Going to be off for over a week - questions

[Chargerforlife]

So, I'm going to be off from training for the next 11 days (going out of town, no available training facility). I was wondering how those out there that have taken time off approach eating while recovering and how where do you start when you get back to the gym? My thought was to try to start back at my current levels when I return to the gym in 11 days and eat at maintenance level for my body weight (6"4", 250 lbs) while away from training. This is my first extended layoff from training and I am still a novice on SS making steady linear gains. I continued to set PRs this week in all the lifts but I have reset all of the lifts once. I am one of he elderly (48 years old). Your thoughts are appreciated!

[Patrick L.]

I would not attempt to start again at the pre-workout levels. I would back off a little bit and ramp through as if you had not stopped working out. Maybe start out with the weight you did 3 or 4 workouts before the last one. The last thing you want to do is stall prematurely...

[Skander]

I will second that - before I took a 2-week break, I squatted 290#x5 on a novice progression, as part of a series of 5# jumps. When I got back, I went straight to 265# (rather than the 295# that I would have done if I hadn't taken the break), but that still left me completely insanely sore for almost 5 days, to the point where standing up was quite painful - symptoms described almost exactly in PPST. I think if I had just gone up to say 200# just to get back into the groove, I would have had much less soreness and been better able to squat later that week.

[gzt]

I'd sort of go based on "feel" on the first workout back. You might regress at least a couple workouts. After that long off, you will not be able to come back in and squat what you did the last workout while on the novice progression.

[Kerpal]

I would go lighter and work back up to where you were over a few workouts. Whenever I take more than a week off, unless I do this, incredible soreness results. And I mean the type of soreness where I can barely make it up a flight of stairs.

[fnet]

I agree with gzt. I recently had some time off due to illness and vacation. My first couple sessions back involved ramping sets rather than sets across. This allowed me to gauge where I was and work on any technique issues. Hopefully, your trip is for pleasure rather than business. Use to rest your battered body and let any lingering ailments heal up.

[Chargerforlife]

Thanks everyone, this is really helpful. Fnet, my battered body does need a break and yep, this is a vacation rather than business. I will take it slow when I get back focusing on technique and finding a reasonable weight that won't kill me. Great feedback, thanks.

[Casey Dupre]

I agree with gzt. I recently had some time off due to illness and vacation. My first couple sessions back involved ramping sets rather than sets across. This allowed me to gauge where I was and work on any technique issues. Hopefully, your trip is for pleasure rather than business. Use to rest your battered body and let any lingering ailments heal up.

+1 for what it's worth.