Oh how easy it is to lose it all

[a1t3r3g0]

Shit.

I messed up.

After I got back to school after Thanksgiving break (on 12/2), I only went to the gym one time. I got the flu over break and was still sick for a while, and was absolutley slammed with work with finals coming up.

I didn't even lift the free weights I've got in my room.
Didn't do one sit up or one push up.
Nothing. Until today.
Normally I could do 25 push ups in a row without having to stop. I could only do 6 this time. 6.

I was wondering how I could have stayed the same weight if I wasn't even running anymore, and I figured it out: I lost as much muscle as I gained in fat from not doing anything.

Sigh... makes the last several months feel meaningless. At least I got straight As, so that part was worth it. I guess I can always start over with working out, but I can't with my academics.

6 push ups. Bah! At least I don't have to listen to everyone complain that I've lost too much weight while I'm home for break.

[Plan9Senior]

Alterego, thank God (literally) for a little thing called muscle memory:

From an artical in a training manual I have:

Muscle memory is recognized when someone who has had substantial muscular mass and then lost it due to injury or layoffs from training, returns to training and regains the majority of the mass in a much shorter time than was initially required to develop it.

What could be happening is that the specific muscle proteins in the muscle were cannibalized by the body for energy production during non-use. The muscle, however, retains a higher than average number of nuclei that the previous exercise stress caused the body to create.

When presented with exercise and proper nutrients, new protein synthesis can occur at an accelerated rate.

Basically, those who have been exercising and slack off can get back what they had a lot quicker then somebody who was never there to begin with.

Keep training, you will be back to where you were in no time.

[a1t3r3g0]

That's fucking great news! I was struggling today at my parents home gym, maybe it won't take as long as I thought to get back into the swing of things.

[Rodney]

You haven't lost it all. You maybe lost a pound or two of muscle, maybe, and some conditioning. Pushups are more about endurance than strength. Endurance is easy to lose, but also easy to regain. Get back on your routine and you'll be back where you were in a month. Staying more physically active and going easy on the Christmas treats won't hurt, either.

I don't know what muscle memory is, exactly, but I do know that once you've gained strength or muscle (not always the same thing), it's a lot easier to get it back than it was to get it the first time. I remember once laying off from weight training for 6 months because of back problems, and I lost some weight, mainly muscle. But I got better and when my then-girlfriend decided to join a gym to get in shape, I decided to go back too. About a month later she throws a hissy because she looks basically the same but all of a sudden I had more size and muscle definition again and it's _not fair._

[SVT01Cobra]

Damn.

I would say, if you lost all that muscle then try and lose the fat too. I was 145 and I lost 30 pounds in a month, I lost a lot of fat and a little bit of muscle. Now I'm stronger than ever since gaining the muscle back.

[a1t3r3g0]

Well, I'm getting back on track. I'm not quite lifting where I was, but I can still run like before, so getting my waist back down shouldn't be a problem.

[rogue49]

You should be able to get it back in a fraction of the time.
Just keep it consistent...good for you for getting back in the saddle.
Half the battle is mental.