Dr Ben Ng

“Missed the gym for two weeks? You probably haven’t lost nearly as much muscle as you think.” After a break from training, people often look in the mirror and think their muscles have disappeared. But what you see isn’t necessarily muscle loss. When you stop training, your muscles can store less glycogen. And because glycogen holds water, your muscles may start looking smaller and flatter. Your performance can also drop quite quickly because you’re no longer practising the movements regularly. Actual muscle tissue generally takes longer to disappear. The longer you're inactive — especially if you're older, unwell or completely immobilised — the more muscle you can lose. But a short holiday from the gym isn't going to erase months of training. That’s how I’ll Bend it today. Don’t panic over a short break — what looks like lost muscle may not actually be lost muscle. #drbenng #Doctorexplains #Doctortalks #Healthcareeducation #Healthtips