Velcro .. it really depends on your level of experience, how often you lift, your nutrition during the time off, etc.
Anecedotally, 2-3 weeks seems to be the longest period of time that a person can break without seeing some impact on muscle mass and strength. I’ve frequently taken breaks of that duration and never seem much impact. In fact, sometimes I feel stronger and more energized after a break.
What you may lose during a break is some strength in the smaller supporting muscles—especially the triceps, biceps and forearms. Shoulders can also take a hit fairly quickly after an extended break.
Larger muscle groups like the chest, back and quads take much longer to atrophy and experience meaningful drops in strength. In fact, I once skipped leg training for almost 5 weeks with no appreciable change in performance.
What you will experience, however, is a “flattening” of the muscles – but this is usually temporary and you can expect to bounce back fairly quickly – often within 1-2 workouts.
If you are thinking about taking a deliberate break, consider take an “active rest” which substitutes in very light, high rep sets for the heavier stuff you would normally do. This allows recovery, but also keeps your muscles and joints/connective tissue primed and active (and can help reduce the chances of adding body fat during your rest.)
Best of luck!
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