How should I get back into lifting?

[dullard]

I have been working out regularly ever since that ATOT contest started last summer. But at the end of February, I stopped lifting do to some major events in my life. I took a vacation to Italy with my girlfriend and we got engaged there. I kept planning to do some exercises while on the vacation, but it never happened.

Sure, I walked a lot and climbed thousands of stairs, but my muscles atrophied. I lost 10 lbs (152 -> 142 lbs) due to travel stress, lack of protein, and lack of exercise. I lost that weight even though I stuffed myself with as much of the tasty Italian food as I could. Losing 10 lbs in 3 weeks probably isn't healthy.

So, after 3 weeks when I returned and got over the jet lag, I tried lifting again. I figured I'd do the same weights that I ended with, but do ~80% of the reps. It was a real strain, but I nearly made it. Until I got to the last exercise. Halfway through, I got dizzy, and toxic stuff started coming out fast from both ends. I felt the same sickness that I always felt in stuffy no-air-circulation gyms in the past, even though I was at home last night. Basically, my body does that when I can't breathe and I push myself too hard.

What should I do tomorrow when I try lifting again? Even fewer reps? Less weight and the same reps? Or both?

And how long should I take it easy before I try going back to my old routine?

 

[MegaVovaN]

I am a novice but I would say less weight and same reps. You lost muscle, why do you expect to be able to work with same weight?
When progressing you kept reps same and increased weights, right? Then it makes sense to decrease weight and keep same reps.

As for how long, well, just keep increasing weight until you get stronger.

 

[spamsk8r]

Originally posted by: MegaVovaN
I am a novice but I would say less weight and same reps. You lost muscle, why do you expect to be able to work with same weight?
When progressing you kept reps same and increased weights, right? Then it makes sense to decrease weight and keep same reps.

As for how long, well, just keep increasing weight until you get stronger.

I agree here. Just decrease the weights and ease back into it, then start increasing them again each time you lift.

 

[z0mb13]

by the way what happened to that contest? who won?

 

[KoolDrew]

Originally posted by: spamsk8r

Originally posted by: MegaVovaN
I am a novice but I would say less weight and same reps. You lost muscle, why do you expect to be able to work with same weight?
When progressing you kept reps same and increased weights, right? Then it makes sense to decrease weight and keep same reps.

As for how long, well, just keep increasing weight until you get stronger.

I agree here. Just decrease the weights and ease back into it, then start increasing them again each time you lift.

 

[crownjules]

What's been said already. Drop your weight to a level that you can do it at the normal rep/set amount and work back up. Even during my one week rest periods every 2 months or so, with perfect nutrition, I'll lose a little bit of strength and need to drop my weight a little. It usually only takes me a week to recover. After taking 3 weeks off and with suboptimal nutrition, you're going to notice a much more pronounced drop in strength due to muscle atrophy.

 

[dullard]

Thanks for the advice everyone.

Originally posted by: z0mb13
by the way what happened to that contest? who won?

The contest fizzled. As far as I can tell, only two people (I was one of them) mostly met the requirements. But the rest of the people stopped doing updates. Either they stopped working out, stopped taking photos, and/or stopped writing their weekly journals. In the end, there was no winner since the contest basically died half-way through.

I still plan to keep working out and I'll occasionally post update pictures. I certainly won't do it as often though.