The point of no return: how quickly fitness is lost without exercise

Today, many people regularly go to the gym to keep themselves in shape. But there are often events in life that make it impossible to keep to a training schedule – business trips, injuries, vacations. Sometimes the breaks drag on for several weeks. The question arises: how quickly does muscle tone go away and what period of time can be considered critical? Sergey Skolsky, a professional powerlifter and two-time world champion, helped us to understand this question.

How quickly does strength go away?

The time required for a noticeable loss of strength and fitness is variable. And it depends on many factors, including the duration of the training process, your age, health condition and some other indicators.

If you are forced to be unable to do strength training, there is definitely no reason to worry for the first few weeks. During such a period, neither beginners nor experienced athletes will lose muscle strength.

However, the size of the muscles may start to decrease. This is due to the loss of water in the body. During training, glycogen production is activated. It binds water, so the volume of muscles increases. And in the absence of physical activity this substance in the body becomes less, so we begin to lose the fluid accumulated in the muscles. This causes the “deflating” effect. Do not be upset in this case – after resuming exercise, the volume will quickly return.

If the opportunity to train is not expected for a month or more, still do not hurry to panic. You can get back in shape quite quickly. During regular exercise, muscle fiber nuclei are accumulated, which contribute to the increase in volume. When you stop exercising, the muscles themselves shrink, but the nuclei remain. And after returning to training, it will be much easier to build up the same muscles.

In general, short breaks in the training process are even useful. If you exercise constantly, the body gets used to the load and its reaction to anabolic signals decreases. If you don’t train for a few weeks, this adaptation will decrease, which in turn will lead to an increase in anabolic hormones. Therefore, after a break, the muscles will even grow faster.

How to maintain strength without going to the gym?

If it is not possible to go to the gym for 8-12 weeks, but you want to keep the strength indicators, you can organize training once every 7 days. In this case, it is enough to perform only a third of the usual amount of loads. An excellent option will be classes at home with dumbbells and espanders, as well as exercises on the bar. They will provide a sufficient level of activity, which will help to maintain strength performance. In the absence of dumbbells or other sports equipment, you can perform exercises with your own weight.

Athletes who have already been practicing in the gym for a long time, compared to beginners, it is more difficult to keep in shape in such conditions. They should concentrate on exercises that will stretch the muscles and tense them at the same time. For example, during pull-ups, you can increase the time to return to the hang.

How quickly does endurance decrease?

Endurance is lost much faster than strength. This is due to the fact that in the absence of physical activity for a month or more, plasma volume decreases. As a result, blood becomes more viscous, which worsens the flow of oxygen to the tissues.

In the absence of training, the IPC indicator – the maximum amount of oxygen that can be consumed by the body – falls sharply. It decreases especially strongly in the first time after stopping exercise. For 10 days it will decrease by 7%, after which this process will slow down, so by the third month the drop will be only 15%.

However, if you do not perform cardio exercises, in a few weeks, endurance can decrease by 25%. This is most noticeable in beginners.

How to maintain endurance without training?

To maintain your endurance level, you need to perform aerobic exercises. Thanks to them, the work of the cardiovascular system improves and MPC increases. You can ride a bicycle, run or do simple exercises at home.

High-intensity interval training is recommended, with complex exercises alternating with quieter periods of activity or even rest. Exercises that can maintain a heart rate of 130-160 beats per minute for long intervals and bodyweight exercises are good.

When does excess weight appear and how to avoid it?

It is necessary to realize that without training, the energy expenditure of the body will significantly decrease. And therefore, without changing the diet, it will lead to a rapid gain of pounds.

To maintain optimal weight, it is necessary to make a diet that will take into account the current energy needs, and increase daily physical activity.

To maintain a slim figure, it is recommended to stick to short-term high-intensity workouts. Thanks to this, calories will be burned faster. If such activities are not to your liking, a good alternative is a long aerobic workout with a medium load.

In general, you should not be upset because of forced pauses in training. In a short time you will not have time to lose shape. And after a break, you will be able to quickly return to the previous indicators. In addition, it is quite realistic to keep your muscles toned without going to the gym. If desired, you can do exercises at home, in a hotel room, on the street or even on the beach.

If you do not manage to train, do not despair! When you start working out again, you will quickly regain your former physical shape.