How long before you shrink!!!!

[NWinters]

How long do you have before you lose muscle? I get paranoid when i take a break from the gym cause i afraid i will lose my gains.

 

[phatman42]

Might wanna take a look at this thread. It's asking a similar question.

I've gone 3-4weeks without any really noticable loss of strenght. Most of the time you'll find you're "weaker" when you come back simply because on the more tecnical lift, you've forgotton some of the basic rules of the lift (you know, the things you alway remind yourself about before doing a lift) so it's form you lose, not strength

 

[pwr_machine]

I was going to direct him that way also, Phatman42.

I'm coming up on 3 weeks off due to biceps tendoinitis and I haven't lost any size on the tape. I'm paranoid, but my arms are still measuring up. I'm actually gaining a little bit of weight and that's fine with me.

 

[swampmoose]

Yeah, I took a well needed two months off, and mentally I thought I was shrinking, affraid to get on the scale, but after I came back It wasn't even a week before I was even bigger looking than before the break. ....like I said , a well needed vacation.

 

[PolishHammer1977]

I take time off based on how my body feels. I have no set time of rest. I routinely take off for 1 to 2 weeks at a time. I may visually look like I am shrinking but when I hit the weights again I always surpass previous Pr's and feel like I had gotten bigger.

Did that help?

 

[louden_swain]

Taking a small break is not the issue. . .the issue comes to caloric intake. If this starts to slip, then weight loss becomes probable.

 

[NWinters]

ok....me feels better now....cant wait till monday, I start a new routine and a new job hunt.

 

[b fold the truth]

I'm not much on skipping a workout completely...but I do believe in doing accessory work only...or the MAIN move only. I also believe in just going through the motions of the workout if I feel overtrained...

B True

 

[IronLion]

I have heard that muscle begins to atrophy after 72 hours of non use....is this bs or what??

 

[The Red Dragon]

I heard that too

 

[Tagio]

maybe actual non-use.. as in bed rest. I'm sure it takes much longer than that to lose muscles that are active.

 

[casualbb]

I have heard that muscle begins to atrophy after 72 hours of non use....is this bs or what??

I'm pretty sure that's untrue... or if it does occur it's completely insignificant. All HST-ers take 2 weeks off every 6-8 weeks with no loss of size.

However, neural adaptations are quick to reverse, so one will inevitably come back weaker from a layoff.

Hypertrophy is a more permanent adaptation.

 

[Backlash]

Agree with Tagio. That probably means not using it at all, just laying like in a coma. Everyday activities still use the muscles some.

 

[blinddeafmute]

Taking a small break is not the issue. . .the issue comes to caloric intake. If this starts to slip, then weight loss becomes probable.

That is exactly what I was thinking. Try to keep your calories up enough that your body wont start eating into your muscle. I also wouldnt completely stay away from the gym if that is possible. Go in and throw around some light weights for a while, maybe even do some sort of full body cardio just to keep the muscles moving.

 

[Cuthbert]

Don't worry. I (and many others I'm sure) have come back from a week's layoff STRONGER than I was before on the first workout back... sometimes you just need to rest dude

Cuthbert