Most dedicated athletes such as bodybuilders totally freak out if they have to miss a week or two of training for whatever reason. However, a recent study has shown that reductions in strength and power are rather minimal when dedicated lifters have as long as month away from pumping iron.
This study revealed that when a group of strength athletes stopped training for 4 weeks they only experienced an average decrease in strength of around 6 to 9%. They showed a slightly greater reduction in power (the ability to exert force rapidly).
This research also showed that a two week reduction in training volume (reduction in the number of workouts completed) actually increased strength and muscle IGF levels.
A short layoff or a reduction in weekly training volume isn’t a bad thing, particularly for dedicated athletes. Strength and power decreases after a short lay off are very minimal. Max-OT spells out a week off from training every 8 to 10 weeks. Following this protocol and more times than not you’ll come back strong and more motivated to train.
Source: J Strength and Conditioning Res, 21, 768, 2007.
