significant loss of strength

[dteller1]

i've been off the gym for about 6 week following an injury to my back (possible annular tear/facet joint sprain), unfortunately not gyming hasn't really helped and i'm awaiting an mri so i figured i'd go back to the gym as it clearly isn't that that is aggravating it, i'm a little annoyed i appear to have lost a lot of strength, before the break i could bench about 80kg for 8 reps, today i was doing 70kg and could only manage 9, and it appeared that subsequent sets plummeted rapidly, is this a normal phenomenon and will i reach post break levels relatively quickly?

thanks

 

[PushAndPull]

10kg seems excessive.
My guess is it's the injury. Even though you've concluded that training will not hurt it further, it might be in the back of your mind somewhere negatively affecting your training. Just a guess though.

 

[dteller1]

dunno diet hasnt been great, and maybe its neurological losses rather than muscular? i literally was exhausting as in proper burn couldnt move the weights, hopefully it will shoot back up quickly, a little frustrating....

 

[PushAndPull]

Yeah I wouldn't worry to much. Give it some time and you'll probably come back even stronger.
Personally, I would wait for the mri results before training seriously again.

 

[dteller1]

it may well be a few weeks for mri then a few more weeks for results, its an injury thats been nagging since last may but i think its got WORSE since ive stopped the gym, i dont want to waste another 5 weeks for them to do the mri and say its nothing serious and that i could have been gyming. obviously if my pain gets worse with the gym i will stop, ive had a fair few physio sessions and they dont believe it to be serious its more the length of time its been there they just want to make sure and teh fact its thoracic (t10 i think) rather than lumbar.

 

[DetMuscle]

You cant go into the gym and measure your strength loss in one workout. To many factors could be involved. What did you eat, whats in your head, tired ect.. give a few times

 

[dteller1]

yeah these are all fair points, i'll report back after a few more sessions

 

[The Prototype]

I took six months off after my last back injury. I lost 30 lbs of muscle and a ton of strength during that time but most of it came back. It just takes time and a good diet and training regimen. I was very cautious at first b/c I didn't know how my back would hold up but it's felt the best it has in a long time (knock on wood). Strengthen your core and lower back. That should help.

 

[PushAndPull]

it may well be a few weeks for mri then a few more weeks for results, its an injury thats been nagging since last may but i think its got WORSE since ive stopped the gym, i dont want to waste another 5 weeks for them to do the mri and say its nothing serious and that i could have been gyming. obviously if my pain gets worse with the gym i will stop, ive had a fair few physio sessions and they dont believe it to be serious its more the length of time its been there they just want to make sure and teh fact its thoracic (t10 i think) rather than lumbar.

If it actually feels worse, then that's probably because of inactivity.
When I take time off, especially for longer periods, I stay somewhat active. Some light cardio/calisthenics, foam rolling, streching, walks, ect... Basically an old man routine, but still a routine. If I don't do this more things will hurt by the end of the break, than at the beginning. Just a thought if you take time off in the future.
I can't blame you for not continuing to rest. If you feel you're good to go then go for it, but I would focus more on form/safety then on strength at least for a little while.

 

[dteller1]

the issue is i don't feel ready as such, my back feels worse than when i was gyming and that probably is because of the inactivity. i have a foam roller unfortunately it seems to aggravate it, at least when i foam roll on the ground, i find foam rolling against a wall not to bad because its easier to control the pressure. hopefully its nothing to serious (which is likely, i get no numbness tingling etc) and after mri a solid diagnosis can be done and the problem treated. the area thats injured has stiffened up with muscle next to it spasming.

 

[LAM]

loss of strength is a direct indicator of over-training which is semantics for CNS burn-out. the slower turn-over of contractile proteins, etc. caused the loss of muscle to forcefully contract which equates to a loss of functional strength.

it's possible that over-training is what eventually lead to your injury

 

[dteller1]

loss of strength is a direct indicator of over-training which is semantics for CNS burn-out. the slower turn-over of contractile proteins, etc. caused the loss of muscle to forcefully contract which equates to a loss of functional strength.

it's possible that over-training is what eventually lead to your injury

potentially, although i think it was more that bad form caused my injury, it was originally injured last may so a long time ago. my loss of strength is more likely to be neurological losses rather than muscular, after a few sessions my brain will have relearnt the movement patterns and thus coordinate my muscles better well fingers crossed.

 

[jmax1]

If you take being injured into account and add a 6 week break you'll obviously lose some of your strength. Your body has been weakened by the rest and by whatever part of your back that was injured. I wouldn't think to much into it right now cause it's going to take time to build that strength back up. It won't happen over night.

 

[dteller1]

anyone had any experience with facet joint injuries? its still giving me hell.....i did some pull ups yesterday, today it is not good at all....sigh....

 

[Valkyrie]

When I take any significant time off even including getting stupid lazy and or busy and only getting to the gym once a week for awhile my initial strength is WAY DOWN the first few workouts back at it. It comes back real quickly and I do believe a large part of it is the CNS. The first few workouts back are depressing but a few solid weeks and most people won't have lost much ground at all if any.

 

[Merkaba]

loss of strength is a direct indicator of over-training which is semantics for CNS burn-out. the slower turn-over of contractile proteins, etc. caused the loss of muscle to forcefully contract which equates to a loss of functional strength.

it's possible that over-training is what eventually lead to your injury

???????
I would have to disagree at this point. The OP hasn't given us enough information to make that conclusion, as far as I'm concerned...

Look dteller...

It's not worth it! First off...The back is heavily involved with benching, and really everything else in life, but I digress. A strong back is paramount to a bench press. (of course you mentioned bench press and not squat or deadlift, haha, but I further digress...)
"diet has't been great" doesn't mean much. Have you been eating at maintenance most of the time with real food and veggies?
Then, Hell, back off the weight and keep the work going if you can. But a possible annular tear? Don't play around with this for the sake of "lifting weights" You will need your back! Dont' do something that might lead to more scar tissue or some other nagging problem you'll be dealing with 2 years from now. And for what? As much as I hate machines, I might would even recommend some upright machines until you know what you're dealing with. Benching is, or should be, a full body commitment. With a proper protocol theres no reason why you can't be back up to strength shortly after you know you're healthy.

 

[theCaptn']

I've been pushing my max bench, interestingly I often have sore rear delts after

 

[PushAndPull]

I've been pushing my max bench, interestingly I often have sore rear delts after

I often get sore lats after I bench?