Getting out of shape can happen FAST. There comes a time in every fitness enthusiast’s life where the decision to skip a work out will arrive. Unfortunately, this often leads to several subsequent missed workouts. Though missing the gym occasionally won’t have a drastic impact on your health, continued, or more frequent, missed workouts can ruin the hard work you have put into achieving your fitness goals.
Overall fitness levels, along with the time away from the gym, will play a big role in how quickly you fall out of shape. Generally, the less fit you are the quicker you will fall out of shape. If you focus on running over weight training, the losses received may be different.
Muscles are composed of both slow-twitch and fast-twitch muscle fibers. This means the body will have different reactions based on the muscle fibers that are typically used when exercising. Generally, strength levels will decline before aerobic activities, like run speeds.
Slow-twitch muscle fibers are often activated during daily activities, meaning they are less susceptible to decline. This type of muscle fiber is used during endurance performances, such as running. Fast-twitch muscle fibers, on the other hand, require strenuous effort to activate. That means while slow-twitch fibers resist degradation through daily use, fast-twitch muscle fibers are suffering.
While a day off can be beneficial for recovery, it is important to make sure that you are taking the precautions necessary to stall muscle loss. Even a break of two weeks off can produce noticeable differences in strength. For this reason, sticking to a dedicated schedule will help you achieve your nutritional goals! Dont get into a rhythm of being out of shape!