Diet/cardio while taking a break from lifting

[brrrger]

I really do not want to take a break at all but my shoulder's been hurting constantly for the past week or so from bench pressing and I guess I'm going to have to let it heal. Hopefully, it won't be more than a couple of weeks but I'm wondering what the best way is to preserve as much muscle as possible during this period. I'm currently cutting with a 500-700 calorie deficit with 45% protein/15% carb/40% fat.

Since my main goal right now is fat loss and muscle preservation, I really don't want to increase my calories if I don't have to. How long does it usually take to lose muscle/strength from not lifting, especially while on a calorie deficit?

Is it okay if I do cardio every day or is this just going to accelerate muscle loss since I'm not using my muscles? Of course, there's no reason I can't still do my lower body workout but I'm concerned that I'll lose progress in my upper body, especially if it ends up taking more than a couple of weeks to heal.

Has anyone else had a shoulder injury from bench pressing? How long did it take for the pain to go away? I tried doing other upper body exercises tonight but many of them also seem to aggravate my shoulder so I think I need to stop for a while.

[FunAndSun]

Have you been to a doctor? Without knowing what type of shoulder injury it is, there's no way to know if it will "heal" or not.

My best advice if you can't lift [what I did when I hurt my shoulder] is to cut back on the cardio, and drop your deficit to 200 or so below maintenance, keep the diet clean. I would still lift lower body if it doesn't hurt. Maybe just do upper body with much less weight. Without knowing what type of shoulder injury you have there's no way to tell.

I had a micro tear in one of my ligaments in my shoulder my freshman year of college. Had to wear a sling for 3 weeks, no movement, and lots of rehab with elastic bands after I took off the sling for about a few months. I went from benching reps with 275, back to doing sets of 5-8 with 135 because the pain was so intense. I never quit working out, and eventually surpassed my previous bench. You can get it back.

Best advice is to find out what injury it is first. Working out further could seriously injure you and put you out way longer than a few weeks.

[brrrger]

I've not been to a doctor yet as I was hoping the pain would go away on its own if I take it easy for a while. I guess I'll see if it starts to get any better. Actually, I've been feeling the pain for the past three months but it was really only hurting while I was actually lifting and the pain always went away immediately afterwards, up until the past week, that is.

I guess I'll eat a little bit more and do less cardio but I don't want to cut it out completely. If it doesn't start feeling any better by the weekend, I'll see a doctor.

Also, I'm wondering what cause this injury in the first place. Am I not doing the bench press correctly or did I try to use too much weight? I thought I read somewhere on this forum that it's best to keep your elbows pointed in toward the body while benching to avoid should injuries. But when I tried that, my lifts decreased by about 50 lbs and I could only do about 3 reps. And at this point, it still hurts even when I try that.

[trance__dreamer]

But when I tried that, my lifts decreased by about 50 lbs and I could only do about 3 reps. And at this point, it still hurts even when I try that.

huge bright red flag!!!

[brrrger]

huge bright red flag!!!

So you think I've been doing the bench press wrong all this time? I'm not saying I haven't but I've been lifting for the past 4 years (on and off) and I've never had any shoulder discomfort until now.

[FunAndSun]

I don't know if it has anything to do with bench press. Yes, bench press can cause pain and discomfort in the shoulder in a wide variety of injuries[especialy rotator cuff injuries. She didn't mention anything about your form, she mentioned that if you felt pain, even when dropping the weight, and working on form, you need to go to the doctor.

Anytime you feel extended or long lasting pain during/after workouts, and it does not go away, you should see a doctor. Continuing to lift could make the problem worse, and possibly injure you to the point that you cannot lift at all for a very long time [months to years.] Stop worrying about muscle loss at this point, and worry about losing function in your arm.

Example: Friend in college had two seperated shoulders from high school football. He could not do a flat bench/incline/decline, as his shoulders would pop out. One time he tore the ligaments in his left shoulder. It took him a few years to realize that he had to change the way he worked out, because if he continued to try and work through the pain he would be unable to lift his arms at all.

Not saying this is you, but seriously 3 months is long lasting pain, go get it checked out.