Embarassing...

[BiggerStronger]

So I've been back at the gym for about 2 1/2 weeks now and have been mainly using machines, but decided to hit incline bench press today and realized that I could barely hit 135lbs for 10 reps on my 3rd set. Holy crap, this is embarassing for me. I remember just a couple years back hitting 275 for 6-8 reps on a regular basis. How does everyone get through this period? It makes me want to run a cycle.

 

[landonm5]

so do another cycle LOL na really tho bro you know muscle has memory and it will come back soon, just keep training hard and push urself

 

[BiggerStronger]

Yeah, its just rough on the mind/ego. lol. I guess I should expect this after being lazy for two years, but its still a hard pill to swallow.

 

[Metal85]

yup u push thru it bro thats how I get thru it, it sucks, but I was going after my right arm surgery with my eyes watering up from lifting a 5 pound db with my right arm, fuck everyone its for you not viewers, not yet anyways lol

 

[Get_Swole]

im there right now too bro, i feel so damn weak its unreal, just back for the first 3 weeks as well. It feels so good though i cant wait to start getting the strength gains back.

 

[dorian123]

TEST PROP!!!!!

No just kidding bro, the first 2 weeks after a lay off always suck but the strength comes back very quick

I took over 1.5 months off after my surgery and my lifts totally sucked, after 3 weeks they weren't completely back but they were close-this was on a cruise cycle (only 250mg/week of test)

 

[Get_Swole]

TEST PROP!!!!!

No just kidding bro, the first 2 weeks after a lay off always suck but the strength comes back very quick

I took over 1.5 months off after my surgery and my lifts totally sucked, after 3 weeks they weren't completely back but they were close-this was on a cruise cycle (only 250mg/week of test)

that makes me feel better, i cant wait to get the strength up i feel like such a pansy lol. Im alwo running 250 a week right now.

 

[normalsucks2]

this is exactly what i was complaining about 4 weeks ago. It was the first time in like 10 years i went off for an extended period of time. Then i took off about 6 months from the gym. Getting it back is not easy. But for the first time... motivation is a factor to. Just really hard to get my ass back into the gym now.

 

[Metal85]

I feel like the first 3 weeks usually are bad than after that it all turns around

 

[BiggerStronger]

Yeah, motivation is a factor for me too. I'm in the gym consistently but I find it hard to focus 100%. I feel like I'm just going through the motions right now.

 

[big in vegas]

Man, after I came back from my broken arm, I couldn't bench 95# for 10 reps and couldn't do more than 15# dumbbell flyes. I broke my humerus and started lifting again while I still had the brace (didn't get a cast) on, but still, it was very humbling. The strength comes back, there's plenty of muscle memory retained so it'll come back quicker than you'd expect

 

[normalsucks2]

what mainly bothered me when i first came back was how fatigued i was after 10 reps. I saw a potential for injury, so i focused on light first. Started out at a weight that i could get 20 reps, 1 minute rest in between x 5 sets. I fell apart after 2 sets. But stuck it out for 5 sets. After a few weeks i noticed that i could get more clean reps, for more sets. Now im at about 10 sets using the same weight as before.

I've added a heavy day. I still cant lift nearly the same. But i go for >10 reps with a 3 minute rest. 3 seems like a lot now, so im considering cutting that down to 2 minutes. Love the long pauses though.....

 

[Get_Swole]

Yeah I get worn out quick too. Seems like before on the my third set of db presses id still be going up in weight now its like shit i need to go down 10 pounds to get the 12 reps lol. It will come back, just gotta be patient again thats the hard part.

 

[BiggerStronger]

Yep, I right there with you guys. Very fatigued on my last sets, sometimes having to drop some weight to finish out. I shouldn't be at failure lifting the weight that I am. lol. I worry that I am not getting a good workout (even though I'm lifting to failure) just because of the numbers I'm putting up. It might be faulty logic. haha.

 

[The Dude]

Coming back from my knee / quad injury was horrible in everyway. I didn't have the neural connections, I had to relearn my form, had a couple of injuries due to the nerve damage, but just about 2 months ago (1 year and 4 months later) I got it all back and I'm back up to slowly progressing. My legs are bigger now than they were before though?? I always try to remind myself that your muscles have no idea what's on the bar.

 

[irish2003]

i remember reading an article years ago when gaspari was just coming back after his torn pec or shoulder or something and how humbling it was for him to start out with only 20lb db's for flyes.....

 

[Presser]

So I've been back at the gym for about 2 1/2 weeks now and have been mainly using machines, but decided to hit incline bench press today and realized that I could barely hit 135lbs for 10 reps on my 3rd set. Holy crap, this is embarassing for me. I remember just a couple years back hitting 275 for 6-8 reps on a regular basis. How does everyone get through this period? It makes me want to run a cycle.

Im the same exact situation brutha, been out of gym for a few months and havent taken any gear or anything remotely close. I struggled so bad my first day back which was last Monday, and today will be my 2nd workout a full week later cause i was so sore for a week i could barely move,lol

So if u find out the secret to bouncing back fast lemme kknow, cause im all ears,lol

 

[BiggerStronger]

lol...wish I knew. I feel much better today. I trained legs and was able to put up half-decent numbers without killing myself. I'm still keeping the weight low for now. 180lb leg extensions - 500lb leg press. 500lb calf extensions 15 reps down to 12 reps. My lower body seems stronger than my upper body at this point, but I'll keep it going for awhile to see what happens. It would be nice to run a cycle but I'll probably stay clean for the time being. Maybe start collecting stuff for down the road.

It seems after the first 3 weeks it gets easier and strength starts to return. I'm sure you'll get back there soon...just don't over do it.

 

[big in vegas]

Those are some legit numbers since you haven't really been training that long. MY legs always did seem to maintain a lot more strength than my upper body too, but it could be that we still use them if we injury some part of the upper body

 

[normalsucks2]

coming back is still hard. Im changing my routine from a 3 day split, to one large body part, or 2 small, every day. I think it will help with focusing if im in the gym more.