Getting Back Into It After a Layoff

[MidniteRambo]

After some personal setbacks, I had about a six week layoff where I did virtually no training, drank, ate what I wanted, just in a total depressive funk.  At 39, I lost muscle at a very quick rate, bodyfat started creeping up etc. 

Now I'm trying to pick up the pieces, starting a new job with a gym at the ground level of the building (which my new law firm pays for).

A couple questions:

If I pick up my old training routine and start eating right, how many weeks am I looking at to offset the six week layoff? 

Any experiences out there with coming back after a layoff, getting motivated again, etc?

[Montague]

M-R,
Welcome back!
I’m glad to see you posting again.

I, too, recently had a few setbacks in the form of moderate injury followed by a four day stint in the hospital topped off with another moderate to severe (but brief) injury that were all nice enough to occur in a sequential chain.

I estimate my total time off to be about a month and a half. There were a few isolated workouts that occurred sporadically during that time, but there was “0” consistency in the diet & exercise dept.

It’s been about six weeks now, and I finally feel like I’m back to about where I was.
I’m not sure how long it would take you, as that’s such an individual thing with so many variables.

As for motivation…
I had quite a few ideas I wanted to try before all of this other “stuff” happened.
In the four days I laid in that hospital bed, I watched no TV, or anything.
I just kept brooding in my overheated little head about how I was going to train, eat, and live when I got out of there – that was in between the frequent visits from dr’s and specialists stopping in to talk to me about how a very complicated surgery was likely in my very near future.

The day the doc finally declared no surgery was necessary and released me, I was so f*cking ecstatic that I immediately stocked up on eggs, milk, and ground meat, and was back in the gym two days later.

The time off combined with an entirely new (to me) training protocol has given me terrific AND NOTICEABLE results that I can see quite clearly every week. Seeing real results has always pushed me even harder because I know there’s a payoff.

Think of this as a six-week break.
Your body is rested and healed, and your head is refreshed.
The stagnation and plateaus are gone, and you are ready to progress even beyond where you were.
Use the last six weeks to fuel a greater intensity within you.

It’s your game again.
This is your chance to tell those last six weeks to FUCK OFF!!!

[240 is Back]

Full body workouts for a week or two.

lots of walking on treadmill - don't give yourself a heart attack if your vessels aren't open yet.

[MidniteRambo]

Thanks guys, it's time to get back into it and do it even better than before!

[d0nny2600]

Thanks guys, it's time to get back into it and do it even better than before!

Here is what I would recommend for someone getting back into it.

5 days in the gym-
Monday:
Whole Body
Chest
Flat Bench press - 3 sets of 10 reps
Incline Dumbell Flys - 3 sets of 10 reps

Back
Lat Pulldown - 3 sets of 10 reps
1 arm Dumbell Rows - 3 sets of 10 reps

Shoulders
Seated Dumbell Shoulder Press - 3 sets of 10 reps
Lat Raises - 3 sets of 8 reps

Biceps
Alternating Dumbell curls - 2 sets of 8-10 reps

Triceps
Cable pushdown - 2 sets of 10 reps

Quads
Squats - 2 sets of 15 reps

Calves
Calf raises - 3 sets of 10 reps


Tuesday:
30 mins low intensity cardio
Wednesday:
As Per Monday
Thursday:
30 mins low intensity cardio
Friday:
As Per Monday

Use low weight, about 50% or your 1rm

Perform 10 mins of cardio to warm up before each weight training session.

After 2-4 weeks you will have cleared out the cobwebs and will be ready for something more taxing!

Remember diet is the key to success!

[MidniteRambo]

Very detailed response.  Thanks...

[d0nny2600]

Detailed - yes..but does it help?

[PANDAEMONIUM]

If I pick up my old training routine and start eating right, how many weeks am I looking at to offset the six week layoff? 

Depends on how long you were working out before the layoff.  Muscle memory is a great thing.  When you start back after a long layoff, it can be discouraging, because you know where you've been and so you know how long the road ahead might be.  A six week layoff actually isn't too much time, so it shouldn't take more than 5-7 weeks max (probably sooner) to get back to where you were.

[Montague]

Update?

[Rampage]

Here is what I would recommend for someone getting back into it.

5 days in the gym-
Monday:
Whole Body
Chest
Flat Bench press - 3 sets of 10 reps
Incline Dumbell Flys - 3 sets of 10 reps

Back
Lat Pulldown - 3 sets of 10 reps
1 arm Dumbell Rows - 3 sets of 10 reps

Shoulders
Seated Dumbell Shoulder Press - 3 sets of 10 reps
Lat Raises - 3 sets of 8 reps

Biceps
Alternating Dumbell curls - 2 sets of 8-10 reps

Triceps
Cable pushdown - 2 sets of 10 reps

Quads
Squats - 2 sets of 15 reps

Calves
Calf raises - 3 sets of 10 reps


Tuesday:
30 mins low intensity cardio
Wednesday:
As Per Monday
Thursday:
30 mins low intensity cardio
Friday:
As Per Monday

Use low weight, about 50% or your 1rm

Perform 10 mins of cardio to warm up before each weight training session.

After 2-4 weeks you will have cleared out the cobwebs and will be ready for something more taxing!

Remember diet is the key to success!

could someone verify this ? thanks btw

[Alex23]

Not sure about the whole body in one session thingy... having came back from many layoffs, here's my approach to kickoff muscle memory as soon as possible;

push-pull split, relatively high reps and minimum compound movements if at all; here's the theory behind it:

Muscle volumization: the first couple of weeks, the "loss" in size is mainly due to cellular fluid/nutrients loss, the first effect of "use it or lose it", mainly caused by a recent cut in blood flow and often accelerated by a cutback in calories/quality. This is easily reestablished with higher reps; ever hear of "high reps for maintenance"? Same concept.

Avoid Compound movements the 1st-2nd cycles: When weakness starts settling in, the "stabilizer" muscles usually get hit first. Why? You don't need to bench or squat in your day to day life.

Push-pull approach: remember, it's all about blood flow and hormone "reactivation" and give the body time to comeback. Wouldn't make sense to do chest on one day, dig into shoulder fibers and then dig again 2 days later. Therefore:

Chest-shoulders-triceps-abs
Quads-hams-calves
Back-traps-biceps-abs
off

This routine also helps keeping your ass in check and avoid going too heavy.

[_bruce_]

Good luck Rambo.
Your body will soak up the work and good food like a sponge - think positive and you'll look better than before in no time.

[mar10s]

Hey Rambo...great job of getting motivated to get back in the game!  (That's a start...just to WANT to get back into it).

I had emergency surgery in May to get my apendix taken out.  I was told not to touch weights for 4 weeks.  The two weeks after that or so I was lazy from the prior weeks of doing nothing.  I lost my appetite and felt like I lost some size.  All it took for me was a friend to notice that I looked smaller.  I am now just about where I was just before that surgery.  It was almost like starting over with a clean slate.  Take your time, with a fresh mind and a newly found drive and you'll be right back where  you were (or even further ahead) I'd say within 4 weeks.  Just eat right, rest, train hard...you know the basics.  Just keep a positive frame of mind, surround yourself with positive things and it will all come together.  Good luck to you.

[MidniteRambo]

Hey Rambo...great job of getting motivated to get back in the game!  (That's a start...just to WANT to get back into it).

I had emergency surgery in May to get my apendix taken out.  I was told not to touch weights for 4 weeks.  The two weeks after that or so I was lazy from the prior weeks of doing nothing.  I lost my appetite and felt like I lost some size.  All it took for me was a friend to notice that I looked smaller.  I am now just about where I was just before that surgery.  It was almost like starting over with a clean slate.  Take your time, with a fresh mind and a newly found drive and you'll be right back where  you were (or even further ahead) I'd say within 4 weeks.  Just eat right, rest, train hard...you know the basics.  Just keep a positive frame of mind, surround yourself with positive things and it will all come together.  Good luck to you.

Good luck to you as well.  I'm back today from a little r and r in  South America for two weeks, tanned, rested and ready to kick some ass.

[Has Beens]

Not sure about the whole body in one session thingy... having came back from many layoffs, here's my approach to kickoff muscle memory as soon as possible;

push-pull split, relatively high reps and minimum compound movements if at all; here's the theory behind it:

Muscle volumization: the first couple of weeks, the "loss" in size is mainly due to cellular fluid/nutrients loss, the first effect of "use it or lose it", mainly caused by a recent cut in blood flow and often accelerated by a cutback in calories/quality. This is easily reestablished with higher reps; ever hear of "high reps for maintenance"? Same concept.

Avoid Compound movements the 1st-2nd cycles: When weakness starts settling in, the "stabilizer" muscles usually get hit first. Why? You don't need to bench or squat in your day to day life.

Push-pull approach: remember, it's all about blood flow and hormone "reactivation" and give the body time to comeback. Wouldn't make sense to do chest on one day, dig into shoulder fibers and then dig again 2 days later. Therefore:

Chest-shoulders-triceps-abs
Quads-hams-calves
Back-traps-biceps-abs
off

This routine also helps keeping your ass in check and avoid going too heavy.

Great advice, pretty much spot on to my approach when coming back.

[gymrat01]

sometimes it is tough too keep going with a bunch of bullshit going on, i know how you feel. When i took about a week off i started feeling like shit. As for you question, i read in a magazine that muscle starts going down as soon as 72 hours off of lifting.  I dont know about that though b/c in 3 days im just now finished recovering sometimes.  After  alayoff it doesnt take too long to get back in the groove of things. Good luck to you, and good thread by the way.