Frustration!

[UseoForce]

OK, I was on vacation for a week. Ate OK and did pushups, sit ups, pull ups, squats, lunges etc. While certainly not a replacement for a gym, it was the best I could do.

My regular program uses the push-pull system. Instead of doing arms one day, back the next, etc, I group my exercises by movement. So I do chest, tricep, and certain shoulder muscles on Push days and Lats, biceps, traps, lumbar, etc on my pull days. On some of my workouts I focus more on core area muscles more (like chest and lats) and others I focus more on extremities (tri's and bi's). Anyway, that's just for clarification.

On Tuesday, I lifted at the gym for the first time since coming back from vacation. It was a "Pull" workout (Pull ups, rows, deadlifts, curls, etc.) My strength was pretty well maintained, and I even increased my max deadlift by 10 pounds. Cool.

Today, I did a "Push" workout (Various types of bench press, shoulder press, push ups, etc.) I had lost TONS of strength since last time I had a good gym workout. This is not the first time this has happened.

This is the core of my problem: I have trouble retaining my strength in many "pushing" exercises, especially the bench press. Why is this and how can I prevent it? It really frustrates me when I have to spend a week or two just getting back to where I was before vacation.

[Sohan]

You shouldn't have lost strength that quickly. Your muscles don't physiologically adapt that dramatically in just one week. There is likely another reason. Perhaps you overdid it on pushups, and overreached with your pushing muscles (as opposed to overtrained, which takes longer). You might also want to consider psychological issues, too, such as coming down emotionally after a vacation. This can affect your workout, but takes a couple days to manifest.

Next time, perhaps avoid any bodyweight pushing exercises on vacation, and see what happens when you get back. Change the variables, and see if the result is different. If so, that's your answer.

With respect,

Sohan

[UseoForce]

Thanks, I'll consider that.

[Aodhan]

Thanks, I'll consider that.

As a general rule of thumb, if you do absolutely nothing at all, it takes 3 days before you start losing fitness levels, then it progresses at a 2:1 ration. (Meaning you lose ~2 days of fitness for every day you're idle after 3)

So, if you take a 7 day vacation and sit around the whole time, when you get back it will take you 8 days (7 days minus 3 days grace = 4 days at 2 for 1) to get back to your original level of fitness.

But, since you did workouts, you shouldn't have dropped anywhere near as dramatically, as Sohan pointed out.

Aodhan

[AnonymousOne]

Sometimes you just flat run out of energy, strength and endurance.

To me when I am weak I know I am on track.

As Funakoshi said "You must become weak, not strong"

I remember when I was living in Japan in the early 80's I got so frustrated with myself I had tears in my eyes after training.

One Sensei noticed it and said "You extra sweat today"

I laugh about it now, but didnt then LOL

[RicksonFan]

You've just been out of the gym, it's unavoidable. Muscles are weird in that their dynamic strength doesn't change as much as their gym strength. Pushing big weight is weird. You'll be back to normal in no time.