How Much Muscle Loss? Quitting Training For 14 Days.

[soulforge]

So I had a lower moler tooth removed 12 days ago, which then developed dry socket & got infected.

In order for the gaping hole in my gum to heal I need to take it easy which means rest & no lifting weights.

The antibiotics are also making me feel tired.

I can't eat solid foods such as chicken breast right now, however I am trying to eat protein based foods 3-4x per day currently.

So my protein intake is still quite high.

It could be another 4-5 days till I can lift again, which would be around 18 days in total of NO TRAINING.

Prior to the tooth coming out, I was training solid 6x per week and making excellent gains.

I have been lifting consistently for many years, so muscle memory should be good.

Am I likely to lose much muscle mass in the space of 18 days? My arms still look good, however my chest is lacking that PUMP currently.

So I am thinking once I lift again, it could take 2-3 weeks of lifting to get back to my former shape and strength.

Who would have thought a fukin tooth would cause this much of an issue to my fitness routine!

 

[TheCharmingGuy]

If you’ve been training constantly, you don’t have to worry. You might notice some failings in your muscular appearance because those muscles aren’t being challenged, making them appear smaller or weaker, but as soon as you work out a few times they will be right back. It’s way easier to rebuild muscles than to build it from scratch. You’re not going to lose all your hard work from a 2-3 week respite (but make sure to really hit it hard when you come back). If you rest for 3 weeks, it will probably take around a month for your muscles to fully reform. But i assure you, they will be just like before!

 

[TheProspect]

There will be some muscle loss after two weeks of no training. It would be hard to maintain what you have with zero training and a change to your diet.

That being said, @soulforge, given by your posts here throughout the forum in general I get the impression you place a lot of your self-worth and your identity on your physical appearance (muscle size, height, hair). Nothing wrong with. We all do that to some extent. But I think, you are more overly concerned than the average guy.

Since you can't lift, I would consider alternative forms of exercise that don't necessarily give you the aesthetic results that lifting weights would. Long walks, yoga, etc. I would still continue on with those alternatives when you can lift again, as the two I mentioned alone are good for your mental & emotional health in many ways.

You probably do this already, but I also recommend find other parts of your life that you can derive your self-worth from, whatever that may be. The idea being that when your looks inevitably fade with time (or via an unforeseen accident), that your self-esteem isn't hindered.

Cheers

 

[firstbornunicorn]

Sleep 8+ hours and maintain your protein intake for almost 0 muscle loss. But do drop your weights by 10% when starting again. And yeah, you will lose water weight that muscles keep when training often, but you gain this all back quite quick as it's just water.

 

[spikeanut]

OP, the only person who will notice any type of muscle loss will be you. It sounds like you some body dysmorphia to work through; which is quite normal especially for guys were grew up skinny or fat their whole lives. You may possibly lose some strength, but it will be very minimal. If you are working out very strenuously, these 18 days will be a good rest period for your body. Just start back slowly and judge it from there. It's more your diet that will impact your strength and appearance; but 18 days is minimal.

 

[EyeBRollin]

There won’t be much loss at all once you get back to training. Likely 10% or so in strength. I take 4-6 weeks off twice per year. It takes quite a while for a well trained athlete to lose conditioning, especially with a good diet.

OP, do you take steroids? I can’t speak on potential muscle loss for steroid users.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

Probably not much. I didn't workout for a year due to some health issues and a surgery and didn't lose a ton of size. If you built quality muscle there is a baseline your body will remain at for a long period of time. I attribute mine to doing extremely heavy static holds and lifting heavy in general.