[quote]BRINK429 wrote:
Blue collar: very good point, I mean I’ll never get to the point where I skip days.[/quote]
I don’t mean to imply that training partners are always necessary for success but when the morale gets low or you’re hurt it really helps to have a group to fall back on to get your head in it and to make you feel like you’re part of a group which relies in whatever capacity on you as a member and is better for your being in it. If you train solo you’re a lot more of a badass than I am but trying to find positive and driven local lifters might be just the thing to get the fire back in your belly. It also really helps to talk to an athlete who has had similar injury problems especially when it’s big enough to prevent you from squatting. A little time off has also done many guys a lot of good as well and lets them come back healthy and strong. It sounds like you still have some fire going for lifting you just need a nudge in a positive direction, whether that is finding a new environment or training partners or whatever you don’t sound like you’re wanting or willing to quit.
You can’t squat right now and that sucks, but if nothing else you can make your bench fucking awesome and frighten bros and impress bitches far and wide.
Get better man, the bar will still be there when you’re healthy enough to get under it and rape gravity.[/quote]
i do have a training partner that ive competed with twice already but its hard for us to lift together cause our schedules conflict. thanks for the positive words man
If you quit now the road back will seem impossible
Just train to maintain and then hit it hard again in a few weeks/months
I stoppeed - just went cold turkey. Everything collapsed. Lost 10kg of muscle - a muscle apocalypse in 3 weeks. Lost 1/3 of my strength across the board. How long does it take to get that 1/3 of your strength back - years in most cases.
[quote]ros1816 wrote:
If you quit now the road back will seem impossible
Just train to maintain and then hit it hard again in a few weeks/months
I stoppeed - just went cold turkey. Everything collapsed. Lost 10kg of muscle - a muscle apocalypse in 3 weeks. Lost 1/3 of my strength across the board. How long does it take to get that 1/3 of your strength back - years in most cases.[/quote]
I have a very hard time believing this. Even for an advanced lifter.
Find it hard to believe it would take a year+ to get your strength back? It might not take a year but it’s very bloody difficult to re-gain lost muscle and get strength back
Based on 4 months of no training and losing 10kg of muscle my lifts (intermediate level at best) went down to:
Bench 100kg down to 70kg
Deadlift 240kg down to 180kg
Squat 160kg down to 110kg
After 4 months of training on a poor diet (circumstances I wont go into)
Bench up to 85kg
Deadlift up to 200kg
Squat up to 145kg
I put the slow return of strength down to not getting the muscle back
I have recently started eating big again and the scale is being very stubborn after 2 weeks. I will keep trying but its not coming back easily
Take home message: never stop bloody training and eating. If life gets rough or you lose interest just maintain
[quote]ros1816 wrote:
If you quit now the road back will seem impossible
Just train to maintain and then hit it hard again in a few weeks/months
I stoppeed - just went cold turkey. Everything collapsed. Lost 10kg of muscle - a muscle apocalypse in 3 weeks. Lost 1/3 of my strength across the board. How long does it take to get that 1/3 of your strength back - years in most cases.[/quote]
I have a very hard time believing this. Even for an advanced lifter. [/quote]
Same here, unless you basically ate like shit for 3 weeks straight as in every meal was cookies and chocolate or something.
OP, maybe try a new routine. Maybe take a small deload again and come back to something new.
I had swine flu and stopped training and was probly only eating 1500-2000cals per day - I think I also had a CNS fatigue problem from training stupidly (maxing out far too frequently) - scale went from 128kg to 112kg in 3 weeks!
theres a couple things that help me. im in college, so being around idiots in the gym can do wonders.
I agree with the idea of a training partner, bc if anything you can still be held accountable.
Mental burnout can be caused by a lot, even small injuries and you just want to say fuck it. You need to find out what works for you to help, bc be it simple burnout or mild depression you need to learn what works for you to help out.
Some things to consider are accountability (training partner or public disclosure of your goals), personal-realistic-motivating goals, less stressful and enjoyable activities or something “more aggressive” like buying gym stuff then knowing you have to use that shit (this was a belt for me, a lot of dough for a college kid, i do not miss any squat, deadlift or pressing workouts now…). the latter may not be the wisest, but keep the idea behind all of these in mind. think about what clicks with your personality.
lastly, women work wonders. if your single or not, try to either look like the sexiest motherfucker or be the most BA person you know. im young and dumb so the hot tail in my gym helps like ammonia with my max effort stuff.
hope something helps. we all get in those groves, time to get out now. good luck
[quote]StormTheBeach wrote:
Like most things in life, this shit is 99% mental. Then .9% discipline, and .1% actual strength. You will go through periods like this.
Anyway, the moral of the story, I don’t even think motivation matters that much. I think discipline is key. Hope this helped. And always remember: How you feel is a lie.[/quote]
Amen!
If a lifter is going to rely on feeling motivated prior to each and every workout; they are going have a difficult time in the long run. Whenever I talk to lifters or see a thread like this I’m always confused. When did people get the idea that the way they feel about things makes a difference in how they should act. You train because it’s time to train, that’s what a lifter does. [/quote]
Besides what Storm and Blue have said, above^,which I agree with.
Have you double checked your diet?
A lot of issues can come up during heavy/prolonged training like depression or lowered testosterone which have similar symptoms “lack of interest.” I always increase my food intake when I don’t feel like kicking ass in the gym. Try supplementing your diet with a few vitamins and see if it makes a difference.
EFA - 4 grams/day
5 Hydroxytryptophan (5 HTP) - Increase the body’s production of serotonin
L-Tyrosine - Alleviates stress and boosts dopamine levels (50mg per pound of BW, take on empty stomach)
B 100 Complex - energy
Zinc - (50mg before bed)
Magnisium - 1 gram with zinc before bed
Vitamin C - 2-5 grams daily