There are so many reasons as to why people stop or abandon their workout routine. It could be because of an injury, it could also be because you find yourself working around the clock or are otherwise forced to put exercise on the back burner for a while.
There are a host of other reasons that could lead to people forsaking their workout routine for a while and in some cases, for a longer period of time.
Sometimes, a day or two can easily stretch into weeks or even months, and they’re right back to square one. In technical terms, they’ve become “deconditioned.” In fact, according to recent research, 25 to 35 percent of adult exercisers quit working out within two to five months of starting. How quickly your fitness level declines depends on several factors. Some may surprise you.
Here are 4 unexpected things that can happen when you desert your workout routine.
1. Cardiovascular Fitness Starts to Tank After One Week
Cardiovascular fitness is defined as the ability of the heart, blood cells and lungs to supply oxygen-rich blood to the working muscle tissues and the ability of the muscles to use oxygen to produce energy for movement.
This whole process decreases after as few as one to two weeks of inactivity. Not just that- the functional capacity of the heart also decreases. After three to four weeks of bed rest, your resting heart rate increases by four to 15 beats, and blood volume decreases by five percent in 24 hours and 20 percent in two weeks.”
2. Flexibility Loss Occurs Quickly
Here’s the hard truth: you lose the benefits of flexibility quickly if you take any substantial time off from stretching. Researchers believe that after a bout of flexibility exercise, the muscles and tendons begin to retract to their typical resting length — particularly if you sit during your commute regularly and or sit at a desk at your job. You’ll notice a loss of flexibility in as few as three days, with even more pronounced changes occurring at the two-week mark. These same researchers went on to advise that stretching should be done at least three times a week — if not daily.
3. Strength Starts to Diminish After Two Weeks
When you quit strength training, changes in your muscles begin to occur within days. This is solely because your muscles, when not receiving its regular challenge, will start to lose protein, which is absorbed into your circulation and excreted via urination. A small but meaningful loss in muscle protein (the building block of the contractile units for each muscle fiber) can begin to occur in 72 hours.
Noticeable changes when attempting to lift your usual amount of weight show up in two to three weeks. And as with cardiovascular fitness, long-term exercisers will see a slower muscle loss than those new to exercise.
4.You Lose Power Faster Than You Lose Strength
Power is simply defined as strength times distance over a period of time (for example, how quickly you can hoist a weight). This fades faster than strength. According to physiotherapist Danielle Weis, strength losses first occur because of an alteration in the nerve’s impulses to muscle fibers, shortly followed by actual muscle wasting.
What happens during muscle wasting? During muscle wasting, protein breaks down at a faster rate and protein synthesis drops. The time it takes for you to return to your original fitness level depends on the reason you stopped exercising in the first place — whether due to illness or simply lack of time.
Conclusion
Inasmuch as there are lots of sensible reasons as to why you might need to forsake your workout routines, don’t. Instead of completely forsaking your workout routine, you could make out days to rest and focus on other pressing matters during the week. For example, you could take a break on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays while you train for the rest of the week.
WhatsApp number: +971 55 432 4361 (Just send us code 14051 and we will get back to you ASAP)
Contact Us: Click here to send us your details or fill in the form below.
You can get in touch with us 24/7 and one of our experts will not only give you a free consultation but also help you pick out an appropriate male or female personal trainer to meet your needs. One-on-one personal training lessons are available in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman and RAK.
______________________________