Victor Forge
While building muscle mass is a common goal for many, there are situations in which losing muscle mass is desirable. This could be due to injury, illness, or simply aesthetic preference. It's important to note that losing muscle mass is generally not considered healthy, and before making any significant changes, it's recommended to consult a doctor to ensure you're making safe choices for your age, sex, and physical condition. That being said, there are several ways to lose muscle mass, including reducing caloric intake, decreasing protein consumption, and altering your workout routine to incorporate more cardiovascular exercises and less weight training.
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What You'll Learn
Causes of muscle breakages
Muscle breakages, or muscle strains, are common but painful injuries. They are often sports injuries caused by sudden sprinting, twisting, or jumping. However, accidental strains are also common in everyday life.
There are two types of muscle strains: acute and chronic. Acute muscle strains happen suddenly and cause immediate symptoms. You might pull a muscle with a sudden, forceful movement or by twisting it. Chronic muscle strains develop gradually, and so do their symptoms. You can gradually tear a muscle by overusing it without giving it enough time to repair.
There are several causes of muscle breakages:
- Overexertion: Training or laboring too hard or for too long without letting your muscles rest weakens them. If they don't have a chance to rebuild, they might break instead.
- Undertraining: Low flexibility and strength can cause muscles to strain with ordinary use.
- Lack of stretching or warming up: Not stretching or warming up before exercise can overstress your muscles.
- Dehydration: Not drinking enough water can lead to muscle breakdown.
- Overheating: Heat causes faster muscle breakdown.
- Medication: Some medications, such as antipsychotics, antidepressants, and antiviral medications, can cause muscle breakdown.
- Substance use: Non-prescribed substances like psychoactive drugs may cause muscle deterioration.
- Injury or trauma: Severe burns, electrocution, or crushing injuries can cause muscle fibers to break down rapidly.
- Genetic conditions: Certain genetic disorders, such as McArdle disease and Duchenne muscular dystrophy, can lead to muscle breakdown.
- Inactivity: Prolonged periods of inactivity, such as being bedridden or immobilized, can cause muscle atrophy and breakdown.
Additionally, to lose muscle mass, one must reduce caloric intake, alter their workouts, and focus on cardiovascular exercises. This is essentially the opposite of what one would do to increase muscle mass.
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Symptoms of muscle breakages
Muscle strains are common but painful injuries. They are often caused by sports activities, but accidental strains are also common in everyday life. A muscle strain is the same as a pulled muscle or a muscle tear. When you tear or strain a muscle, it can damage small blood vessels, causing local bleeding or bruising. It can also cause pain due to irritation of nerve endings in the muscles.
Muscle strains are graded according to their severity. A grade 1 muscle strain is a mild strain with minimal impact on muscle strength or motion. A grade 2 muscle strain is more serious, resulting in reduced strength and motion in the affected muscle, along with possible swelling and bruising. The recovery time for a grade 2 strain can be up to 2-3 months. A grade 3 muscle strain is a severe injury where the muscle tears into two pieces or shears away from the tendon. This type of strain may require medical care or even surgery.
Rhabdomyolysis is a rare and dangerous muscle condition that can be life-threatening. It occurs when there is a breakdown of muscle tissue, leading to the release of muscle fiber contents into the blood. These substances, such as the protein myoglobin, are harmful to the kidneys and can cause acute kidney injury and even kidney failure. Rhabdomyolysis can be caused by overexertion, trauma, medications, underlying health conditions, or structural muscle diseases.
The symptoms of rhabdomyolysis include muscle pain, weakness, stiffness, tenderness, and swelling. There may also be changes in urine colour, with urine appearing dark, brown, red, or tea-coloured. In some cases, rhabdomyolysis can lead to nausea, vomiting, confusion, irregular heartbeat, or even coma. It is important to seek immediate medical attention if any of these symptoms are present, as early diagnosis and treatment are crucial for recovery.
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Treatments for muscle breakages
Muscle strains are common injuries that can affect anyone. The recovery process for a muscle strain typically involves avoiding activities that cause pain and further injury to the muscle. It is important to give the muscle enough time to heal and not rush the recovery process, as returning to intense activity too soon can lead to re-injury.
Rest and Immobilization
In the acute period following a muscle strain, it is important to offload the muscle and avoid any activities that may cause further injury. For example, for hamstring strains, crutches may be recommended for the first few days or weeks. Immobilization can also be achieved through the use of splints or casts, which are typically used for mild fractures where the bones have not moved out of place. More severe breaks may require a closed reduction procedure to realign the bones without surgery.
Physical Therapy
Progressive functional physical therapy is an essential part of the recovery process for muscle strains. A physical therapist will guide you through exercises to help regain strength, flexibility, and function in the affected area. They will also provide you with a personalized set of exercises to perform at home, targeting different muscle groups to aid in your recovery.
Pain Management
Managing pain is an important aspect of treating muscle strains. Over-the-counter painkillers, topical creams, and gentle massages can help ease discomfort. Anti-inflammatory medication can also be used to control pain, although there is conflicting evidence regarding its effectiveness in improving healing or reducing recovery time.
Sleep, Nutrition, and Hydration
Getting adequate sleep, consuming enough protein, and staying properly hydrated are crucial components of muscle recovery. These basic self-care practices provide the body with the necessary tools to repair and regenerate muscle tissue.
Surgical Repair
In cases of complete muscle rupture, surgical intervention may be beneficial. Surgery is also considered for grade 3 injuries, which are severe muscle tears that may not be adequately treated without surgical repair.
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Exercises to build muscle
Building muscle has many benefits, such as giving your body a leaner appearance, lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, and reducing your risk of cardiovascular disease. You can build muscle through strength training, which can be done at home with bodyweight exercises or light loads and more repetitions, or with weights.
If you're looking to build muscle with bodyweight exercises, push-ups are one of the most efficient exercises. They build strength in your chest and triceps, but also give your shoulders, core muscles, lower back, and lower body a workout. To do a push-up, lie facedown and place your hands on the floor slightly wider than your shoulders. Push up to lift your shoulders, torso, and legs until your arms are fully extended. Only your hands and toes should be touching the floor. Slowly lower your body until your chest almost touches the floor, then repeat. If you're a beginner, you can start with wall push-ups or knee push-ups, and if you're more advanced, you can try pike push-ups or burpees.
You can also build muscle with weights, such as dumbbells or barbells. For example, you can do bicep curls by holding a dumbbell in each hand, with your arms straight down at your sides. Bend your elbows and bring the weights up toward your shoulders, rotating your arms until the palms of your hands face your shoulders. Slowly return to the starting position and repeat. Another example is the chest press, where you lie on your back with a dumbbell in each hand, raised above your chest. Slowly extend the dumbbells overhead while slightly bending your elbows, then bring them back to the starting position.
Additionally, you can incorporate compound exercises, which target multiple muscle groups, into your routine. These exercises include burpees, side-plank rotations, and mountain climbers. They get your heart rate going and provide a dose of cardio, especially if done as part of a HIIT circuit.
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Diet to build muscle
A diet to build muscle should be rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals. It is important to eat a variety of foods to ensure your nutritional needs are met. While protein-rich foods are a priority, it is also important to have the fuel to be active. A calorie surplus is necessary to build muscle, but consuming empty calories will not help you build muscle, strengthen bones, or repair tissue.
It is recommended to eat three good meals a day and give yourself slightly larger portions. If you have a small appetite, it is better to eat five to six times a day. It is also important to drink fluids before and after meals, but not with them, to leave more room for food.
A good way to add protein to your diet without consuming too many calories is to eat lean meat, such as jerky. Bison is also a good alternative to beef if you are concerned about your heart health. Dairy products such as cottage cheese can be purchased with varying fat content, so it is best to choose the type that suits your caloric needs. Many types of beans, such as kidney beans, are excellent sources of protein and can be part of a balanced muscle-building diet.
If you are struggling to get enough protein from food, protein shakes can help. Dairy protein powders such as whey and casein are the most popular, but there are also protein powders that use soy, pea, beef, or chicken protein. Creatine can also give your muscles the energy to perform an additional rep.
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Frequently asked questions
Rhabdomyolysis is a rare and life-threatening muscle injury where muscles rapidly break down, causing toxic components to enter the bloodstream and potentially leading to kidney damage or failure. It can be caused by severe trauma or burns, high-intensity exercise without rest, severe dehydration, certain medications, or substance use.
While losing muscle mass is not recommended as a healthy goal, it can be achieved by reducing caloric intake, decreasing protein and carbohydrate consumption, and altering your workouts to focus on cardiovascular exercises instead of weight training.
Microtears in muscles from strength training or weightlifting create an opportunity for the muscles to repair and rebuild stronger, leading to increased muscle mass and hypertrophy. Adequate rest between workouts is crucial to allow for muscle repair and prevent overfatigue.
