ive had a cold for 2 weeks and havent touched weights

i can notice a difference in my size (loss)...

this sux.

ive been trying to keep my eating habits up but it proves harder than usual when you dont have ANY appetite...

what can i do to get back to my old size (bigger) as quickly as possible (without doing the obvious) ??

also - the notion of muscle memory .. i read that if you stop doing weights for 2-3 weeks then your muscle looses its memory - which means your basically starting again and the previous month or so of weight training is VOID...

true/false?

thanks

You lose it faster than you gain it, but that makes having it so much more sweater. If it was easy to be big strong and healthy working out wouldnt be as rewarding.

However!!! 2-3 weeks probably wont hurt much.

I wouldn't worry too much. I recently had two weeks off due to various things, including about a week and a half of gastro. I lost a few kilograms because of the gastro, but that is mostly water. Within a week of training I was back to my old strength, and I started making gains again.

Everyone gets sick, just make sure you always exercise when you are well.

As I understand muscle memory, is in reverse and I am living proof. becos of my chronic asthma condition I have spent weeks not working out becos I have just not long come out of hospital each time.
I lost some size, but mainly due to not keeping the muscle continuiously pumped with blood.
After about 3-4 weeks the muscle does shrink but it does NOT go back to the beginning. In fact it will only take you possibly 2 weeks at the most to get back all the size you had, plus the bonus rest and recovery period with actually increase the your origanial mass noticably within 4 weeks of getting back into it.
You see by lifting you tear apart muscle by way of the muscle fibres. Wen you rest and take in good amounts of protein (the building block for new muscle tissue) your muscle then heals by creating a new layer over the damaged area. this cannot be reversed, unless you dont use the muscle at all for months and months.

So stop freaking out and take your rest.

Yeah, just rest up. Health is more important than a little muscle loss which you will get back in no time.

This rest may even be beneficial. Sure you'll lose size with the break, but you'll be fully repaired and ready to build again afterward. I had about 6 weeks off due to medical reasons, I lost a couple kgs, gained it back within a month. Since then (5 months ago) I've gained another 2-3kgs.

It's not the end of the world, just don't let the break be permanent.

You may also find that after a week of not working out your body completely looses its pump, and the muscles are no longer inflammed due to the damage and stress placed on them.

I personally find you feel and can look smaller. Have you actually lost weight?

Also what you may be feeling is that your muscles are more relaxed and in a more recovered state.

It may take a week to get back to your previous weight you were pushing, but ultimately a good week or two rest is a great way of improving strength. Once you get your energy back you will be surprised i recon,.....but may hurt more afterwards.

I got sick a few weeks ago, couldn't shake it, after a week off, I got back into weights, since then, big improvements. I thought working out was supposed to make you more susceptible to sickness, not help fight it off.

apiewithhoboliftingaroma said:

I got sick a few weeks ago, couldn't shake it, after a week off, I got back into weights, since then, big improvements. I thought working out was supposed to make you more susceptible to sickness, not help fight it off.

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And how exactly is working out supposed to make you more susceptible to sickness.
.........................................................................................................................................yeah.

poopoohead said:

And how exactly is working out supposed to make you more susceptible to sickness.
.........................................................................................................................................yeah.

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Strenuous exercise puts a big strain on the immune system. Bodybuilders can be a lot more susceptable to becoming sick than the average person who doesn't workout. (Having said that people who lift weights are generally more healthy as far as nutrition goes so this can help them). Search on google and have a read about maintaining a strong immune system while lifting (I would post link but don't have enough posts yet).

As to why apiewithhoboliftingaroma started feeling better after going to the gym I can only suggest that his body was close to becoming better by the time he went back to the gym.

I have found im less likely to be sick when im lifting consistantly however it does make sense that the immune system is weakened, it just doesnt happen to me as far as I can tell.

I used to get sick while lifting last year every couple of months, really put my gains back getting sick so much. It was because of diet and over training. Once I got a good diet, with plenty of wheat grass every day, and changed to doing split work outs during the week, I've gotten sick once, for 1 day.