There are many reasons why you might become “out of shape”. From injuries to decreased motivation, it’s natural for your fitness to fluctuate. The good news is, whether you’re a lifelong athlete or someone who’s never been able to stick to an exercise routine, there are proven methods to help you get back in shape.
What does “being in shape” really mean?
From a physiological perspective, being physically fit involves a holistic view of several factors: cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength, mobility (within that, flexibility and range of motion) and neuromuscular control (i.e. balance and agility), explains Heather Milton , clinical exercise physiologist at NYU Langone’s Sports Performance Center.
Being physically fit can be different for everyone, but it often means you have good energy, feel strong, can perform daily functions without pain, have mental clarity, and generally feel healthy and happy.
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This subjectivity can mean that getting back in shape will include different goals for different people. “Does being ‘fit’ mean you can commute all day and still have the energy to play with your kids, or does it mean you can tackle a new mountain bike trail without hurting yourself?” says personal trainer Jacqueline Crockford. Understanding your purpose will help you maintain the motivation you need to support your long-term goals.
The good news is that there are steps most people can take to improve their overall fitness. Here’s what to expect.
How fast can you lose fitness?
To understand how to get back in shape efficiently, it’s helpful to know how quickly your initial results can disappear. You can actually lose your cardiovascular endurance and muscular strength in two weeks of complete rest, says Milton. This doesn’t mean that in two weeks you will have lost all your gains, but that’s when you can expect the drop to begin, she says. Generally, cardiovascular endurance depletes at a slower rate than muscular strength and endurance, which drop off fairly quickly when you stop training, Crockford adds.
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Loss of fitness can cause an increase in blood pressure, decreased blood oxygen levels, decreased neuromuscular efficiency and heart strength, reduced lung capacity and even a change in your resting heart rate, explains Milton.
Age is also an important factor to consider, says Crockford. Maximum oxygen consumption (or VO2max), muscle strength and mass, and flexibility are all naturally reduced with aging, while total body mass and fat mass increase, according to a 2009 study published in European Review of Aging and Physical Activity.
How fast can you get back in shape?
On average, if you’re rigorously following an evidence-based, strategically designed program—meaning you’ve done your homework and are sticking to a specific plan—you can expect to get back in shape in 16 weeks, says Milton. Muscle strength can begin to improve in four to six weeks, with noticeable results within 12 weeks. Improvements in your cardiovascular fitness also follow a linear pattern, with small changes progressing slowly over time, she says.
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“However, this is in a vacuum,” warns Milton. This doesn’t take into account lifestyle factors like changes in weight, diet, health conditions, or hydration, for example—all of which can drastically impact how long it takes you to get back in shape.
“The rate at which someone regains their fitness levels, both in muscular and cardiorespiratory measures, depends on several factors, including programming, previous fitness levels and exercise experience, as well as age,” says Crockford. How long you’ve gone without exercising also matters, says Milton. Whether it was a few weeks or even a few months, that’s a big difference from a few years. “If it’s less than a year, you’re starting maybe 50% of where you left off and slowly building from there,” she says.
How to get back in shape after a break
The first step is to establish a clear and, ideally, measurable goal. Simply saying you want to “get back in shape” can lead to a haphazard approach to training that will ultimately take you longer to reach your goals—if you don’t get frustrated and give up along the way, says Milton.
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The most important thing to keep in mind when getting back into an exercise routine is to dose yourself. This is especially true if you’ve been largely inactive (rather than just choosing lower-intensity modalities), are coming back from injury, or are older.
Older adults have more years of training experience, so they may be wiser to begin a renewed routine, says Milton, but on the other hand, it’s also important to avoid doing the same strenuous workouts you did when you were younger. Bodies change over time, and it’s okay if your version of being fit looks different at 40 than it did at 20, she says.
A steady progression in difficulty will ensure you stay on track while avoiding injury or burnout, says Milton. Cardiovascular exercise can be increased by total training volume, meaning that if you have been successfully running three hours every week, you can increase the total weekly time spent running. Progressing in strength training can mean more reps using the same weight or picking up a heavier weight while doing the same reps, adds Milton. Bodyweight rep max tests—think: how many pushups you can do in a minute—are also a good universal strength-building tactic. The bottom line is that you can get back in shape, but it probably won’t happen overnight. Small, smart steps over time will lead to the results you want, so practicing patience is a necessary component.
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