![]() ![]() There are a variety of factors that influence how long your fitness “sticks around.” Some of it’s biological and out of your control, but other aspects of training can be adjusted to maximize long-term conditioning. Factors That Affect the Rate of Detraining A study documenting the impact of decreased resistance training among female rowers actually observed strength gains in some lifts, and no loss in others. Muscular strength can be maintained with one to two strength sessions per week. What’s even more interesting is how much work is required to stave off those losses – or rather, how little. In some cases, up to 6 weeks can pass with little to no change in ability. For strength athletes, more than 4 weeks can pass before any severe reductions in performance occur. Muscular strength sticks around substantially longer than aerobic endurance. How Quickly Do You Lose Muscular Strength? So, elite level runners will detrain at the same rate that an amateur competitor will, but the elite runner will still be faster than the amateur in a direct comparison. It’s important to remember that this is relative – you lose a percentage of your fitness level, not a set number value. After 9 weeks, that jumps to 19 percent, and after 11 weeks of no aerobic training, most people have lost 25 percent of their VO2 max. After 4 weeks off, the average athlete will see a decrease of 6 percent. When you take two weeks off training, the volume of blood in your body will actually decrease, giving your heart less to work with as your heart rate increases.Īs time away from training increases, your VO2 max continues to decrease. This first shift primarily comes from the heart pumping less blood with each beat, which means less oxygen is making it to your muscles. That being said, it still takes TWO WEEKS before a noticeable impact is made on your performance.Īfter two weeks of no training at all, the average person experiences an initial drop in their VO2 max. How Quickly Do You Lose Aerobic FitnessĮndurance athletes (or those primarily concerned with aerobic capacity) get the short end of the stick – you lose aerobic fitness faster than anything else. Most people are primarily concerned with either aerobic fitness or muscular strength let’s look at those two first. How quickly detraining affects your body depends on a myriad of factors like age, gender, natural build, baseline fitness, your sport of choice, and even the reason you’re taking a break. You won’t lose all your gains after a long weekend – or even a week – away from the gym. It sounds a bit doom and gloom when you’re reading the definition, but don’t worry. Your metabolism may also begin to slow as muscle mass decreases and the body is no longer supporting a more active lifestyle. You’ll also slowly lose your body’s ability to use carbs more efficiently, and your muscles’ enhanced ability to process oxygen. You’ll see changed in your blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels over time. Many physiological processes (that do affect performance) are also changed when you take a break from the gym. This includes decreased aerobic capacity, flexibility, muscular strength, speed, and any other “athletically trained” skill.ĭetraining doesn’t just impact performance, either. In order for a performance loss to be attributed to detraining (also known as deconditioning), it must come after a break from training. The same goes for stalled progress – that doesn’t equate to detraining, and might instead be a symptom of under-optimized nutrition, recovery, or workout progression. This is normal, and doesn’t qualify as detraining. What Is Detraining?Įveryone has off days in the gym or runs that feel like they take extra effort. ![]() The good news, though, is that depending on your baseline fitness and how long you out, you may not have lost as much as you fear. The bad news is that no one is immune to detraining. Whatever the reason, missing training can be frustrating, and going back to the gym is daunting – especially when you think about any performance losses you may have suffered and how much work it will take to get back where you were. didn’t workout for a while (it happens to the best of us). Maybe you were travelling, had a family emergency, or just…. Only, life isn’t like that and our bodies don’t work that way.Īt some point in your athletic career (maybe now, if you’re reading this), you’ve probably had to take a break from training. Once you ran your perfect 5k time, the only place to go would be forward – no fear of slipping back and losing precious seconds. Once you hit that PR, you’d never fail it again. When it comes to the fitness gains you make, wouldn’t it be great if any forward progress were permanent? ![]()
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