{"id":23306,"date":"2021-03-11T07:10:32","date_gmt":"2021-03-11T05:10:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trifocusfitnessacademy.co.za\/?p=23306"},"modified":"2022-10-19T12:45:46","modified_gmt":"2022-10-19T10:45:46","slug":"how-long-does-it-take-to-restore-lost-fitness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trifocusfitnessacademy.co.za\/personal-fitness-training-blog\/how-long-does-it-take-to-restore-lost-fitness\/","title":{"rendered":"How Long Does It Take to Restore Lost Fitness?"},"content":{"rendered":"

When it comes down to fitness, we’ve all heard of the saying, “Use It or Lose It”. While it’s very true that when you stop exercising you will lose fitness, how fast you lose it depends on several factors. These include how old you are, how fit you happen to be, how long you have been exercising as well as how long you stopped.<\/p>\n

Losing fitness<\/a> when you cease working out also called detraining or deconditioning. This is one of the major tenets of conditioning.<\/p>\n

The fundamental principle of use\/disuse just means that when we cease exercising, we usually begin to decondition and also lose both strength as well as aerobic fitness. Many of us need to stop exercising, from time to time, for any number of reasons. Illness, injury, holidays, work, travel as well as social commitments often interfere with training routines. When this takes place, we will often see a decline in our level of conditioning.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s Talk Numbers<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It doesn\u2019t matter if you\u2019re of normal fitness, or if you\u2019re a marathon runner \u2013 levels of fitness drop fast. It goes without saying that the marathon runner\u2019s fitness would still be better as opposed to a person whose chief exercise is walking because the marathon runner was fitter in the first place.<\/p>\n

However, after a week of no training<\/a>, both would be half as fit as they were the last time they worked out. Cardio fitness is the first to go and after about two weeks, you\u2019ll probably start to show between a 7-10% loss in strength levels.<\/p>\n

Regarding cardio, you will pretty quickly notice a vast difference in your body\u2019s ability to transport as well as utilise oxygen. This will show up in the form of you getting puffed out easily, sweating more profusely and feeling tired.<\/p>\n

On the strength side, when there is no stimulus, your muscle mass will decrease. Some research suggests that in just a week you can lose up to 10% of your muscle mass. Over three months, you will lose the majority of your gains.<\/p>\n