Navigating the Challenges of Detraining During School Breaks
During the holiday season athletes often struggle with maintaining their level of fitness. Some sports start relatively soon after returning from the holiday break, making this time crucial for top performance. Breaks allow time for deep recovery and family connection, but they can also be a time of “detraining” if not approached properly. How quickly can detraining occur?
What factors lead to detraining?
Detraining refers to “partial or complete loss of training-induced adaptations, in response to an insufficient training stimulus”*. Even short breaks can lead to noticeable declines in strength, endurance, and overall athletic performance. The rate at which detraining occurs can vary, but studies suggest that measurable losses can begin as soon as two weeks after training cessation.
Several factors can contribute to detraining, including the duration of time away. The longer the break from regular training, the more pronounced the effects of detraining can be. Athletes who return home for the holidays and fall into improper diet habits and lack of training can lose fitness relatively quickly.
Athletes who have a high level of performance and engage in high-intensity training may experience faster and more noticeable declines during detraining compared to those who train less intensely on a regular basis.
Your type of sport matters! Endurance athletes such as runners and swimmers, may experience quicker losses in cardiovascular fitness, while strength athletes may retain muscle mass and power for a longer period, although both can start to detrain as early as two weeks in different ways.
How The Holidays Impact Your Training
The holiday season can be a hectic and fun-filled time with family, friends, and lots of treats! This type of environment can derail even the most disciplined athletes, making it challenging to adhere to a consistent training schedule and healthy diet.
Common Challenges
Disrupted Routine: The lack of a regular schedule during the holidays can make it difficult to find time for workouts.
Limited Access to Facilities: Travel and family commitments might mean that athletes don't have access to their usual training facilities or equipment.
Increased Temptations: Holiday treats and social events often lead to indulgence, which can affect nutrition and overall fitness.
Strategies to Minimize Detraining
While some level of detraining is inevitable during breaks, there are effective strategies athletes can employ to mitigate its effects:
1. Plan Ahead
Before break talk to your coaches about a training schedule that can work around your family activities. Maybe the workouts are a bit more flexible or can be completed with less equipment. Remember, anything you can fit in during break is better than doing nothing at all!
2. Stay Active
Find ways to be more active on a daily basis. Family walks or runs, riding a bike, or even playing a sport other than your own can be good ways to maintain a high level of activity when away from your team and regular routine.
3. Focus on Nutrition
Treats take center stage during the holiday season and can make it hard to stay on track with nutritious meals. Focus on the bulk of your meals being of high nutritional value and in line with your goals. Keep treats for the actual day of celebration.
4. Set Realistic Goals
Talk to your coaches about what they expect of you over the holidays. Chances are your coaches understand that this time of year can be tough to maintain peak fitness and they’ve factored in a loss of some sort during this time. Understanding what their realistic expectations of you are and setting goals to attain by the time you return from break can keep you accountable.
5. Incorporate Recovery
Again, coaches understand the types of challenges that this time of year can bring. Use this time to recover from any nagging injuries, do the best you can to maintain fitness, and include an added emphasis on non-physical training. This could be anything from mental training to analyzing game film, to practicing visualization. Just because you are not setting PRs in the weight room or having your best training sessions doesn’t mean you can’t be improving!
School breaks and holidays present challenges for athletes and understanding how and why detraining can happen is the first step to protecting your hard work during the year. Taking measures to prepare yourself ahead of time can maintain progress toward post-break training goals.
If you are interested in learning more about the types of training plans athletes need during breaks to improve in all aspects of performance click here.
