Fitness fades fast when we take a break. Here’s how to get it back safely

Muscle strength and power remain even when we haven’t trained for two or three weeks, while endurance and skeletal fitness (the integrity of bone) are the fitness stayers and the last to go.

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As strength, power and endurance take time to build, they take longer to decline and longer to recover. Certain muscle groups become deconditioned faster than others.

“Type-one muscle fibres are more related to endurance and type-two muscle fibres are more related to strength and power,” says Mosler. “And in general, our muscles that have a higher percentage of type-two muscle fibres will de-train more quickly than those with a high percentage of type-one muscle fibres.”

So, our quad muscles and arms, which typically have more type-two (“fast twitch”) fibres will deteriorate faster than our calves, which tend to have more type-one muscle (“slow twitch”) fibres.

Once we’ve lost fitness, how do we get back to where we were safely?

To prevent joint and tendon injury, it’s important not to try to pick up where we left off. Or at least, not with the same intensity.

“For each week of de-training, you need to reduce what you are requiring your muscles to do by about 10 to 20 per cent, depending on the activity and depending on your level of fitness,” Mosler says. “So for example, if you used to run 10 kilometres every time you run, and then you’ve had a week off running or maybe two weeks off running, your first run might be eight kilometres rather than 10 kilometres or reduce your speed by 10 or 20 per cent to allow your body to accommodate for that de-training effect.”

If you’re returning to strength training, Mosler recommends having at least one to two rest days between sessions to allow the muscles to adapt and recover.

Walker says that, generally, aerobic and endurance exercise will cause less post-exercise muscle soreness than resistance training, power and impact work, “particularly the eccentric aspect of these movements”.

“But don’t be afraid of DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness),” Mosler adds. It’s usually gone within several days of exercising and indicates our muscles are adapting to the load.

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The final thing to remember when starting back is that fitness is about balance and co-ordination as well as strength, power, endurance and cardiovascular condition. When we begin exercising again, our balance and co-ordination may be a little off, so go slowly and avoid high-risk sports immediately after a big break. Getting plenty of sleep and good nutrition also support our bodies to adapt and recover more quickly.

It’s OK to take a break sometimes, Mosler says, and sometimes we have no choice – injury or life gets in the way. Staying generally active, even when we aren’t doing our normal training, will help slow the losses.

“For instance, we always recommend to the elite athletes when they’re having a break – say a water polo player – they don’t need to be doing their nine sessions a week,” says Mosler. “They need a mental and a physical break, but to maybe just jump in the water and swim a couple of times a week to maintain some of their motor function and neuromuscular co-ordination.”

For the rest of us punters, walking when we usually run and adding more VILPA to your day will maintain our base level of fitness, making it easier to start back up when we’re ready, she says.

“The de-training effect is minimised by maintaining some form of activity, even if it is at a lower level, which means it will take less time to regain your peak level of fitness after a break.”

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