Muscle loss doesn't happen overnight!

I frequently get asked about muscle loss during

periods without training due to injury, gym closures,

or just a time where motivation is lacking. The good

news is there is strong evidence showing that

muscle is fairly resistant to reductions in size andstrength

[1]. Basically, although gaining muscle is aslower process, once you have it, maintaining it ismuch easier.

A recent study supports this by showing that when trained individuals take 2 weeks off from strength training, muscle size does not significantly decrease

[2]. Other research suggests that training breaks from up to 3 weeks do not significantly influence muscle size

[3].You may feel smaller when you take a week or two off from the gym which is probably mostly in your head but muscle glycogen stores do decrease during a training break which can also make your muscles appear a bit smaller

[4].Overall, you will not lose months and years worth of gains by missing a week or two from working out. If you know you won't be working out for a period of time, I recommend keeping calories at around maintenance and still getting enough protein.

References:

1.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21771261

2.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28328712

3.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/25939028

4.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11252068