Monday, November 04, 2024

Muscle memory: A long break from exercise has little impact on strength

Good to know! Or why the Finnish people love sauna! Just kidding!

"... Researchers from the University of Jyväskylä's Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences in Finland found surprising results in their study, which looked into how taking a 10-week break in the middle of a 20-week resistance-training schedule affected muscle size and strength loss. ...

What they found was surprising: while muscle size declined, strength didn't slip as much as expected, and once the workout routine resumed after the break, it took just a couple of weeks to be back to where they were before their 'gym holiday.' ..."

From the abstract:
"We aimed to compare the effects of periodic resistance training (RT) and continuous RT on muscle strength and size. Fifty-five healthy, untrained participants (age 32 ± 5 years) were randomized to periodic (PRT, n = 20 completed the study, 45% females) or continuous (CRT, n = 22 completed the study, 45% females) groups. PRT completed a 10-week RT, a 10-week detraining, and a second identical 10-week RT. CRT began with a 10-week non-RT, followed by a 20-week RT. RT included twice-weekly supervised whole-body RT sessions. Leg press (LP) and biceps curl (BC) one repetition maximum (1RM), countermovement jump (CMJ) height, muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) of vastus lateralis (VL), and biceps brachii (BB) using ultrasound imaging were measured twice at the beginning and every fifth week during the intervention. Both groups increased (p < 0.001) 1RM in LP and BC, CSA in VL and BB, and CMJ height with no differences between the groups. In PRT, 1RM in LP and BC, CSA in VL and BB, and CMJ height decreased during detraining (p < 0.05). During the first 5 weeks of retraining in PRT, increases in LP 1RM, and VL and BB CSA were greater than in CRT during Weeks 10–15 of their CRT (p < 0.01). PRT and CTR ended up in similar postintervention adaptations, as decreased muscle strength and size during detraining in PRT regained rapidly during retraining. Our results therefore suggest that trainees should not be too concerned about occasional short-term training breaks in their daily lives when it comes to lifelong strength training."

Muscle memory: A long break from exercise has little impact on strength

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