Although K encourages everyone to engage in physical activity, it's well understood that fitness is a significant test of willpower!
We often find ourselves motivated to work out intensively for a period, only to have our routines interrupted by various reasons.
However, there are common concerns:
😧 Does the adage "three days fishing, two days drying nets" mean our previous efforts are wasted?
🫣 If we stop exercising, does it mean we revert to square one overnight?
😱 And there's a notion that after stopping exercise, muscle turns into fat. Is that true?
This time, we've looked into numerous studies and come armed with real data to discuss:
❓ What exactly happens to our bodies after we stop exercising?
❓ How much of our past efforts can we retain after we cease physical activity?
"Stopping Exercise: No Need to Worry About Muscle Turning to Fat"
Firstly, many people worry about whether muscle turns into fat after they stop working out. The answer is clear: it does not!
Muscle is muscle, and fat is fat! The two do not convert into each other !
So, gaining weight after stopping exercise is more likely due to:
➖ The reduction in calories burned from the original exercise routine
➕ Poor dietary control leading to a caloric surplus
So, dismiss the myth of "muscle turning into fat," and focus on proper calorie control!
"Stopping Exercise for 2 Weeks, 2 Months, and 6 Months: The Impact Varies"
Although "muscle to fat" conversion doesn't occur, the body does undergo a series of changes over time after a period of exercise followed by abrupt cessation.
Stopping Training for 1 to 2 Weeks:
Don't be overly anxious; the impact isn't as significant as you might think.
If you're not exercising for just 1 or 2 weeks, it's unlikely that you'll gain weight quickly, and your fitness capabilities are probably not going to regress noticeably.
A study conducted a 4-week HIIT intervention on subjects and observed improvements in aerobic capacity and body fat levels. Even after a 2-week break from exercise, these benefits were still maintained, remaining better than the subjects' original levels before the intervention .
Another study on college athletes found that stopping strength training for 2 weeks had no impact on the lower limb muscle's maximum strength, specific agility, explosive power, and muscle circumference of college badminton players .
And here's some good news: if your goal is weight loss, occasional breaks of 1 to 2 weeks in the middle of your exercise routine are unlikely to significantly affect your progress.
A study compared the effects of two exercise patterns on weight loss:
🔂 Continuous Group: Exercised continuously for 8 weeks
⏸ Intermittent Group: After every 2 weeks of training, took a 1-week break
The conclusion was that there was no significant difference in the final weight loss between the two groups, suggesting that the continuity or intermittency of training does not affect weight loss outcomes.
"If You Really Can't Stick to Exercise, Here Are Some Coping Strategies"
So, if you take a breather during your weight loss journey, there's no need to be discouraged. Rest assured and start again when you're ready!
Stopping Training for 1 to 2 Months:
Your muscles are likely still there, but your health level might start to decline.
Not exercising for 1 to 2 months won't lead to significant muscle loss, and for some 'gifted' individuals, fitness capabilities may even improve slightly.
An animal experiment found that after HIIT intervention in rats, the rats' leg fat decreased, and muscle mass significantly increased, with these effects still being maintained after a 6-week break from training .
Similar findings were observed in studies on athletes:
After a 4-week detraining period, the performance of elite soccer players did not decrease; in fact, some aspects improved .
A 7-week period of no training also did not result in any significant changes in the BMI or lower limb neuromuscular performance of young soccer players.
However, 'not losing muscle' doesn't mean everything is fine. After stopping exercise for 1 or 2 months, the health benefits from exercise seem to diminish sharply.
A study on patients with hypertension showed that after 7 weeks of no exercise, the beneficial effects of exercise intervention on blood lipids in hypertensive patients disappeared.
Stopping Training for Over 3 Months:
There will be visibly noticeable 'regression.'
Although muscle does not turn into fat, the body does undergo a series of changes over time after stopping exercise.
For beginners, after training for 3 months and then taking a 3-month break, concentric muscle strength returns to its previous state (though eccentric muscle strength is retained) .
For professional athletes, the decline in athletic ability is also significant. One study found that after a 4-month detraining period, swimmers' performance, speed, and endurance all decreased significantly .
If you really can't exercise due to some reasons, what should you do?
Firstly, if the reason you've stopped exercising is due to injury, don't be too eager to get back into it. Your body may not regress as quickly as you think!
The body's response to detraining is influenced by the exercise habits before the break (the duration and type of exercise).
A study on elderly women aged 60-65 who underwent a 16-week (4-month) regular exercise intervention found that even after a 28-month detraining period, their overall fitness levels remained higher than before they started exercising .
Another review pointed out that those accustomed to HIIT and resistance training seem to be less likely to experience significant fat rebound after stopping exercise [12].
If you're too busy to exercise, you can start by increasing your NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis).
Studies have shown that deliberately increasing NEAT in daily life can lead to an additional energy expenditure of up to 400 kcal in a day, which is equivalent to running for 40 minutes !
