About Training Breaks

About Training Breaks
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If you got some nice summer trips coming up or perhaps for some reason you need to take a break from training, some people are concerned about muscle loss. Fortunately, your body does not lose muscle overnight. Swipe left for practical muscle maintenance tips.
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First, how long can you go with no training before losing muscle? A 2017 study found that when trained individuals take 2 weeks off from strength training, muscle size does not significantly decrease [2]. Another research review takes this a bit further and suggests that training breaks up to 3 weeks do not significantly influence muscle size [3]. The reason you may feel smaller when you take a week or two off from the gym may be related to a decrease in muscle glycogen stores, making your muscles appear somewhat smaller [4]. But in terms of actual muscle size, this can be maintained for multiple weeks without training.
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Now, what about if you have a long trip planned, how much training would you need to maintain muscle. In a recent 2021 research review, it was found that with just 1-2 workouts per week, you can maintain muscle for at least 32 weeks. Younger athletes were able to get away with 1 workout per week, whereas older populations may need 2 workouts per week to maintain muscle size. So if you are satisfied with your results and would like to maintain your size, for the time being, aiming to have say 1-2 full-body workouts per week is a good aim.