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After skipping gym for one month I'm losing all muscles and turning into the weakling I am. I'm wondering on every visit "how these guys maintain their muscles?

• nfRfqX5n 3y ago
  It’s not that hard to maintain
  • expertentipp 3y ago
    I guess "fattish" or "thick boned" people have it easier...
    • r_p4rk 3y ago
      To keep muscle all you need to do is counteract the catabolic pressure on lean muscle mass, you can workout your muscle groups at very low intensity 1-2 times a week and eat more in a caloric surplus/maintenance to achieve this.
    • anigbrowl 3y ago
      Can't you just exercise at home? I am naturally skinny but put on muscle by working out diligently at home. I have not been in a gym since high school and I don't own any fancy equipment, just a few bits and pieces that I bought used (bench, pull-up bar) or found on the street (dumbbells). For most calisthenic exercises you don't need any equipment at all.
• agos 3y ago
  Occam's razor to the rescue: they're not skipping gym, and eating consequently (which I guess falls under "swallowing some substances")
• diath 3y ago
  There's absolutely no way a natural will lose all of their gains if they skip the gym for a month, unless you're doing short periods of going to the gym, then not going to the gym (say month on, month off), then at that point you're not really losing muscle, there was not much muscle to begin with, your muscle just became depleted instead, two other explanations could be either being seriously ill, or simply severely undereating for the period of that month to the point that your body cannibalizes itself.
• ddorian43 3y ago
  There are people who take steroids and still don't do the other parts good enough and look normal. But it's also genetic (I know taboo right). That some people can gain much easily and/or maintain muscle easily. Or maybe you're doing drugs (alcohol), not sleeping right, not enough protein,etc. Or a combination of these all.
• llm_nerd 3y ago
  Maybe they just don't skip the gym? For a lot of people the gym is a relaxing "third place"[1] that they truly are sad to miss for a period of time. I'm sure some percentage are augmenting, but it is surprising how common it to see people on social media declaring that people with the slightest bit of definition or muscles as steroid users. [1] Should we call it the "second place" in the era of WFH?
  • expertentipp 3y ago
    >For a lot of people the gym is a relaxing "third place"[1] that they truly are sad to miss for a period of time. Not at all in my case. In my youth gyms were places for hooligans, _heavy_ steroids abusers, low end criminals, and thus places to avoid. Then spent some years in Germany where gym contracts are famously predatory and abusive, again a place to avoid. Only around 2 years ago had found a civilized place finally. Starting to visit regularly meant to actually overcome some traumas.
• yoyohello13 3y ago
  I don’t know if you’re serious or not, but one month is not enough time for you to lose significant gains. Even if you do lose strength or mass it’s much easier to get it back than it is to initially build. I took a year off during the pandemic and was able to get back to my previous lift numbers in about 2-3 months.
• throwaway22032 3y ago
  I don't know anyone who works out regularly who would take a month break. Maybe if they are injured they'd take a month (or more) off of that specific muscle group. That's like not brushing your teeth for a month, it's not the done thing. The Americans I know don't even take a month off work, lol.
• deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
• madaxe_again 3y ago
  Genetics is a sonofabitch. I haven’t been a to a gym in 20 years, and yet people ask me what my routine is. Sit on the couch, smoke, eat chocolate. Your mileage may vary. I did do an unholy amount of exercise from 12-20 (rowing), which may have put a few epigenetic switches in useful locations, as before that I was a spherical child, but honestly, I have no idea how I maintain cardio and strength with frankly small bursts of infrequent activity.