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Skipping Gym for 1 Week?

NikolaeVarius

NikolaeVarius

Lifer
After getting into a good routine at the gym and getting a good increase in bench able weight and other weight based exercises I've been forced to stop because of Spring break.

How much decrease in muscle mass and benching ability should I expect if I just went one week without hitting the gym?
 
you actually need a break once in a while. you won't see any dramatic drop in muscle mass.
 
I skipped the gym for like 6 months so I could do work on my new house then went back, and I was able to start back up where I left off, with only minimum difficulty.
 
You won't see much impact from one week off. In fact, as many people train at the brink of their recovery abilities, taking time off every few months is recommended. You might even come back a little stronger from the extra recovery time.
 
RedSquirrel said:
I skipped the gym for like 6 months so I could do work on my new house then went back, and I was able to start back up where I left off, with only minimum difficulty.
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You were not training correctly to begin with or you continued quite the activity level while working on your house. Typically, one week will help with recovery and CNS fatigue while more than that will result in atrophy of muscle to some extent. One week will be fine.
 
One week off will actually be good for you if you've been training continuously for months on end. People who don't take such breaks usually find themselves with little injuries that force them to the sidelines anyways.

I personally don't notice any dropoff in the amount of weight I can lift if I take a week off, for two weeks off though I do notice my lifts go down 1 or 2 reps. Who cares though really, they're just numbers. Enjoy your spring break!
 
iluvdeal said:
One week off will actually be good for you if you've been training continuously for months on end. People who don't take such breaks usually find themselves with little injuries that force them to the sidelines anyways.

I personally don't notice any dropoff in the amount of weight I can lift if I take a week off, for two weeks off though I do notice my lifts go down 1 or 2 reps. Who cares though really, they're just numbers. Enjoy your spring break!
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This is what I've always noticed as well. I haven't taken more than a week off for probably six or seven years now, but the times I did, it always resulted in strength loss.

My magic number seems to be about 10 days, give or take.
 
RedSquirrel said:
I skipped the gym for like 6 months so I could do work on my new house then went back, and I was able to start back up where I left off, with only minimum difficulty.
Click to expand...

3 months off left me with about 15% strength loss, granted I have only been back in the gym twice and the first time I was just feeling it out to see how much strength I lost. And the second I was pretty sore from the first day. I imagine it will come back quickly however.
 
SociallyChallenged said:
You were not training correctly to begin with or you continued quite the activity level while working on your house. Typically, one week will help with recovery and CNS fatigue while more than that will result in atrophy of muscle to some extent. One week will be fine.
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It depends on who you are... some of the pros lift twice a month, or even less.
 
MJinZ said:
It depends on who you are... some of the pros lift twice a month, or even less.
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Twice a month for a professional body builder? Never heard that before. The most infrequent numbers I've come across (granted, I haven't ever put forth a concerted effort to look) would be maybe 3-4 times/week.

Unless the individuals you're talking about only went heavy a couple times a month. That I could believe.
 
Whisper said:
Twice a month for a professional body builder? Never heard that before. The most infrequent numbers I've come across (granted, I haven't ever put forth a concerted effort to look) would be maybe 3-4 times/week.

Unless the individuals you're talking about only went heavy a couple times a month. That I could believe.
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Nope, they are so big the rest/recovery is more important to them than the lift. 2 weeks rest or even longer.
 
Dunno, I've stopped reading sites like Bodybuilding.com years ago. There's tons of stuff there that people should read and ask.
 
Exercise is the last thing that would be on my mind during spring break. A week off isn't going to hurt too much. Might help if you haven't taken time off in a while. If anything you might want to watch what you eat while you're on break.
 
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