How Long You Can Break From Lifting Before Hurting Long-Term Strength and Muscle Gains
Once you catch the weightlifting bug, it’s hard to take time off. But life happens. Whether you need to take time off to focus on your growing family, recuperate after an illness, or just want to take a break and enjoy some hard-earned time off, there comes a time for a workout hiatus.
The research, published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, set out to see how a 10-week break from resistance training affected maximum strength and muscle size.
Researchers compared two groups of lifters over a 20-week-long period. One consistently completed a strength training program, while other had a 10-week break midway through.
The study found that at the end of the 20 weeks, both groups had similar levels of maximum strength and muscle size development.
Based on these studies and other previous research, it seems we have little to worry about when it comes to occasional time off, especially if training is otherwise regular and progressive during the rest of the year.