Loss of muscle size in less than a week - Theories please

Reno_1ted · Tue, March 23rd, 2004, 08:42 AM

Ok, Heres one to debate.

This past week, ive had to lay off the weights. A niggle in my left shoulder blade cropped up last week, and so i decided to have a week off till it goes, as although im not injured, i can see it getting worse if i push it. Still been doing morining CV though and am 2 weeks into my new fat loss diet.

Anyway, im set to begin training again tomorrow and looking in the mirror last night, i cant help but feel ive lost some muscle mass. I tend to see this loss everytime i have a break from the weights, even if its for less than a week !

So theories include actual muscle mass lost as result of not training (Surely not in 1 week!), new diet resulted in muscle loss, water loss, actual fat loss making muscles look smaller... I cant see it being the diet because i used to get the same view when i didnt diet. So...

Psychological - most likely.
Some kind of long lasting pump - I dont know if this is true, but i thought maybeif you lift weights a lot, you get a semi permenant pump that u lose if u dont train.

Im sure im not alone on this, and im sure it sin my head (Lack of endorphines or something) but would like to here others experiances and theories.

Im 74 Kg (163 lbs for the americans.

)
BF estimate at 10%
Feeling good !

daveo · Tue, March 23rd, 2004, 10:35 AM

Take measurements! Get a tape and figure the girth for the various parts your concerned about: biceps, chest, quads, etc.

If they actually do get smaller, then you can try to figure out why (I'll bet it's water loss). If they don't get smaller you know it's in your head.

Are you taking creatine or any other type of supplement aside from whey/extra protein?

Reno_1ted · Tue, March 23rd, 2004, 11:08 AM

Im not taking any suppliment other than whey protein shakes and Meal replacement shakes.

Why would this water loss occur when i have a break from training?

Am i really alone in this psychological occurence?

Will try measurements, thats a great idea to see if it is psychological, although i will be loosing fat faster then gaining muscle, so there will be a decrease in size regardless.

The area i notice the " loss " in most is my chest and arms. Back is same, shoulders are same, just my chest looks smaller.

JeremyLikness · Tue, March 23rd, 2004, 11:59 AM

It's all in your head. Certain diseases and hereditary conditions can lead to rapid muscle loss, but it takes weaks for your muscle mass to start to diminish. In fact, I always recommend a full week from training every 8 - 12 weeks and a few weeks each year. Research suggests that while you start to lose strength rather quickly (after the first 7 - 10 days) a loss of muscle mass doesn't occur until 14 - 30 days depending on how sedentary you are.

Jeremy

Reno_1ted · Tue, March 23rd, 2004, 12:40 PM

Ok, its facts like that that i like ! So its probably in my head then, thats what i thought. Glad thats cleared up. Do you ever get that feeling, what causes it?

JeremyLikness · Tue, March 23rd, 2004, 02:35 PM

It would take a psychology degree to sort it out. When I was overweight, I dropped to damn near shreds and still felt fat. When I got ripped, I felt skinny. When I put on muscle, I felt fat. Your mind can play tricks. I went through the mind games for awhile before I learned to strike a balance, enjoy who I am, and train more for health than to worry about what someone else thinks about the way I look. As long as my wife is satisfied, I'm happy. Of course, there does seem to be a little more playfulness on her part when I am lower body fat ... hmm ... lol.

Jeremy

teencraft · Tue, March 23rd, 2004, 03:29 PM

Hey jeremy I have a question (Sorry for jacking the thread,but it's sort of on-topic...)

I have to work this summer for a summer camp (at the Y) I will have no access to weights except for Saturday nights, so basically once a week. I will be up there for 8 weeks, so if I only lift 8 times a week (Full intensity) Do you think i will lose much mass/strength?

Teg4e · Tue, March 23rd, 2004, 03:41 PM

How much muscle mass have you lost exactly?

I've noticed a slight decrease in my measurements on my currrent fat cutting phase. My arms shrank about 1/4" in the first week, but have been stable during the following 3 weeks. I was working my body very hard during the bulk phase, and my arms may simply have been swollen from the abuse. My strength has not decreased at all, and has actually continued to increase. They say the number of calories is very important to muscle size, so I'm confident the size will return when I go back to the bulking diet. Unless you're losing strength, I would not worry about a little lost size.

JeremyLikness · Tue, March 23rd, 2004, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by teencraft

Hey jeremy I have a question (Sorry for jacking the thread,but it's sort of on-topic...)

I have to work this summer for a summer camp (at the Y) I will have no access to weights except for Saturday nights, so basically once a week. I will be up there for 8 weeks, so if I only lift 8 times a week (Full intensity) Do you think i will lose much mass/strength?

Why not lift with the weights that one time in the week, and then use calisthenics another day? For example, train heavy on Monday - heavy weights, lower reps, etc. Then, on Thursday, do a series of push-ups, door frame pull-ups, wall push-ups, wall or jump squats, etc. This would be light weight, higher reps, explosive - you could do clap push-ups, for example, to make it plyometric.

This way you stimulate the muscle several times a week, using different loading parameters - one requires coordinating of motor units (slow, heavy lifting) and the other requires rapid firing of motor units in succession (explosive - jumping, etc). It is a common method used by power lifters.

I wouldn't be surprised if you gained muscle over 8 weeks using this. The majority of people I coached started out overtraining anyway - not that they were LIFTING too much, but they were resting too little!

But that's another story for another thread.

Jeremy