for the healthy gym-goers

i've been out of practice from the gym for almost a year now. I used to work out around 3 times a week, eat tonnes, and feel pretty healthy. After a spell of working late nights in a bar, i stopped working out, then moved house. For the past couple of months i've tried getting back in to it but i'll go in to my garage, spend about 20 minutes then have to finish; the odd things i find now are
1. i begin manically yawning, to the point i need to finish
2. i lose my appetite afterwards
3. i can do 20 reps easily, have 5 minutes rest, then only follow it up with another 5-8 reps

i've got no real idea what it can be, whether its working out in an unlit garage which could make me tired, that i'm just much more unfit than i used to be, or that smoking takes it toll more than i can imagine. I've already lost the weight i spent a year putting on which is a bit of a bugger. Anyone got any ideas what it could be?
Cheers

quality and not quantity-your gonna need to quit smoking 1st if you've not already,train when you feel most energetic,and supplement your diet with high protein shakes-i train most times at about 10 at night or the back of 7 when i finish a night shift-max for one hour then I'm done-you tried creatine?few peeps think its crap ,but i use it and notice a difference-recommend you try something like cyclone for starters and see how you go.The mind is the hardest thing to get into the training groove-sort that and then the body will follow-try going here for some ideas on your training-www.hardgainer.co.uk(sorry if its not allowed to put this up).

husky

Not an expert but it sounds like you need to work on cardio stuff for a bit first to get the endurance up, try going out jogging a few times a week first and then start hitting the weights. Cardio stuff has the benefit of reducing the craving for ciggies so you end up smoking a lot less naturally (never quite managed to quit them tho).

[Biker Biggles]

Probably worth having a basic medical check up before going too mad on the training front.Have you ever been checked for diabetes?

www.muscletalk.co.uk

Brilliant website, they can answer all your questions.

Get a good routine going, eating 6-8 times a day, 8hrs rest etc...

Oh protein shakes and creatine are a must if you want to pile on the pounds purely because without them you need to eat half a cow every day to get the required protein and creatine from meat.

well i'm not wanting to get in to training hard, just a few times a week like i used too. Just can't understand why i'm finding it so much harder. Does anyone else find it difficult to train at night?

what are your goals?

it sounds as if you are trying to much too soon.
lower the weight a bit & drop the the sets down to 10-12.
what exercises are you doing (or wanting to do)

[G]

I experience the same as you, i have been a member of the gym for a year and used to go 4 - 5 times a week, since getting the bike i havnt been for nearlly 3 weeks, and in just that 3 weeks i have put on half a stone and couldnt do half the stuff i normally could, you will have to build it up again slowly.

I gave up last night and seriouslly considered jacking it in and having £88 a month extra to put into the bike, but then siting in the car this morning i felt guilty beyond belief and poked myself in the gut....safely say iam going again tonight and not giving up.

just wanting to get back to my previous fitness, not wanting to be piling loads of weight on. I must need to get a bit of cardio going first, that probably explains why it makes me yawn so much!
But i've got a decent bench, dumbells, barbells and a fair range of weights. Not exactly a gym but that bench is ace!
i gather this is right up your street hovis?