Dropping out of training - implications and consequences
Dropping out of training - implications and consequences
Avoiding losing physical shape is one of the main concerns of athletes. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to exercise regularly, avoiding long periods of inactivity. But what happens when you decide to stop training for three days, a week, a month or a year? Here's how inactivity can affect your body and mind. After reading this, be sure to start working out at home again.
Effects of stopping training on the body
two to four days
If you stop exercising for two or three days, it's fine, there are no negative effects. In fact, it's healthy for the body to rest, as it's the best way to avoid injuries and overloading the muscles. Additionally, rest has been shown to be essential for improving fitness because it promotes muscle growth. So don't be one of those geeks who thinks you have to train intensely every day without rest, because it can be completely counterproductive.
seven days
Even a one-week break may have little or no negative effects. In fact, many top athletes take an entire week off after doing physical activity for more than a month. However, this is usually only practiced at a professional or high performance level, as the physical load is much greater, as is the risk of injury. If you're a casual athlete, you don't need a week off, just take the suggested two or three days for muscle regeneration.
Two weeks
After two weeks without training, that's when you start to see the losses and the negative effects. You can say that these are not such negative effects, but they are already noticeable. The first result is a loss of muscle mass, and you may notice that the tone decreases and the muscles are no longer as hard and strong as before. Likewise, physical fitness, respiratory capacity and cardiovascular behavior began to be affected. You are therefore less resistant and you tire more quickly, which considerably reduces your sports performance. However, after two weeks, it's not too late to recoup what you've already earned. After two weeks of rest, it is possible to return to its former form, since the period of inactivity is not long.
Month
After a month of physical inactivity, the losses became more noticeable. At this stage, the human body has lost its athletic state, muscle tension is much lower, and physical condition is worse. In general, after a month without physical activity, you can start to notice an increase in body fat, even if you are still following a healthy diet, because the lack of muscle releases fat. Getting back into shape after a month of inactivity is difficult, but not impossible. After thirty days, you will no longer be able to train at the same intensity as before, so you will have to start slowly, and gradually increase the demand until your body gets used to it again.
more than a month
If the idle time is a month or more, the negative consequences for the body are more serious . Fat mass may be the most visible and the body may show very low muscle tone. Moreover, this prolonged period of sedentary life affects not only the appearance of the body, but also the metabolism, the immune system, the respiratory system and the cardiovascular system. Likewise, after a long period of physical inactivity, the human body is no longer accustomed to the routine of activity, and falling into vices and bad habits has become much easier.
There is a very important point that we have not addressed in this topic. Giving up training also affects the mind, not just the body. If we interrupt an active lifestyle and go into a prolonged period of inactivity, mood and motivation can be affected. It is very common for athletes to start feeling sad or depressed, which can also lead to a breakdown in their habits.