What happens when you stop weight training
- Thread starter mars
- Start date
naughtoj
Cathlete
I think the cardio will help maintain the muscles of the legs, but your muscles will still atrophy and get smaller. You of course will lose strength. But you will always be better off than before you started weight training, as your muscles have "memory" and will rebuild to their prior strength and size quickly after you resume weight training again. Personally, I would never want to STOP training. I would just go down to once a week to maintain something. Plus, the added strength in the muscles really does help the cardio performance. I would not want to lose that either.....Janice
Janice -
Thanks, that makes me feel a little better. During the summer months I cycle alot and find it hard to get in weight training because my legs are too tired for hard bike rides. Therefore, I have taken about 6 wks off and am now starting back to 1 day a week. Boy am I sore and I have really lost alot of strength from where I left off. Good advise, stick to at least one day.
There is an old myth that if you weight train for years and then stop completely that you will have a bunch of flab in place of the muscle. This is really a myth don't you think?
Thanks, that makes me feel a little better. During the summer months I cycle alot and find it hard to get in weight training because my legs are too tired for hard bike rides. Therefore, I have taken about 6 wks off and am now starting back to 1 day a week. Boy am I sore and I have really lost alot of strength from where I left off. Good advise, stick to at least one day.
There is an old myth that if you weight train for years and then stop completely that you will have a bunch of flab in place of the muscle. This is really a myth don't you think?
naughtoj
Cathlete
Many people think that without use fat "turns into" muscle. It does not....EVER. However, muscle can atrophy and fat can be added to the body over time. In this case, eventually you WILL have less muscle and more fat, but I don't think I would go as far as to say a "bunch of flab in its place". Unless of course you eat nothing but Twinkies and Ho-Ho's!!! Actually, if it makes you feel better, Mars, I am pretty mesomorphic and weight training does little for my legs other than give me more strength and power. I am one of those people that can do nothing but cardio and have really muscular legs. So, there!! Especially if you are biking hard, especially mountain biking, you don't really have much to worry about if you are only taking the summer off. You will be sore when you resume weight training only because your body is no longer used to it, not so much because you have lost all your muscle..
Take Care,
Janice
Take Care,
Janice