.png)
Maybe it's been a while since you set foot in a gym or went on a jog. That's okay - life happens. Occasionally our fitness goals are sidetracked by injuries, work, school, family, and global pandemics.
It's not the end of the world, just the end of public gyms.
So the question: How quickly will we all lose our fitness progress?
The answer: Not much, IF you can follow a few guidelines.
The More You Have, The More You Have To Lose
I say that in fitness and health there are no "If / Then" statements. The human body is too complex to simplify into a conditional, one-size-fits-all equation. It's impossible to say "If you stop training, you'll lose X% of progress."
However, we can say with confidence IF you were to stop training and exercising completely for, say, 8 weeks, THEN you will lose some progress. Though how much you lose depends on how much progress you had to begin with, and whether you were able to manage the rate of decline.
Consider that fitness has different levels, or thresholds. Each threshold is representative of the amount of adaptation your body has made due to the demands of exercise.
An average fitness level - someone who doesn't actively engage in planned exercise, but is mildly active throughout the day with his/her job and lifestyle. This person can experience the energy boosts of exercise on occasion, but is easily worn out with too much activity. This person has not made any positive adaptations with exercise.
Above average fitness - someone who participates in planned exercise in a hobby or activity on a regular basis. This person is usually energized by exercise, and looks forward to doing more. Their body is adapting to the stress of exercise.
Advanced fitness - this person tracks their progress and fights for every ounce of gain. They know their limits and are constantly pushing to improve. They know when they feel good, they know when they feel bad. They are aware of how their body responds to exercise, fitness, and changes in habits. Their body has adapted to the high levels of exercise.
Elite fitness - this person is a competitive athlete. They are always at the "top" of their personal game. The smallest change in habits can make a huge negative impact. If sleep, water, or nutrition is disrupted, they can lose a significant advantage. Their body has adapted to the extremely high levels of specific training, and requires constant maintenance. Skipping a workout can be the difference between first place and third place.
If you were to take an 8 week hiatus from your normal activity levels, there would certainly be some change in your fitness threshold. But each domain of fitness responds differently to negative change. Cardiovascular decline is faster than muscle mass decline. Strength gains are lost a little quicker than flexibility - and your activity levels play a large part in managing this decline.
If you were at the ELITE level of fitness, an 8 week break with minimal activity would be devastating. It would be a huge change in your lifestyle. An elite athlete training 10x per week, suddenly dropping to 1x per week or less would be a significant change.
On the flip side, a person with an AVERAGE level of fitness, who rarely participated in planned exercise, would be mostly unaffected by an 8 week hiatus. There wouldn't be any change in their daily life.
This rate of change will play a large part in determining how much progress is lost.
Rate of Change
The bigger the discrepancy between past and current exercise levels, the bigger the loss. Going from 3x per week to zero is a greater change than 2x per week to 1x per week.
In terms of fitness levels, the first thing to decline is your cardiovascular fitness. In as little as 2 weeks, your V02max (volume of oxygen being used for exercise) will decline relatively quickly. This means your 5k time will be noticeably longer. The number of rounds you can spar, or the intensity of your tennis matches will be the first victims of time off.
Muscle mass is a little slower to be affected, but after 3-4 weeks of complete inactivity, there can be as much as a 5-6% decline in muscle mass.
Muscle strength will also be lost - but at a different rate. Remember that strength is based on your central nervous system, not muscle size. Strength gains can be lost, but your nervous system will "remember" how to be strong once exercise resumes. However the longer the time off, the more strength will be lost.
The good news is that light exercise can manage the decline and act as a buffer. Even super light activity, such as walking for 20 minutes, can be enough stimulus V02max and help keep an elite level athlete from declining into "average" territory.
Doing something - anything - is better than doing nothing.
Here's some additional good news: It comes back quickly. Your body has a fitness memory. The quicker you can resume your normal training, the sooner your fitness will return. And it will return at a faster rate than it took to build it in the first place.
Consider a 1:1 ratio of decline:return. If you took 8 weeks off, it might take ~8 weeks to get it back. Maybe more, maybe less, depending on how you managed the decline.
What You Can Do
So what are some strategies for managing the decline?
First, remember than anything is better than nothing. In addition, the closer you can match your lower activity with your previous exercise, the more you will maintain your fitness.
If you can't go for a run, go for a walk. Keep your cardiovascular system doing something. If you're recovering from an injury, consider doing a cardio activity that uses your arms instead of your legs.
Strength can be maintained with varying stimulus. If you can't perform your normal bench press routine, push-ups will keep your nervous system awake and strong.
Consider increasing exercise volume as a temporary substitute for intensity. This means if you're concerned about losing your heavy squat or bench press progress, do body weight exercises at a very high volume - like sets of 20, 50, or even 100.
Consider improving the other domains of fitness. Instead of worrying about maintaining your super-strength, use this time to build flexibility and endurance.
Runners - if you can't run - consider using this time to build muscular strength and reduce the risk of future injuries.
Focus on your nutrition. Eating more protein will help maintain as much muscle mass as possible. If your exercise volume has gone down, you'll need to reduce your overall calories to avoid weight gain.
Don't jump right back in. You'll need to gradually resume exercise volume when you're able. It's dangerous to go from 1 workout per week back to 10x workouts per week. Your body is very adaptable and the progress will come back fast, but give it a few weeks to slowly regain the lost progress.
Remember that fitness should be enjoyable - and a 2 week hiatus from exercise won't be the end of the world. Use this time to grow your fitness in new areas. If you're recovering from an injury or surviving a global pandemic, a longer break may cause you to lose a little progress, but it will come back quickly.
MORE Information
Comments