Detraining

As harmful as an over training effect is a detraining effect. It means losing the training benefits acquired during a well-planned effective exercise program because the individual decides to stop.

This effect is so harmful that even an athlete who exercised all his life may lose the benefits of his efforts so completely he might be in worse shape than a sedentary person after a few years of inactivity.

One of the reasons why some people get discouraged from exercising is because, on one side, the benefits acquired from regular exercise are transient and reversible; on the other side, the detraining effect can happen much faster than it took you to reach a training effect.

Some people come back to the gym after a period of convalescence and feel like they never get there in the first place. To start all over again is frustrating and their body feels like an enemy.

So, what can be done?

If you maintain part of your workout routine when you are recuperating from an injury for instance, you will be able to slow down the detraining process significantly.

It is also important to keep the level of intensity you are used to, keep the same load while exercising at least once a week.

Detraining results in loss of strength after a few weeks and it is more noticeable for the lower body than for the upper body. Detraining usually occurs within two and a half weeks after cessation of the exercise. It might also occur before this time lapse, depending on the person.

Depending on the person's level of fitness and age, no decrement may occur after four to eight months of physical inactivity if they still continue to exercise while washing their car, walking their pet, going on foot to work, etc. Nobody really can be completely inactive and compelled to stay in bed.

However, for most of us all prior functional gains of exercising are dissipated within two to four months in the case of a prolonged cessation of physical activity.

So, when you engage in sportive activities, please commit yourself for life!

You do not want to lose all benefits of your hard work, do you? But detraining is not the end of the world. If you have to stop exercising for a while, do not make it an overwhelming problem. Rest the time you think it is necessary for you to recover and ease back into your routine. Sometimes a few weeks of rest are more beneficial than a continuous activity. I said, at times.

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