Even though that's usually the best intention, it doesn't always happen. So how soon do you actually lose the fitness you've worked so hard to gain when you take time off? More: 7 Tips for Taking Time Off. First, it's important to understand there are two "types" of fitness: your aerobic fitness—in other words, your endurance —and your orthopedic or structural fitness—the ability of your muscles, bones, tendons and ligaments to withstand the impact of running.
Thankfully, it takes a little while to lose your hard-earned endurance. For most runners, it takes about seven to 14 days for your aerobic fitness to start declining. And what you lose initially is mostly the gains that you've made in the last several months of training. What exactly does that mean?
If you're a lifelong runner, you'll retain much of your aerobic fitness for several months. So don't worry: You won't revert to a couch potato if you need to take a few weeks off due to an injury like IT Band Syndrome. Here's even better news: The better shape you're in, the more fitness you'll hold onto when you're not running.
If you run consistently and have a higher level of fitness than a beginner, you don't have to worry about losing your gains as much as if you were just starting out. The best use of this information is to run as consistently as possible. Running is truly a long-term endeavor—a lifestyle rather than simply a sport—and your aerobic fitness is something you hold onto for many months.
Structural fitness is critical for injury prevention. It helps you absorb the impact of running without suffering an overuse injury. This area hasn't been studied as well, but it does take longer to gain structural fitness as opposed to endurance.
Many runners experience more rapid declines in this area as well. If we can help with any articles, please let us know. I was perfectly fine and training was going well until I got sick for 2 months. I had to take April, May and some of June off. Lucky Cait. Hi Nielsen I too have graves!! Running was so hard I had to stop and my heartrate was horrendous. Just wondered how you are getting on now as I see you posted back in August. Are you still running? Hi Elle, how is your running going?
Hopefully you have returned from injury, and you have regained your fitness levels. Wait until your thyroid hormone levels are within the normal range. I should add — I now run 3 to 4 times a week and cross train on the other days.
Hi Emma, great to hear you are in remission! Thanks for the advice, I am sure others in a similar position will find it very helpful. Running times per week is plenty to maintain fitness, especially if you are injury prone. It is good that you are able to listen to your body, and do what you need to do to stay healthy. What kind of cross training do you do? But now I decided to add some more muscle mass, that means much more resistance training and nearly no explicit cardio workouts.
However, my resistance workout pace is fairly high such that my heart rate is somewhat high of course not as much as running but fairly high. I also do rigorous Ashatanga yoga workout once a week. The question is, will this workout plan would decrease my running fitness or not?
Hi Hesham, are you still keeping up with your running in any way? That is the only way you are truly going to keep your running fitness up, as your body needs to be used to the pounding. The yoga and resistance training will be supplemental activities to your fitness, and will most likely help, but you are only going to maintain that cardiovascular fitness through running itself, or running simulated activities such as pool running or using an elliptical.
Hi, I have a fitness test for a club I want to join that needs me to get 9. I passed a practice on the 9th of December fairly comfortably but due to travelling home and coursework have missed running for about 10 days. How much fitness will I have lost? My real test is on the 4th of Jan and I am so stressed right now….
Hi Paul, you should be absolutely fine by Jan 4th. Just make sure you have a few harder days, and mostly easy days in there, and you will be fine. Taking a week off every now and then fro all exercise being cardio.
Some weeks I have less decline and some weeks more. Strength training I experience minimL if any, decline. As for cardio. I usually do a combo. I experience the most decline in running fitness. I ran my 1st err 5k Oct 4th, after 10 day off running only biking some of those days. I got a time of just over 22 min.
The course was totally flat. Makes no sense other then it ws my 1st 5k and I had adrenaline going with me. I even ran a 5k the next day and got a time of approx.
I have been running over a year before this. Both races I pushed myself. Exactly Kurt, it is a shame more people do not have the confidence to be able to take a week off to completely recover more often. Thanks for sharing, that is interesting, but not really surprising as sometimes this is all our bodies need.
Keep up the good work, and keep us informed on how you are doing! Will I be able to resume my normal level of activity after a whole week off, or will I need to ease back in? Related articles. Read more. How does exercise help with osteoarthritis? Physiotherapist Charissa Fermelis shares some advice. How can exercise help manage chronic illness? How exercise can help manage diabetes and more. Moves for new mums Getting back into exercise after having a baby can be tough.
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