After a month out of the gym (bah appendectomy) how much should I reduce my targets?

hatrickpatrick

I'm going back to lifting tomorrow after a month off (damn you appendix, you win this time) - how much should I reduce my targets by? How much muscle have I likely lost in this time?

Also, I was originally planning to try creatine for the first time literally the week after this happened, now that I'm set back by 4 weeks, should I wait to get properly back into it before I take creatine? I was always saving it for when I hit a plateau, which I was pretty much arriving at, but I imagine now that I've been pushed back a LOT by four weeks of no lifting at all...

One of those things, you know JUST when you feel like you're making progress, fate steps in and says "not so fast, you're not getting away that easy" :mad:

mrpink6789

After a 2 week hiatus I dropped by 10-15%, I found some lifts like Bench, Press fine and Squats very very difficult! I've only been lifting properly I feel for about 8 months though so maybe seasoned lifters and beginners are different?

Parsley

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

I'm going back to lifting tomorrow after a month off (damn you appendix, you win this time) - how much should I reduce my targets by? How much muscle have I likely lost in this time?

Also, I was originally planning to try creatine for the first time literally the week after this happened, now that I'm set back by 4 weeks, should I wait to get properly back into it before I take creatine? I was always saving it for when I hit a plateau, which I was pretty much arriving at, but I imagine now that I've been pushed back a LOT by four weeks of no lifting at all...

One of those things, you know JUST when you feel like you're making progress, fate steps in and says "not so fast, you're not getting away that easy" :mad:

feck estimating how much muscle/energy/leverage/blah blah you've lost!

my advice - horse in the creatine and GTFInto the gym and lift. doesn't matter where your numbers have dropped to, just lift hard. all you can do at this juncture brah.

hatrickpatrick

Parsley wrote: »

feck estimating how much muscle/energy/leverage/blah blah you've lost!

my advice - horse in the creatine and GTFInto the gym and lift. doesn't matter where your numbers have dropped to, just lift hard. all you can do at this juncture brah.

So you're saying I should start on the creo right away?
Only reason I'm hesitant is that I've heard it said you should wait until you really need it to maximize its effects?

Parsley

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

So you're saying I should start on the creo right away?
Only reason I'm hesitant is that I've heard it said you should wait until you really need it to maximize its effects?

not really. it's gonna do the same thing to your body chemically. it'll get you back on the horse quicker i think. I was sick just at the start of december, couldn't eat for 10 days and last a stone and a half bodyweight. went back nearly a year's worth of training strength-wise. i tore back into training 6 days a week, taking creatine and got back on the horse fairly lively. I'm now nearly back to the levels i was at before the illness, and I think creatine helped that along.

john_cappa

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

I'm going back to lifting tomorrow after a month off (damn you appendix, you win this time) - how much should I reduce my targets by? How much muscle have I likely lost in this time?

Also, I was originally planning to try creatine for the first time literally the week after this happened, now that I'm set back by 4 weeks, should I wait to get properly back into it before I take creatine? I was always saving it for when I hit a plateau, which I was pretty much arriving at, but I imagine now that I've been pushed back a LOT by four weeks of no lifting at all...

One of those things, you know JUST when you feel like you're making progress, fate steps in and says "not so fast, you're not getting away that easy" :mad:

In a month muscle/strength loss will be minimal to be honest unless you haven't been eating at all for the entire month.

If you have stitches be careful for a few weeks in my opinion (no idea how big your scar is?)

Take the creatine. There is no point holding off it. It does not need to be cycled or anything like that.

dartstothesea

Parsley wrote: »

not really. it's gonna do the same thing to your body chemically. it'll get you back on the horse quicker i think. I was sick just at the start of december, couldn't eat for 10 days and last a stone and a half bodyweight. went back nearly a year's worth of training strength-wise. i tore back into training 6 days a week, taking creatine and got back on the horse fairly lively. I'm now nearly back to the levels i was at before the illness, and I think creatine helped that along.

10 days lost you a year, damn. I would seriously want to kill myself. Well done clawing it back anyway. Do you think it's easier making the gains if you're coming from having previously been stronger?

hatrickpatrick

Fair enough, thanks for the advice!
And I suppose this question probably deserves its own thread, but when and how often to take it?

I've always thought of creatine very simply as a preworkout supplement, but since I've started looking into it I'm finding that while some agree with me, others say before and after, and still others say to take it even on non workout days, etc?

What is the best way to do it in your experience?
Of course I can't help feeling that when you read on supp company sites that you should shovel the stuff like there's no tomorrow, they have a slight vested interest in getting you to go through a tub quickly

mrpink6789

if you do a search this has been covered to death on these boards. everyone will have a different opinion.

i only started taking it about 2.5 months ago. i take 2 measurements on training days, 1 before and one sometime after and 1 measurement on non training days. every 4-5 weeks i go off it for a week.

working for me so ill stick to it. each to their own i suppose.