How Long Can You Stop Lifting Weights Without Losing Strength?
Other People Are Reading
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Six-Week Break
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You can go about six weeks without weightlifting before you lose a little bit of muscle, according to a Muscle Guy column from "Men's Health" magazine. This means you can take off from lifting for the holidays, your wedding and the summer without backsliding too much.
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Two-Week Break
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You might start to lose some power, around 10 percent of your muscle strength, after you stop working out for two weeks. This is not a huge amount, although it can start to make a big difference if you are not doing any type of physical activity during your off weeks.
Bottom Line
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You might need a break from weightlifting at some point, which should not influence your body much if you keep in shape with other activities. Invite your family to play beach volleyball on vacation, take a swim or go for a long walk around an unexplored city. When you hit the gym again, you should notice that barely anything has changed.
References
- Photo Credit female bodybuilder image by Steve Lovegrove from Fotolia.com
