# How fast do you lose muscle?



## Flex (Oct 13, 2003)

Today's monday, and i've been sick since saturday. i took sun and mon off, and probably gonna take tues and wed off so i can come back full health.

Right now i'm the best i've ever been. Am i gonna lose it? its only been 2 days off and i already feel smaller. i havent been as hungry (and usually i am never not hungry) even though im forcing myself to eat. 

i feel tiny now, most of it is prob psychological. but someone please reasure me......


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## Arnold (Oct 13, 2003)

you have lost water weight, and your glycogen stores are probably depleted, atrophy does not occur that quickly.


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## Flex (Oct 13, 2003)

so you're saying not to worry i hope?

should i just rest it out till like thurs (assuming i get to 100%) then?

shit, i love water weight haha


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## BabsieGirl (Oct 13, 2003)

I was off for a week and feel like i've gained weight.  I feel bloated and fat.


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## Flex (Oct 13, 2003)

that's my problem babs,
my metab is so fast i lost wieght so quickly. i got up to my highest ever (219) a few days ago. i know by thurs it'll prob be at like 210 (such a dissapointment)


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## BabsieGirl (Oct 13, 2003)

I know how ya feel bud.  Just think, I had my heart set on competing next saturday and the saturday after that.  Such a let down.  Always something.  

I know one thing.  I'm back in the game and going to kick some friggin arse tonight and for the next two weeks.  I'm doing one of those comps.  All those nights in the sauna, sweating my arse off and I gain the crap back. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh


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## Triple Threat (Oct 13, 2003)

Does this mean you're not competing? What happened? I thought you were really close.


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## Flex (Oct 13, 2003)

ya, what happened???


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## Flex (Oct 13, 2003)

and by the way,just saw your pics for the first time, OMG!!!

you and j'bo man! you 2 are guys killers hahaha


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## BabsieGirl (Oct 13, 2003)

> _*Originally posted by CaptainDeadlift *_
> Does this mean you're not competing? What happened? I thought you were really close.




I was sooo close.  I don't know.  I'll have my b/f taken this evening.  I've been eating soup and drinking sprite to get better plus eating oranges.  This medicine I'm on is making me bloat and giving me stomach problems, nitemares, nasty taste in my mouth.  I'm stopping it tomorrow.  I read that all these are serious side effects and I should consult my doctor.  I've done that and I'm waiting for him to call me back.

This is a natural show and I doubt diuretics are allowed.  I know that would help me out a lot and I have a doctor friend that would supply the prescription.  I just don't want to bring the wrong message on stage because another reason why I do figure is to show people, you can do it naturally and you can make changes, etc....


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## BabsieGirl (Oct 13, 2003)

> _*Originally posted by Flex *_
> and by the way,just saw your pics for the first time, OMG!!!
> 
> you and j'bo man! you 2 are guys killers hahaha




Which pics?  From gallery or in the IM Competition Journal?


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## Flex (Oct 13, 2003)

ooooh so you're sick, ya it sucks right????

what meds you on?

i feel like i'm losing shit by the minute...i need a pump!!! haha


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## Flex (Oct 13, 2003)

i think the gallery......the ones that are displayed on teh bottom of the main page....


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## Mudge (Oct 13, 2003)

In a week I dont lose much, two weeks its somewhat noticeable, 6 weeks is hell.


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## BabsieGirl (Oct 13, 2003)

> _*Originally posted by Flex *_
> ooooh so you're sick, ya it sucks right????
> 
> what meds you on?
> ...




I'm on Biaxin XL  500mg Tablet SA ABB
I was diagnosed with Sinusitis and Bronchitis   GREAT COMBO


What sucks? 

You're not eating?


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## Flex (Oct 13, 2003)

wow, bronchitis is fun huh? thats the worst, that and strep....

nah, i'm eating, but i feel mad tired and just like shit in general.

plus i can't lift! i know its more psychological than anything, but oh well.

mudge, i dont think i could take 6 weeks off if i tried haha pay me $ and i still couldnt do it....


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## BabsieGirl (Oct 13, 2003)

Do you smell that?


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## prophet (Oct 13, 2003)

i get skinny when i don't lift.. i lose a lot of water weight.. can't wait to hit the gym today


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## Flex (Oct 13, 2003)

ahhhhhhhhhhhh you lucky f*cks!

you def don't realize what you have, or what you can do, till you don't have it or can't do it anymore!!!!


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## BabsieGirl (Oct 13, 2003)

> _*Originally posted by Flex *_
> you def don't realize what you can do, till you can't do it anymore!!!!




What was your injury?


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## Flex (Oct 13, 2003)

not so much injured....i'm just sick now and i feel like shit. so im gonna take a few days off, god i miss her (the gym) already haha

my rotator cuff always hurts, but htats another story....


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## BabsieGirl (Oct 13, 2003)

You only want people to think your rotator cuff hurts.  I thought it was your wrist.


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## Arnold (Oct 13, 2003)

> _*Originally posted by Flex *_
> so you're saying not to worry i hope?
> 
> should i just rest it out till like thurs (assuming i get to 100%) then?
> ...



yes, that is exactly what I am saying.


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## Flex (Oct 13, 2003)

> _*Originally posted by BabsieGirl *_
> You only want people to think your rotator cuff hurts.  I thought it was your wrist.



hahaha youre little Miss funny today huhhaha

no wonder i always have huge forearms yet i never work them that hard  

my r. cuff hurts from spankin so many asses  haha


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## Flex (Oct 13, 2003)

> _*Originally posted by Prince *_
> yes, that is exactly what I am saying.



"Eeeeeeexcellent" thats what i wanted to hear, i just feel so small though.


p.s. nice physique in your pics prince


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## Mudge (Oct 13, 2003)

> _*Originally posted by Flex *_
> mudge, i dont think i could take 6 weeks off if i tried haha pay me $ and i still couldnt do it....



I didn't want to, but I felt like I lost everything even though when I went back I only lost about 45 pounds on the bench, but mass wise I felt like a stick. I cooled off on the eating too because it was just turning into fat since I wasn't doing anything with those calories.


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## prophet (Oct 13, 2003)

i had broken hand for over a month.. so trust me, i know how it is..


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## BabsieGirl (Oct 13, 2003)

> _*Originally posted by Flex *_
> hahaha youre little Miss funny today huhhaha
> 
> no wonder i always have huge forearms yet i never work them that hard
> ...




I just wanted to say....I HAD A GRRRREAAT work out tonight.

Just kidding

Anyway, at least I'm putting a smile on that face of yours swinging from above


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## Flex (Oct 13, 2003)

i thought you were sick?....


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## vanity (Oct 14, 2003)

FLEX:

The body loses strength at a rate of around 5% for every 3 days that you don???t work out.
You should rest if you are injured or sick to give  the body a chance to recover. It???s actually good to take a week or 2 off every once in a while, especially at the end of a periodized run.

Regarding your rotator cuff ???always hurting???. I would definitely see somebody about that. You could be doing serious harm to your shoulder. Could be an impingement , tendinitis or bursitis (among other things) and these things tend to get a lot worse if not promptly treated.


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## BabsieGirl (Oct 14, 2003)

> _*Originally posted by Flex *_
> i thought you were sick?....




I was off for 7 days.  How long should I remain sick?  I'm still congested but I don't feel sick anymore.  I have an awful cough that won't go away.


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## Arnold (Oct 14, 2003)

> _*Originally posted by vanity *_
> The body loses strength at a rate of around 5% for every 3 days that you don???t work out.



I would like to know where you got this percentage please?


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## BabsieGirl (Oct 14, 2003)

Me too!


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## Mex (Oct 14, 2003)

> The body loses strength at a rate of around 5% for every 3 days that you don???t work out.



Lol, you can't be serious. You mean in a week you'll lose 10% of your previous strength? Yeah... Right. And strength is not the same as muscle... 

Anyway... 

All I know is that, even tho you may lose some muscle while you're resting/sick, it's not really that much, and it's MUCH easier to gain it back, than when you first got it. 

I was off training for two and a half years, and in five months of training I'm back, better than I was before. So don't fret that much and take good care of you, if you go train while you're sick you risk losing much more than muscle...


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## Randy (Oct 14, 2003)

Not sure about those specific statistics, but I think any bodybuilder understands how quickly you lose strength after just a short time of not lifting.   I can't say that 10 percent is an accurate number.  But I know that if I have been off for 2 weeks I can most definately notice a big difference in my strength.  After a month I have noticed an incredible decrease in strength.  And if you ever go more than that, geeze you drop rapidly.


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## Flex (Oct 14, 2003)

> _*Originally posted by vanity *_
> FLEX:
> 
> The body loses strength at a rate of around 5% for every 3 days that you don???t work out.
> ...



thanks vanity.

i can practically feel myself getting smaller, it sucks.....but i am feeling slightly better, and i plan on being back in full rage on thursday.

regarding my rotator cuff, i sleep on my stomach, with my arm kinda under my head/pillow, so when i wake up its stiff as hell 

before i workout, i use light weights and a few warm up exercises and it feels pretty good. its usually the worst right when i wake up, and it loosens up throughout the day.....


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## Arnold (Oct 15, 2003)

I would still like to know where vanity got those percentages.


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## Triple Threat (Oct 15, 2003)

Rectal extraction.


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## kbm8795 (Oct 15, 2003)

ok..ya know I'm no big expert here, but I've had rotater problems, and they aren't any fun at all. If you get any persistent soreness with one or both, it's a good idea to try some strengthening exercises. I've been through hell with mine...well, to the point of one cortizone treatment that I wasn't happy about taking...but I gather it's a fairly common problem with guys but can be averted if you concentrate on exercises early to strengthen them as you go along. I used to have a site bookmarked that offered diagramed tips for those - if I can hunt that down, I'll pass it along....

As for losing muscle and/or strength - I'm so glad ya'll are talking about that! With the therapy I've had with my own rotaters, it's frustrating as hell to adjust to 50% of weight with my chest...and I've tried to help compensate by really slow, very controlled reps. But I've also noticed that if I have three days off in a row, I have trouble advancing in weights on legs, etc...so I still get confused about how to schedule rest, how often to mix up and change workouts, etc. to maximize efficiency without waiting too long or going back too early.


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## Arnold (Oct 15, 2003)

bump


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