So, how long does it take to get out of shape? Well, that all depends on how in-shape you were in the first place and what fitness means to you. And if you’re talking about strength or cardiovascular fitness. How much have you been working out? Five to 6 times per week?
According to some sources, strength can deteriorate with two to three weeks of inactivity. Eat like crap and that will accelerate. But if you’ve been hitting your strength training hard, you can probably take up to four or five weeks off with a little light exercise without losing much. That is if you’re not downing a sixer every night. One thing to remember, if you’ve trained specific muscle groups for specific sports, like say, your core, which you use for explosive movements like getting to your feet quickly on your board, those areas can deteriorate quickly (like two weeks).
And unfortunately, cardiovascular fitness is virtually guaranteed to go away faster than strength. At least two studies have confirmed that in four weeks of inactivity, we lose at least 20 percent of the cardiovascular training we’ve built up. And that can happen even faster if we smoke, drink or eat heavy foods during periods of inactivity. Common sense here.
The above video from Tech Insider shines light on overall fitness and how fast it deteriorates with a really solid take from Shawn Arent who directs Rutgers University’s Center for Health and Human Performance. Moral of the story: it might sound like Captain Obvious, but breaks are good. Just don’t let that break extend into months of inactivity.
