We are getting closer and closer to being allowed to hit the gym again, a lot of you will be wondering how long it will take to rebuild any of your lost size and strength. Unfortunately, I can’t give you a precise answer; it depends on a whole lot of diverse factors.
Now for muscle restoration, sets and reps schemes, protein intake, calorie intake, how much muscle you had before all come into play as well as recovery and sleep quality. There are a whole bunch of other variables to consider, but these I feel are the main determinants to contemplate.
If all these things are being tended to, then you will rebuild faster than someone who isn’t adhering to these things at all. Age and fitness levels also play a part. Thanks to muscle memory though it won’t take you as long as it took to build it in the first place. So thats cool.
The good news is, is that strength levels won’t take as long as muscle regeneration; this is because of previous adaptations to a movement, this again depends on how long you have trained for, but it will return faster than your wasted flesh.
You may be surprised at how much strength you actually kept over this time off. If you have been following a bodyweight program like my clients, you may not have lost much at all.
Without getting too much more complex than that, I have trained clients back to full size and strength within 4 to 8 weeks after a hefty layoff, exercising 4 to 6 days a week in the gym.
Again the time frame depends on your adherence and commitment to your training.