Stopping physical training: what happens to your body?

After the lockdown and the reopening of the gyms, for some the motivation is gone. Indeed, the cessation of training over a given period causes certain changes both mentally and physically.

So what are the consequences of stopping sport on our body? Here are some beginnings of response depending on the shutdown period.

You have not been trained for a few days...

Don't panic. If you haven't trained for a few days, there's a good chance your body'll take advantage of it to recover from your previous sessions. Your muscles will repair themselves and help you get back to the room stronger than you were even before. That said, if you use your OFF days to consume unacyapsed and not very healthy food, there is also a good chance that you will feel heavy and bloated.

You haven't trained in a week

Chances are you'll feel more aching than usual. This is due to the fact that your muscle fibers begin to decrease in volume and you accumulate more fluids than usual inside your body. But most of the time, it doesn't matter much. If you return to the gym or home workout today, you're going to feel almost no difference in your endurance or strength performance.

You haven't trained in several weeks

You are now on the downward slope. Your mitochondria (those powerful cells that feed your muscle cells) decrease as well as your ability to endurance first. Just by taking the stairs you should even feel discomfort in your legs.

You haven't trained in a month

Much of your cardiovascular capacity and the strength you have accumulated has gone away. You have a great chance of carrying much less muscle mass and also having accumulated more fat. In addition, if you have a stressful job or if you are by nature, there is a good chance that you will have trouble falling asleep... a real challenge!

You haven't trained in several months

Your metabolism adapts to your activities. So, not only do you burn fewer calories, but you're going to feel tired much faster and much more often. Your body needs to work harder with each beat and your lungs don't absorb as much oxygen as usual.

You haven't trained in a year

You have certainly accumulated quite a few fat cells, but probably also a lot of muscle loss with a metabolism at its lowest. So you get the perfect cocktail to increase your risk of cardiovascular diseases, such as high blood pressure, soaring blood cholesterol levels, type 2 diabetes, insomnia, depression...

So, do you still want to stop training?