Here’s How Long It REALLY Takes To Lose Muscle

Rest days are your best friend. No workout routine gets our tick of approval without them, as they work wonders to support your energy levels, motivation, muscle growth and recovery, while reducing the chance of injury, burnout, fatigue and training plateaus.

But there’s a point when having too much rest sends your muscle gains in the opposite direction. So exactly when is that point? A week off with the flu? Two weeks off while on vacay? Or three months off with an injury?

Here’s everything you need to know about how long it really takes for muscle loss, aka atrophy, to occur when you hit pause on your training.

Muscle loss explained

According to the Cleveland Clinic, muscle atrophy is the loss or thinning of your muscle tissue. This means your muscles end up looking smaller than usual and your muscle strength decreases, too.

While we’re specifically talking about muscle loss as a result of taking a break from your fitness routine, muscle atrophy can also occur because of age, genetics, malnutrition and certain medical conditions.

Alongside those obvious changes in how your muscles look and feel, muscle atrophy can be accompanied by other symptoms such as tingling, numbness or weakness.

How long does it take to lose muscle?

Whether you’re sick, injured, on holiday, have zero motivation, or life has thrown you a curveball that has meant fitness has moved to the bottom of your priority list, the first thing is not to feel guilty for taking a break or panic about muscle loss.

Life is full of ups, downs and seasons and we’re in this for the long game. Cut yourself some slack and know that you’ll come back to your strength training routine when you can.

This is especially true if you’re taking just a couple of days or weeks off, as muscle loss generally starts within two or three weeks of not using your muscles, and it’s a very gradual process from there. You’re not going to suddenly wake up and poof, your muscle tissue has evaporated into thin air.

• 3-4 weeks of inactivity: Most people tend to see noticeable changes in muscle by the time they reach this marker, whether that be changes in the mirror or a feeling of weakness. So if you’ve taken a week or two off and are worried it’ll be a huge setback - don’t worry, it won’t be.

• 5-12 weeks of inactivity: Depending on your genetics and preexisting level of muscle, it can then take 5-12 weeks of inactivity to experience a decline that almost feels like you’re starting from scratch. And yes, as frustrating as it is, it usually takes around the same amount of time (at least) to build it back up.

Factors that impact your rate of muscle loss

Everyone is different and these are some of the factors that can speed up or slow down your personal rate of muscle loss:

• Age: As Harvard Health explains, you begin to lose as much as 3% to 5% per decade after the age of 30 and

  research shows this rate of decline is even higher after 60.

• Hormonal changes: As women age and go through menopause, the drop in estrogen is associated with decreases in skeletal muscle mass and strength.

• Diet: What you eat plays a super important role in building and maintaining muscle mass, with protein being the macronutrient you want to focus on. Try to include a lean source of protein in every meal and snack, and consider tracking your protein or seeing a nutritionist if you’re struggling to gain (or hold onto) muscle.

• General activity levels: There’s a difference between taking a break from lifting weights in the gym while still being active on your summer holiday, and not doing any exercise at all. Keeping generally active isn’t enough to maintain or build significant levels of muscle tissue - you need strength training for that - but your rate of muscle loss will definitely be slower.

• Previous fitness and muscle levels: The simple way to think about it is the more you have in reserve, the better. If you’re highly active and well-trained (and have been for a while), chances are it’ll take much longer for you to notice changes than someone who has only been strength training for a couple of months. With plenty of lifting experience and muscle memory under your belt, your return to normal programming will also be much easier!

Trying to find a new strength program?

If your life has taken a turn and you’re trying to find a strength training program that fits with your new routine, here are a few of our favourite options in the Sweat app:

• For strength training with no equipment: Bodyweight Strength or PWR Zero

• For strength training with basic equipment:Ignite Strength or Low Impact with Kayla

• For strength training with resistance bands: PWR Bands is where it’s at!

• For quick strength training workouts:The Daily 10 Challenge and The Daily 20 Challenge from Britany Williams are both super popular, as well as PWR Express

• For strength training in the gym: We’re loving Kayla’s new strength program. No burpees, no HIIT, just pure strength training. Lift with Laura is also fantastic if you want a challenge.

• For strength training with a Pilates or barre focus: We would recommend The 3-2-1 Method, Strength & Barre or Barre with Britany

Rest is not your enemy

So next time you need a break from training, whether it's for a week, a holiday, a sprained ankle or just to binge a new season of your favourite show in peace, take it guilt-free knowing your muscles won’t be going anywhere for weeks.

And even if you do need to take a more significant break, we’ve got you covered with strength workouts designed for every level to ease you back in.