As many of you already know, I had an appendectomy 6 weeks ago (I have not lifted since then). It was not laproscopic, which means it was a traditional slice through the abs by knife. The ETA on return to the gym was 4-6 weeks. I gave it a full 6 weeks due to a heavy load of studying. This morning was my return. I plan on doing a very short cycle that I imagine will give me great results due to muscle memory and return from a long SD.
I am cutting out Chins, Squats, Deadlifts (eek, I know!), Hyperextensions, and Ab/Oblique Isolations until January.
I will do one week each of 15's, 10's and 5's giving quick progression for optimal growth. I am cutting in the process as I put on some fat during the past 2 months. I still expect muscle gains for reasons already listed.
If anyone has suggestions for other exercises, let me know...
DB Bench Press
WG Lat Pulldowns
Calf Raises
DB Military Press
CG Dips
Incline DB Curls
I am using 75-90% of my old RM's for strength loss adjustment and recovery purposes.
I lost a lot of endurance in my warm-up runs which is to be expected.
The only noticeable lagging area of strength is shoulders. I had a tough time with the DB Military Press, going 2 sets of 15's with 25lb DB's. My last 15RM was 40, and I tailored it to 35 for this cycle, which may not be achievable due to strength loss.
Other than that, I feel I can go up to my adjusted RM's for other exercises. I have a feeling when I return to Squats and Deadlifts in January that my strength will also be down for those exercises.
Once again, I wanted to document how a recovery cycle like this was starting out and how I felt.
Comments welcome!
-Colby
I am cutting out Chins, Squats, Deadlifts (eek, I know!), Hyperextensions, and Ab/Oblique Isolations until January.
I will do one week each of 15's, 10's and 5's giving quick progression for optimal growth. I am cutting in the process as I put on some fat during the past 2 months. I still expect muscle gains for reasons already listed.
If anyone has suggestions for other exercises, let me know...
DB Bench Press
WG Lat Pulldowns
Calf Raises
DB Military Press
CG Dips
Incline DB Curls
I am using 75-90% of my old RM's for strength loss adjustment and recovery purposes.
I lost a lot of endurance in my warm-up runs which is to be expected.
The only noticeable lagging area of strength is shoulders. I had a tough time with the DB Military Press, going 2 sets of 15's with 25lb DB's. My last 15RM was 40, and I tailored it to 35 for this cycle, which may not be achievable due to strength loss.
Other than that, I feel I can go up to my adjusted RM's for other exercises. I have a feeling when I return to Squats and Deadlifts in January that my strength will also be down for those exercises.
Once again, I wanted to document how a recovery cycle like this was starting out and how I felt.
Comments welcome!

-Colby