I just recently recovered from a medical issue(that I will keep private to minimize my chances of being doxxed) in which my doctor said I could not lift and had to stick to a specific diet until I got the all-clear. Worst of all I was prescribed a medication that has an effect of suppressing/limiting testosterone production. I was devasted because I knew all of my effort in the gym was going to go down the tubes. But I knew it was the right thing for the sake of my long term health.

Over the next couple months I could feel my body wasting away. Not going to the gym and not lifting made me feel like shit. Like less of a man.

Yesterday I got the all-clear from my doctor. Medication worked, I am healthy and the issue is gone for now, and I was allowed to resume a normal diet and return to the gym albeit on a lighter schedule, he recommended only going twice a week for the next month or two just to be safe. I went this morning and was a bit afraid to see just how much weaker I had gotten. I have always been a 5/3/1 guy and done a lot of the variants, but I decided to just do some normal 5/3/1 and light accessory work for my first few weeks back. Knowing I was weaker, I knocked 30 pounds off of all my training maxes. Comparing my 5+ set of the lifts I did on my last day of lifting to today, I lost 21.7% of my strength on bench and 25% on my squat, for not lifting for 8 weeks. My lifting numbers are back to where they were about 2 years ago which is a huge bummer. 2 years of work in the gym down the drain. I am guessing the medication played a role in the strength loss, but not lifting was probably the key factor.

Not going to the gym for 2 months was hell and it helped me realize just how big and important lifting is. I have always been one around TRP to preach how important lifting is and how you should do it at all costs, but this is a revelation even for me.

If you have the means to go to the gym and are healthy, and you aren't doing it, you are a retard, plain and simple. There is no better tool, no better hobby, no better action to take than to go to the gym and get bigger, stronger, fitter, and healthier. Do not take it for granted. Be glad you have the ability to seize this massive opportunity afforded to you. And its not just lifting for the sake of lifting - don't go to the gym and half ass it just so you can say you lifted. Lift with a purpose. Stop making excuses. Be a man. My biggest TRP pet peeve is having to read a supposed TRPer excuses/hamstering/rationalization explaining why he doesn't lift even though he is able to. If you have never read Martin Berkhan's Fuckarounditis article you need to read it now.

You can fuck up in other areas of life and recover. For example you can fail with women and recover easily without much harm. But its a lot harder to overcome not lifting, or not lifting seriously. Fortunately I am only 29 so even though I lost a lot of progress I can rebuild the dike and gain it back. But it will take a lot of time, energy, and effort.

The gym is the most important asset you have afforded to you in the TRP arsenal. Utilize it as much as you can. Not being able to use it for 2 months was a killer and helped me realize just how big of a deal it really is.