fake pre-muscle up. That is the muscles swell with water and all the nutrients required to build the muslces. If you are doing high repetitions then this will build big fake muscles. Once the nutrients have strengthened the true muscle this fluid and the nutrients recede making the muscle region much smaller.

It is difficult to assist you right now because we need to understand your workout. Are you lifting 75% of your maximum liftable weight ratio for 3 to 8 reps in single sets until fatigue? Or are you running at a lower weight ratio and lifting until you are completely shattered. If you use option two then what i have described above will be what is happening. If you use option one then you should focus on Ghosty's input (There's no need for me to re-write it). If this trend continues and you start getting any pain or other symptoms go and see your doctor.

[Ghosty]

Thanks for the follow-up, completely missed that one. :)

[super-shy-irish-guy]

yeah I've been doing high reps to point of no return really, ill take this into account, thanks for the help lads

[Ghosty]

Read up on basics of weightlifting then. I guess what you want is muscle size. Google "Train for Hypertrophy" and read the theory behind it. You'll have to adjust the weight so that you keep your reps in the 6-10 range. Take 1min breaks (boosts growth hormones, but wears you out more than 2min breaks) and make 4 sets.