Hey guys, haven't been around in a while because I tore an intercostal 4 weeks into a test e/d-bol cycle. I had to stop the cycle, stop lifting, and now it's been 7 weeks and I'm going to start with the weights again next week. I'm pretty much healed unless I stretch my torso in the wrong way - then I can feel it in my rib-cage (the tear is in both the front and rear intercostal, which may be why it's taken so long to heal). I'm not sure how the injury happened because it only became apparent the day after my workout, but I'm pretty sure it was from an ab machine I was trying for the first time. Because the injury occurred on an arms day, the ab machine is the only possible culprit.

Anyways, I'm wondering if anyone here has a suggestion for what I can do to ease myself back into training. Of course, I'm very frustrated by the progress lost (I'm now 20 pounds ighter than I was when I was injured), and am itching to get back to where I was, but I know that if I don't ease myself back into it gently, I can re-injure myself and then I'll really be screwed.
Perhaps someone can recommend an upper body workout that I can do in an hour or less for a few weeks until I feel good enough to go back to a high-volume routine. As for lower body, I'm going to stay away from squats/lunges, and stick to light weight on machines until I'm ready to return to the rack.

Any advice or encouragement would be greatly appreciated. I'm sure all of you have experienced the frustration of watching yourself losing muscle mass every day when you stop training. It's bloody depressing! Hopefully some of you guys have some ideas for me. I'd appreciate it.

peace

TOkidd