Exactly How Quickly You Lose Muscle When You Stop Working Out
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So you missed a workout. Or two. Or six. What’s the real damage? If you’ve replaced your exercise with significant couch time, you could lose as much as a third of your strength, according to a new study published in the Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine.
Researchers at the University of Copenhagen asked 32 men—17 who were in their 20s and 15 who were in their 60s and 70s—to wear a knee brace that immobilized one leg for 2 weeks. After the first 2 weeks, the younger men lost between 22 and 34% of their muscle strength in the immobilized leg; the older men lost between 20 and 26%. (Looking for more health tips and advice? Get your FREE trial of Prevention + 12 FREE gifts)
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The rapid decline in strength may be sobering, but that wasn’t the worst of the news: To try and restore strength, the men started 6 weeks of regular cycling—3 times a week for 4 weeks and then 4 times a week for 2 additional weeks. They regained muscle mass after the 6 weeks of cycling, but their leg strength was still 5 to 10% lower than it was at the start of the study.
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Although the study involved men, the results likely apply to women as well, says study author Andreas Vigelsø, PhD, a research assistant at the Center for Healthy Aging at the University of Copenhagen.
The bottom line here for everyone is how important it is to stay active throughout life, he says. “The results don’t mean that you can’t skip the gym every once in a while—but they illustrate how fast you lose muscle strength and fitness if you decrease your activity level to zero.” (Struggling with motivation? Here are 31 simple ways to never skip another workout.)
Even though the younger men in the study lost more muscle, muscle loss in the older men may still be the larger problem because it has more potential to affect that group’s ability to continue everyday living—things like cooking, taking out the trash, or climbing up and down stairs, he says. “Losing a quarter of your strength is bad for your independence and quality of life if you are 70 years old.”
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You could rebuild lost muscle faster with strength training, says Vigelsø—and previous studies have suggested that resistance-training exercises do allow full muscle strength to be recovered. When an injury sidelines you or you just can’t get outside for your walks, definitely add a lifting program to your aerobic exercise (like this one) to help shorten your recovery time, he advises.
By Sarah DiGiulio
This article ’Exactly How Quickly You Lose Muscle When You Stop Working Out’ originally ran on Prevention.com
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