Dont' Get Lazy - I'm paying for it now

[SteveL]

Over the past month with travel and some laziness thrown in I missed my squats and dead lifts for about four weeks. I managed to keep my press training going during this time with only a few missed days. Sunday I got in my first day back with light squats and deads. I'm 60 years old now and you don't want to miss training like this! Not only did I lose a lot of strength my glutes and hammies are so sore! Lesson learned train, train, and train.

[Charlie Davies]

Sometimes I get in a half-workout rather than a whole one.

I.e. Sunday I had a cold and did 3/4ths of my squat sets then stopped because I felt terrible.

Even that much is *way* better than skipping the whole session. And telling yourself that you can stop if it gets too awful, makes it easier to start the session when you don't feel up to it.

[Cheesepuff]

Yes this! Also get enough sleep for a change!!! (that is my bold bullet in "The first three questions")

[SteveL]

Sometimes I get in a half-workout rather than a whole one.

I.e. Sunday I had a cold and did 3/4ths of my squat sets then stopped because I felt terrible.

Even that much is *way* better than skipping the whole session. And telling yourself that you can stop if it gets too awful, makes it easier to start the session when you don't feel up to it.

Great point!

[Nockian]

Knowing how sore it's going to be is a good incentive not to take off more time than you need. However, sometimes things will come along which will stop us training and therefore we have to be mentally prepared for the detaining and soreness that will result once we get back in training.

I like the bit in barbell prescription which talks about the greatest athletic competition being age itself. That we are competing as athletes against the ravages of aging in just the same way as we once competed against other people. It's a fact that we aren't always going to win every race, that there will be set backs and injuries, but it's the fact that we bounce back if we can until we can't bounce back anymore.

[Charlie Davies]

The good news is that once you've built strength, it's very persistent.
You can take a few weeks off and come back with a surprisingly high percentage of your strength intact.

The bad news is that if you *use* all that retained strength in your first workout back, you get horrible soreness afterwards. Much more than a weak person starting out.

I've learned to do about 1/2 as much as I think I can on that first workout.

[David Clark]

Squats after my two year layoff made me unbelievably sore. It's a great incentive to not ever quit.

[Ian T]

I agree, I've not been lifting long but had the flu so nothing for about four weeks, first session back I was lucky enough to visit England's best SS coach Carl Raghavan for my first ever coaching session. Well two hours later life was fantastic he went through all the lifts setting me up for a rejuvenated and positive way forward, he was excellent.

Woke up the next day and boy did I wish I had not stopped for that four weeks, the stairs were the best bit, mind you I lifted more in that session than I ever had before in a controlled and safe way. Thank you Carl.

So baring plague and pestilence I never intend to take time off from lifting again.

Cheers

Ian

[Nockian]

Also ONLY so definitely must be BEST :-)
Im planning to see him at some point when funds permit.

[Ian T]

Really recommend you visit him, he is based in London so quite easy to get to and honestly you will have a great time and learn so much

Cheers

Ian