Got so unfit in just two weeks!

PoesyP
PoesyP Posts: 37 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm just back from a two week holiday - admittedly partly in Vegas, so I'm not suprised (or too worried) about having gained a bit of weight... But I'm really surprised by how much strength and fitness I seem to have lost in such a short amount of time. I've had to go down a notch on all the weight machines I use, and after two swims this week I'm stiff and achey - and I was going noticably slower than usual. I'm used to swimming 10-15k every week, so I'm feeling really confused by how much of a struggle it is. It's not even as though I was sedentary on hols, we walked miles every day. Is it normal to lose fitness this fast? I'm wondering if it could be do with the alcohol since I drank pretty much every day when I'm used to drinking very rarely?

Replies

  • Pinkranger626
    Pinkranger626 Posts: 460 Member
    It will come back rather quickly. I know after my vacations, even when I was still working out I notice a big difference for the first couple of days back, and I'm usually sore too. As for the alcohol it could definitely be something that is making it seem much more than it really is. Give it a couple days and make sure to really pay attention to rehydrating and you should be back to where you left off.
  • PoesyP
    PoesyP Posts: 37 Member
    Thanks :D Relieved it's not just me! I'll grit my teeth and get on with fighting through this and try not to be too disheartened.
  • RHachicho
    RHachicho Posts: 1,115 Member
    Was there a lot of boozing on the holiday? Because that is particularly known to wreck physical fitness. Especially when you are very fit. Competitive athletes often abstain altogether for just that reason.
  • logicalinks
    logicalinks Posts: 89 Member
    I'm so glad it's not just me! I was off my Bowflex for strength training for two weeks. Decided to do body weight exercises instead during that time. When I went back to Bowflex and tried the bench press at the same weight I'd done two weeks prior, I thought, "WTH??!" I actually got up and checked to see if I had the right amount. I couldn't even do my normal ten reps!

    I managed to fight and whimper my way through the rest of my upper body workout, but it was amazing how fast the strength had disappeared.
  • sloseph
    sloseph Posts: 157 Member
    i took nearly a month off due to wedding and honeymoon, my first run what i got didn't go well

    the good news is that my fitness is coming back a lot quicker than it did when i first started so it's not the end of the world :)
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    usually the first workout back is either AMAZING- or really rough.

    either way you iron out quickly- you didn't lose as much as you thought honestly. It'll catch back up soon- within a week or two you start to feel extremely comfortable and strong again.
  • fitnessqueeninnyc
    fitnessqueeninnyc Posts: 40
    You'll be back to your regularly scheduled program in a few short weeks... Just take it easy and step it up at a moderate pace each day. Rest when your body is asking for it, sleep, eat right, and try to abstain from the booze if you can... :)
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    If I take a week off, I can maintain or even increase strength (depends on how I ate).

    If I take two weeks off, I have to back off a little and I will be sore as hell. After a week I'm back in the groove again.

    If I take more than two weeks off...well I'm not sure. I haven't actually taken more than two weeks off before. But I imagine it takes longer and longer to get back to status quo.

    Fitness levels dissipate quickly, but also come back just as quickly. Double-edged sword.

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