I’m Injured! How Fast Will I Lose all My Fitness?

Injuries aren’t just painful and overwhelming. 
They can be debilitating, especially when they mean eliminating your participation in sports, crossfit, lifting, running, etc. 

The good news: 
Not only does physical therapy help you return to activities you enjoy, but it can also help prevent the loss of strength gains or aerobic fitness you’ve worked so hard for. 

MYTH: it only takes 3 days to lose all your running fitness
ANSWER: FALSE. 
In general, significant conditioning is lost after 2-6weeks of insufficient training. (grivas)
 
Deeper Dive:
Detraining, [is] defined as a partial or complete loss of training-related adaptations as a consequence of training load reduction or training cessation (berryman)
 
As this applies specifically to aerobic or metabolic endurance training:
 "Coyle et al. observed that seven endurance-trained subjects stopped training for 84 days, and their VΟ2max declined by 7 and 16% in 21 and 56 days, respectively, it then stabilized at that level, which was still 17.3% higher than that of sedentary control subjects. " (grivas)
 
A couple very key facts?
These endurance athletes stopped training for 84 DAYS. 
And despite that, their VO2max was still 17.3% higher than their sedentary counterpart!
 
The hope for you: 
Without the stimuli of normal training there will be some regression in VO2max, but this is entirely normal. This demonstrates how flexible and strong your body can be and how, with the right training (aka stimuli), your body can bounce right back.

Physical therapy can help provide that stimuli in a skilled, specific, and unique way, meeting  your needs as an individual and athlete. ​

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The Benefits of Detraining

An unexpected benefit of taking time off from your typical or regular reactionary or athletic activities include: 
Short periods of detraining may enhance anabolic hormonal milieu and increase lean mass (chen).

Within the context of this research article, the author is discussing how short periods of detraining, specifically from cardio-type activities, can actually provide anabolic hormones a window in which you can build MORE lean muscle mass.

Many individuals see injury recovery as solely sitting on the couch. 
The opposite is true. 
While injured, this provides an opportunity to work other areas, such as building strength in different muscle groups in addition to participating in physical therapy. 

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In Summary: 
How fast will I lose my running fitness or strength gains?

​STRENGTH GAINS: strength gains are maintained for up to 4 weeks 
AEROBIC and METABOLIC FITNESS:  5-7 days of not running or performing metabolic conditioning:
 No noticeable amount of fitness lost. It’s safe to resume a training plan where previously left off. It remains important to observe how you're feeling and responding to workouts. 
 
2 weeks of not running  or performing metabolic conditioning: 
it is encouraged that the athlete repeats half of the previous last week of workouts or the entire previous week. 
 
3-4 weeks  of not running  or performing metabolic conditioning: 
It is highly encouraged to repeat the same number of weeks in an aerobic training plan as the number of weeks taken off. This may mean returning to base building. 

Come see us today at ProFormance Physical Therapy and Wellness!
Marie Whitt, PT, DPT

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References: 
https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/html/10.1055/a-0975-9471
Sousa, A. C., Neiva, H. P., Gil, M. H., Izquierdo, M., Rodríguez-Rosell, D., Marques, M. C., & Marinho, D. A. (2020). Concurrent training and detraining: the influence of different aerobic intensities. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 34(9), 2565-2574.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/337001553_The_Effects_of_Detraining_on_Cardiovascular_Parameters_in_Distance_Runners
Grivas, G. V. (2019). The effects of detraining on cardiovascular parameters in distance runners. Med Sci Sports, 4(2), 91-95.
https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4663/9/1/1
Berryman, N., Mujika, I., & Bosquet, L. (2020). Effects of Short-Term Concurrent Training Cessation on the Energy Cost of Running and Neuromuscular Performances in Middle-Distance Runners. Sports, 9(1), 1.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17461391.2021.1880647
Chen, Y. T., Hsieh, Y. Y., Ho, J. Y., Lin, T. Y., & Lin, J. C. (2022). Two weeks of detraining reduces cardiopulmonary function and muscular fitness in endurance athletes. European Journal of Sport Science, 22(3), 399-406.