Read time: 3 minutes

​

Consistency is hard.

The problem is, being consistent is key to success in most long-term pursuits - and exercise is no exception.

But consistency with exercise doesn’t mean never taking a break, either.

Too often we beat ourselves up if we fall off the wagon after finally stringing together a period of regular training.

But missing a few sessions here and there probably won’t impact your progress over the long run.

A new study shows just how little short training breaks matter for fitness gains - providing you manage to get started again.

​

Do short training breaks hinder progress?

A recent study asked this exact question.

To do this, they had two groups of younger untrained adults (aged 32 on average) do 20 weeks of resistance training.

One group trained for 20 weeks without a break - whereas the other group trained for 10 weeks, stopped for 10 weeks, then trained for another 10 weeks.

Here’s the basic study design:

So over a 30-week period, one group stayed consistent with their training, while the other did the same amount of training - but with a decent break in the middle.

Sound familiar?

This mimics the all-too-common scenario when a period of regular training is derailed by:

• Injury
• Illness
• Low motivation
• Or life in general

So the question is, did taking a short break from training really matter in the long run?

​

Lost fitness can be rapidly regained

As expected, those who trained consistently for 20 weeks had decent gains in:

• Strength (+25%)
• Muscle mass (+25%)
• And vertical jump (+13%)

But here’s the kicker:

After their second block of training, the group who stopped for 10 weeks made the same gains as those who kept going.

This group lost a considerable amount of their gains from the initial training period after stopping for 10 weeks:

• Strength (-5%)
• Muscle mass (-9%)
• And vertical jump (-7%)

But when they resumed training, they rapidly regained what they’d lost.

And before long, they were back on track with those who’d kept training whole time:

Here’s how the overall fitness gains compared between the two groups after 20 weeks of training:

These findings align with other studies showing similar muscle and strength gains when periods of resistance training (10-24 weeks) are interrupted by regular 2-3 week layoffs versus training the entire time.

The bottom line is short breaks from training aren’t an issue - providing they don’t extend too long and training eventually resumes, of course.

​

Is this “muscle memory” at play?

Those who took a break from training rapidly regained their fitness.

And this was the key reason why the training break didn’t impact their gains in the long run.

So the question is:

Did the concept of “muscle memory” play a role?

A previously-trained muscle has long been suspected to improve aspects of fitness quicker than one never exposed to regular training.

It’s not really clear why this is the case, but it may be due to:

• Extra nuclei in muscle cells retained from prior training (despite losses in muscle mass or strength with detraining)
• Epigenetic changes (genetic modifications other than changes to the DNA sequence itself) that also persist from prior training
• Neural adaptations that are largely responsible for strength gains (and are particularly evident during the early weeks of training)
• Or a re-sensitisation of anabolic pathways in muscle (that become less responsive over time) after a detraining period

None of these things were measured in this study, so it’s not really clear if they contributed.

We also know fitness gains happen quicker earlier in training, so it’s possible the group who took a break had “newbie gains” twice.

Either way, they ended up at the same point as the other group after the 30 weeks - despite NOT training consistently.

​

Yes, it’s OK to take a break

The key lesson here is short training breaks probably don’t impact fitness in the long run.

Consistency with exercise is important.

But being consistent means showing up most of the time, over a long period of time.

This means it’s absolutely ok to take breaks every now and again - especially when we consider exercise as a lifelong event, not a short sprint.

So the next time you find yourself out of your exercise routine, rest assured you can get back on track in no time.

The key is doing whatever it takes to just get started again.

​

As always, thanks for being here!

​

Until next week,

Jackson

​

​​​

If you've got a moment, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this edition of The Weekly Exerciser.

Send me a quick message or email - I'll reply to every one!

​

PS: Did someone forward you this email? You can sign up to The Weekly Exerciser here.

​

IMPORTANT:

The information contained herein is of general nature only and does not constitute personal advice. You should not act on any information without considering your personal needs, circumstances, and objectives. Any exercise program may result in injury. We recommend you obtain advice specific to your circumstances from an appropriate health professional before starting any exercise program.