Practically everyone who trains has faced the fact that from time to time you have to take breaks. The reasons can be different. Disease, business trip, blockages with work and much more. And breaks can also be different. One training session, one week, one month, one year and more.
- Week or less
So, the first week, nothing terrible happens. Physiologists found that the first negative changes in muscles occur no earlier than 10 days after the termination of training. Often, skipping one workout or one week is even beneficial. The organism has time to fully recover and enter the phase of supercompensation.
This means that if you missed a week or less, you can not slow down your workouts. And often there is even a rise in strength.
- Month
But after the body has fully recovered, and there is no training - the deterioration of physical qualities begins. In the beginning (weeks through 2) the muscle strength begins to fall. Then (in a week), their volume begins to decrease, and general and strength endurance. This is due to a reduction in muscle glycogen stores. Since training has stopped, and the body does not need such large muscles in everyday life. And so much carbohydrate stores.
But this is all superficial changes. And if you have not exercised for a month, then they are of an initial character. And it's easy to restore everything.
- Several months and more
Then there are changes at the level of the nervous system. When they come - depends on the length of training. The fact is that with the years of training improves the innervation of muscles. What makes them stronger. Due to the fact that more and more motor neurons are connected to the muscle. After the termination of training, some of these neurons die. Muscles become weaker, and intermuscular coordination worsens. Returning them to the original level.
In addition, when performing the same exercise, a motor center is formed in the cerebral cortex that is responsible for this exercise. This is called motor skill. When you perform this or that movement thousands and thousands of times, this center "moves" ever lower. Until you are in the subcortical area. And then you can perform it automatically. Without hesitation. This is a motor skill.
So, the motor skill over time is forgotten. Nervous connections break up. And we almost have to re-master the movement. A motor skill is something that you will never forget. That is, the exercises learned before automatism, you will remember all life.
That's why I said that the reaction of the nervous system to stopping training depends on your length of service. If you have not practiced for six months or more, then you will have to re-learn the exercises that you have not learned before automatically. But it happens much faster than the first time.
- Year and more
As a rule, after a year of interruption, no more negative changes occur. Since the body has already managed to get rid of all the excess and stabilize.
But without a trace, nothing passes. With long breaks, neither your strength, nor your muscle volume, nor the technique of exercises will go down to zero level. If you take the difference between the initial and the achieved level of fitness for 100%, then after a year of interruption of 20% - 30%, you still have. But this again depends on the length of employment. The more it is, the more it will remain.
I hope, now you understand what happens to your body after stopping training. So do not quit training for long. Good luck!