A study conducted at the Faculty of Sports and Health Sciences at the University of Jyväskylä investigated the effect of a 10-week break from strength training on maximum muscle strength and muscle size. The study found that taking a 10-week break in the middle of a total of 20 weeks of strength training had little effect on development. During rest, maximal strength was better preserved than muscle size.
The study compared the results of 20 weeks of strength training in two groups: one that trained continuously and one that took a 10-week break in between.
This study found that the results regarding maximal strength and muscle size development were similar in both groups. The researchers said that the reason the groups made similar progress was that when they resumed training, their maximal strength, and especially their muscle size, quickly returned to their pre-rest levels.
“In the first few weeks after the break, the progress was very rapid, and after just five weeks of retraining he was already at his pre-break level,” says Ili Halonen from the Faculty of Sports and Health Sciences. PhD thesis on the effects of training breaks.
After 20 weeks of continuous group training, progress clearly slowed down after the first 10 weeks. This ultimately meant that there were no differences in muscle size or strength development between the groups. ”
Ili Halonen, Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä
‘Muscle memory’ will next be studied at the cellular and molecular level
The phenomenon of quickly regaining previous levels of muscle size after a break is called “muscle memory.”
“The physiological mechanisms of muscle memory are still not completely understood,” said senior researchers Juha Hulmi and Juha Ahtiainen. “Our next step is to study more deeply the cellular and molecular changes in muscle that may explain this phenomenon.”
Maximal strength is maintained better than muscle size
The study also found that maximum muscle strength is better maintained during rest than muscle size.
“This may be explained by the fact that changes in the nervous system may be more permanent than changes in the periphery of muscles,” Halonen says.
Based on this study and existing evidence, gym-goers appear to have little need to worry about occasional training breaks of up to 10 weeks, provided training is regular and gradual throughout the year.
However, it’s worth bearing in mind that in this study, those who took a break from training achieved the same results in 30 weeks as those who trained continuously for 20 weeks.
“Of course, a break slows down your progress a bit, but it’s comforting to know that you can reach pre-break levels surprisingly quickly,” Halonen said.
The study was carried out at the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä. Participants were young Finnish men and women who were physically active but had no experience with systematic strength training.
The study results were published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports. This study was funded by the Rehabilitation Foundation Peurunka, the Finnish Sports Research Foundation, the Academy of Finland, and the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä.
sauce:
University of Jyväskylä
Reference magazines:
Halonen, E., et al. (2024). Does rest matter? Strength and size adaptations between continuous and regular resistance training. Scandinavian Journal of Sports Medicine and Science. doi.org/10.1111/sms.14739.
