Expert: Ken Alan - 7/20/2010

Question
Hello!!  I have a question about endurance and the body.  So I was working out with exercise DVD's (jillian Michaels) and they were pretty intense, but then I started getting better after a few weeks.  Unfortunaly then I had an injury to my ankle and stopped for about 3 weeks probably.  Now I started again and all the endurance I had worked up before is completely gone, and actually I think its worse than when I started the first time.  How does this happen?  How come it only takes a few weeks for your body to go back downhill?  I angers me cause now I have to start over and I worked hard the first time.  thanks!

Answer
That's really a bummer, isn't it?  Wish it wasn't like that!  It's called the reversibility principle.  When you stop exercising, you will lose the benefits you gained.  In other words, exercise benefits are transient, not permanent.  Yes it only takes a few weeks for your body to go back downhill.  One injury, or bout of sickness, or vacation - it's out the door!  It's like - it's not fair!!  I understand your anger.  But, there's good news.

The more fit you become, the easier it is to get it back.  So however hard you worked the first time, you probably can work a little less and make the same gains.  Or if you work the exact same intensity, frequency, and duration, you'll likely exceed your gains you made the first time through.

Hope this helps, and glad that you're motivated to be active.  Get back to it again, avoid being discouraged that you lost it all.  Happens to all humans.