Weight Lifting?

Question

I usually work out 3 times a week at the gym “building muscle” for hockey season. As of late I haven’t had the time to go to the gym (haven’t gone in a month) because of work. I’ve noticed a decrease in muscle mass lately. My physique has gone from an offensive hockey player to a physique of a soccer player.

I guess my point is, is this normal? If you don’t work out you can lose muscle mass? Its weird because I have friends who don’t work out for a whole summer and yet they still keep their muscle.

Answer 1

Depending upon what happened to your diet, your results are somewhat typical. If you've been eating poorly, your body could have used some of your muscle mass to feed itself. Plus, when you detrain, you are also less likely to eat clean, thus your protein levels probably dropped.

Plus when you work out, you do get an improved self-image, and since you haven't been hitting the weights, your perceived image of yourself might've dropped.

Your friends who somehow maintain their weight, may have been active in other ways or maintained a healthy diet. Also, genetics plays a roll in how much muscle mass one will lose when one doesn't work out.

Get back in the gym and your muscle mass will come back.

Answer 2

mchenry hit it on the nose..

Eat better to retain what you've worked hard to get, it only takes 30 mintutes a day or less to maintain the muscles you have.. so quit making excuses... not getting down on you, maybe you just need a push!!

Good luck man!

Answer 3

Our bodies work through the 'use it or lose it' principal. If you are not putting it through its normal paces (ex. weightlifting), it will begin to revert back.

Answer 4

what the first dude said, and tell your friends to get off their lazy asses, girls like men with muscle