Yup, you read that correctly.
Muscle loss is very possible and even if you’re not a bodybuilder, it should concern you.
Why?
Because it’s muscle! It can only benefit you, so listen up.
Cause #1 – You’re Overtraining
What?!?!
Here I am trying to get myself to the gym for the first time in my life and you’re talking about overtraining?
You’re crazy, you know that?
Maybe a little.
But remember, too much cardio, too much weight-lifting, too much cross fit, will only have a negative effect on your aerobic conditioning.
Especially cardio.
In her article for Women’s Health Magazine, Collen de Bellefonds explains, “Unlike weight lifting, which engages all of your muscle fibers, cardio doesn’t build muscle. In fact, it can burn it…if you’re on a calorie deficit and jog for 45 minutes your body taps into muscle for fuel.”
But this principle is the same for all exercises:
If you give your body more work to do without providing more fuel (nutrition), it’ll use what it already has; fat and muscle.
Solution – An hour in the gym daily, even for a bodybuilder, is more than enough to see the results you want.
Cause #2 – Consuming Too Little
This is the worst.
When it comes to fueling your body, too much fuel is always better than too little.
Anyone will tell you this.
Obviously you don’t want to become overweight but it’s a good rule of thumb to live by, especially for anyone trying to lose weight.
Once again, your body is simple and without providing it the proper fuel, it’ll use what it has: fat and muscle.
“When you’re not taking in enough calories, your body takes from stored carbs (glycogen), stored fat, and protein from muscle,” explains Nick Clayton, C.S.C.S., the personal training program manager for the National Strength and Conditioning Association.
And as much as you want to just burn fat, I also want to time travel.
We can only wish.
Solution – Listen to your body. Eat when your hungry.
Cause #3 – Not Enough Training
Okay, I might be a little crazy.
First I tell you to stop overtraining then I tell you to train more frequently.
What can I say, being an athlete is tough.
In exercise physiology, the actual loss of muscle mass or muscle tissue due to misuse is called: disuse atrophy. When this happens, your muscles decrease in size.
But what’s even more surprising is you don’t just lose muscle, your muscle fibers actually change from your nicely toned endurant muscle fibers and strength-producing fibers to those “couch potato” or “dad bod” muscle fibers.
So your muscles actually change! How weird is that?
But how long does it take for this change to occur? Around 72 hours.
And it all depends on the muscle. The fitter the muscle or the more often we use it, the slower it’ll atrophy. So for example, our leg muscles will take the longest to atrophy because we use them everyday.
So what I do and what I’d suggest bodybuilders do to keep their size and muscle, is to not go more than 3 days without weight training.
Solution – For the average population however, Quick and Dirty Tips explains, “Even if you can’t do a six day a week, perfect cardio and strength exercise routine, you should still stay physically active, and you can try to exercise at least once per week.”
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