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The Rate of Muscle Loss & Frequency of Training We were sent a very interesting link from one of our readers regarding the rate at which muscles lose strength and size during periods of non-training written by Chris Beardsley, a sports scientist. Beardsley, according to bodybuilding.com, "specializes in the biomechanics of lower body movement and exercise." He has published extensively on the role of the hips in both athletic performance and musculoskeletal rehabilitation following injury. He writes the Strength & Conditioning Research Review, a highly-respected monthly research review service, covering the latest strength & conditioning, biomechanics, anatomy & physiology, and physiotherapy studies.” Google Scholar adds: “His work is well-cited in the academic community, reflecting his significant impact on the field." Beardsley’s bottom line is that muscle loss takes place a lot faster than most people would guess and this can be tested through three methods: 1 Immobilization studies, 2 Detraining studies, and 3 Maintenance studies. We'll review the highlights of his discussion: Immobilization of the muscle (which prevents any of the muscle fibers from being activated) causes the most muscle loss. Muscle loss is detected within a 2-3 day period – unless the subject had a weight training session right before the immobilization which extends that period a couple of days. There were “significant reductions in quadriceps muscle volume…and maximum strength.” "The losses seemed to be affected by reduced protein synthesis rates” but were “not affected by dietary protein rate.” Detraining of the muscle (laying off for a time) is a little harder to calculate because even if you don’t have training sessions your muscle fibers are still being used in normal activities. “Even so, we do have clear indications that meaningful amounts of muscle loss happen within one week.” You may ask at this point, "What about other studies that have not shown such a significant drop-off in so short a time?" His answer: “Older studies tended to report a longer period of time being necessary and probably lacked statistical power.” Maintenance Studies “are the most valuable source of data regarding the occurrence of atrophy during a training week. Such studies have shown that a single weekly workout comprising three sets produces hypertrophy that is then lost by the following week, such that there is no long-term gain in muscle size.” “Indeed, just to be completely clear: the most obvious way to interpret such maintenance studies is to see that there is a period of time in which hypertrophy happens (the stimulus period) and then a period of time in which atrophy happens (the atrophy period). When maintenance occurs, then the muscle mass gained equals the muscle mass lost over the training week.” His conclusion: "Together, these three sources of information show that muscle mass is lost very quickly and this has a large impact on the way in which training frequency should be analyzed." Read the entire study here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/107681018
My Take My routine is an all-out workout on Saturday followed by a maintenance workout at mid-week. I also stay active on rest days by walking. When people ask me how often to train, I tell them to train as often as they are willing to keep doing it indefinitely. I usually also tell them what I do, adding that they should do what feels right to them. The bottom line is that what feels best is usually best. If they go off track and train too often they will know it by fatigue, and perhaps inability to sleep. These suggestions, of course, are relevant when you are lifetime training, and other parameters of training would be involved for various sports disciplines. Many thanks to David Tempest for sending this interesting link.
Photo by Laszlo March 1, 2025 Comment on this article: FEEDBACK Ripped Enterprises, P.O. Box 51236, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87181-1236 Home | Products Index | Ripped Bks | Lean Adv. Bks | Lean For Life | Recommended Bks | |Consultations | Tapes | To Order | Feedback] Copyright © 2025 Clarence and Carol Bass. All rights reserved.
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