If you are a bodybuilder or simply someone who is trying to gain muscles and look big, then losing muscle size when you take time off from working out is a big concern for you.
This is known as Reversibility principle, which is one of the Physical Activity principles. And it is bound to happen when you stop training your muscles regularly.
So, don’t panic if this happens or is happening to you, and let’s talk about a few ways to slow down the loss in muscle size when you are not working out:
1. Make sure to build a strong base for your muscles when you start working out.
By that I mean, try to build a good size of muscles relying on natural foods, hard and consistent workouts, and proper sleeping before you start taking any supplements and performance enhancers if you plan on taking those. One year of training with natural sources of food and energy is a good idea.
2. Try not to completely stop your training.
If you are not able to exercise and go to the GYM because of being busy at work, travel or an injury, try not to completely stop your training. Depending on the situation, try to keep doing few exercises every day using bodyweight exercises and functional exercising when possible.
3. Try to maintain a balanced diet.
You might lose appetite because you are not spending too much energy and maybe you are not in the best mood because you are not doing what you love to do, but try to maintain a fairly balanced diet to support your body needs and help you keep your body size in check. But of course, don’t over eat since you don’t want to gain too much weight because you are not working out.
And finally, remember, reversibility happens to everyone so don’t blame yourself or feel bad about it.
It is just the nature of our bodies and muscles. Besides, the loss in mass is fast in the first few weeks but then it slows down and you will maintain some muscle size.
And the good news is, when it is possible for you to go back to your workout routine, your muscles will grow back fairly quick because of the “Muscle Memory” concept!
Stay tuned for more posts and articles : )