What Happens When You Stop Lifting Weights?
Here's How Rapidly You Start to Lose Muscle Once You Stop Lifting Weights
You Lose Strength
Obviously if you don't work your muscles, you will lose strength, but the rate at which you do so is kind of upsetting. "Researchers have found that you lose strength at about half the rate you gain it. In other words, if you increased your arm strength by 20 percent in four weeks, you would lose 10 percent of that strength within four weeks and all of your strength gain within eight weeks," said Nagel. "Many people notice a loss of muscle size and definition within 3-4 weeks. However, how fast you lose muscle mass depends on a variety of factors, including age, gender, and fitness level," she added.
Basically, your strength decreases due to a combo of things, including lack of blood flow, a decrease in capillary size, and a decrease in muscle mass, explained Schaffer. "On a micro level, your muscle fibers are not being used and don't need to store glycogen for energy. The lack of nutrients for your muscle fibers causes them to atrophy. This atrophy leads to strength reduction," she explained.
