Archive for year: 2017
Effects of Bludging Pre and Post Christmas (ie the Effects of Detraining)
Planning on taking it easy in the lead up to Christmas because it is the party season after all? Think again!
Cutting back or missing sessions will be detrimental to your strength and fitness – ‘Use it or Lose It‘ rings very true here!
If you back off before Christmas and then continue to do less over the Christmas break, you will potentially be detraining for up to 10 weeks! (it’s only 6 weeks until Christmas now and then most of you take a break or go on holidays after Christmas!)
The Facts
Detraining (short-term <4 weeks)
- Strength can be maintained without training up to 3-4 weeks, but is gradually lost thereafter (strictly speaking, you can temporarily lose strength before this, but it comes back so quickly during retraining that it doesn’t matter)
- Muscles start to atrophy (reduce in size) after 2-3 weeks, though gains usually come back quickly, at least in beginners. Trained athletes or those with a long training history may take longer to get back to where they left off.
- Endurance performance decreases by 4 to 25% after 3-4 weeks. That’s huge and hurts to get back. That hill that used to feel OK now feels like a mountain!
- VO2 max (your maximum oxygen consumption and an indicator of fitness) declines by 6 to 20% at around 4 weeks of detraining.
- Beginners can maintain endurance performance for at least 2 weeks without training, though recent VO2max gains can be reversed after 4 weeks. So if you are just starting out and feeling great then stop training over Christmas, you’ll be starting again from scratch. Remember that feeling when you first started? Do you really want to go back there?
- Muscle, strength, endurance, and fat gains/losses vary from person to person. Some will suffer more than others.
- Flexibility is reduced after 4 weeks of detraining by 7-30%
- Bed rest/immobilisation/sedentary behaviour (sunbaking?) speeds up muscle atrophy – sleeping in shrinks muscles!
- Lastly, your metabolism slows (due to loss of lean muscle and less activity) which will lead to weight gain.
Maintaining Gains and Fitness over a Break
- To maintain strength during 4+ weeks of detraining, train at least once per week (for beginners) and twice a week for more trained athletes.
- To maintain hypertrophy during 4+ weeks of detraining, train at least once per week (for beginners).
- To maintain endurance during 4+ weeks of detraining, you can lower training volume by 60 to 90%, training frequency by no more than 20-30% in athletes, but beginners can reduce it by 50 to 70%. Training intensity should be the same. Therefore, if you do less, it still needs to be a hard workout to be effective. The odd walk won’t cut it.
- If injured, use alternative training forms such as strength training (which can maintain some endurance performance) or underwater running, cycling or swimming.
So – if you are pondering taking it easy over the Christmas break, remember that being active should be a year long/life long habit, not something to stop and start. Something is better than nothing so even if its 30mins, just get out there and move each day over the break.
The #1 Habit You Should Have to Lose Weight
One great reason here why Group Training works with Weight Loss and Fitness Gains, and how to make it happen for you.
The #1 Habit You Should Have to Lose Weight
We can all agree that a habit is anything you do regularly, but according to the definition used in psychology, a habit also needs to be done automatically — as in, without really thinking about it.
All habits need a trigger — a little reminder that says, “Hey, you should do this action now.” You want to be able to just get out of bed and exercise, just as you brush your teeth each morning.
They also need a reward — a little reminder that what you just did was a good thing. “Hey – I nailed that class and feel great” is sometimes all the reward you need.
Habits are hard. But repetition and rewards make actions become habits much more easily.
How to make exercise a HABIT
FIND PEOPLE TO SHARE YOUR WEIGHT LOSS AND FITNESS JOURNEY WITH
Permanent lifestyle changes happen in relationships. Whether they take place with peers, a coach, family, friends, coworkers, the other anonymous people at training sessions, new habits happen when people get together and help each other out.
Finding your own triggers are hard. Seeing other people’s is easy. “I wish I could be as focused and consistent as her”. You can!
Remembering to tell yourself, “Great job!” is hard. Pat yourself on the back for every session you do, even if you came last up that hill. Hey, you were there when many weren’t!
Remembering to tell other people how awesome they are is easy. Try telling yourself sometimes.
Figuring out how to enjoy new foods, new activities, and new steps into your own life is hard. Watching and learning from a whole bunch of other people like you who are trying to get to the same place you are is just so much easier!
That is why Group Training Works!
At Energy Fitness we thrive on working as a supportive community, all with the one goal – to be healthy for a long time and to have fun doing it.
Come along and see for yourself – enjoy a week’s free trial – no contracts or commitments, just try it.
Go to www.bioathletic.com.au/training-club/ to sign up for your free week.
