Mass gains after stop working out

[userREYNIAL9X38]

Hi guys,

stupid question: I'm working out since two years and I've gained almost 10 kilos of muscles so far, I was wondering if at some point I will stop (because of work needs or other personal stuff) am I gonna lose all the gains? Let's assume that I'll keep more or less the same diet.

I know muscles obviously shrink if you don't use them but in terms of mass will I have any stable result or it will be the same as if I never started working out?

[gbullock32]

Hi guys,

stupid question: I'm working out since two years and I've gained almost 10 kilos of muscles so far, I was wondering if at some point I will stop (because of work needs or other personal stuff) am I gonna lose all the gains? Let's assume that I'll keep more or less the same diet.

I know muscles obviously shrink if you don't use them but in terms of mass will I have any stable result or it will be the same as if I never started working out?

Some will retain, and once you start working otu again you bounce back fast (muscle memory) but muscle is a 'use it or lose it' thing to a big extent. Muscle requires calories/energy to maintain so if you do not stimulate them the body will not prioritize retention and atrophy will happen; I went 6 months with no lifting after hernia surgery and lost maybe 20 pounds and half my strength, took me maybe 2-3 months to get strength back and about 4 months to gain the actual mass back.

[SuffolkPunch]

If you stop completely then yes, you will eventually return to your previous condition. Your body reflects your lifestyle.

But the good news is that you could reduce your weekly workload down by quite a lot (maybe as little as 1 day a week) and you can maintain what you have.

[xsquid99]

Muscle atrophy due to disuse is indeed a real thing, so if you just stop working out completely then yes, you're gonna lose a sizeable portion of your gains. Its not a quantifiable amount exactly how much though, but the longer the term of disuse the closer you will be to your pre-trained state.

Good thing is that its recoverable with regular exercise and proper nutrition, and most people usually tend to get it back usually faster than it took them to build it the first time around.