How Can We Avoid the Negative Effects of a Training Break?

Summer arrives, bringing well-earned holidays. For most athletes, this period normally lasts between 4 and 6 weeks. It is a break not only from work: training load often decreases, and we allow ourselves a few indulgences. Holidays are essential for switching off and recharging physically and mentally, but what effects can they have on sports performance?

Effects of Holidays on Performance

Strong evidence shows that even short periods without training can have important negative consequences for performance, a process known as “detraining”.¹ More than 35 years ago, for example, a study led by renowned physiologists Edward Coyle and John Holloszy followed a group of runners who stopped training for 3 months and were assessed regularly during that period.² After only 12 days without training, maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂max) had already fallen by 7%, and the decline increased to 14% after two months without training. Similarly, another classic study published 30 years ago showed that runners who stopped training for 2 weeks experienced a fall in VO₂max of 5%, accompanied by a 10% reduction in time to exhaustion during an exercise test.³

What Can We Do About It?

Although holidays may be necessary, they can undo the work completed during the season and also increase injury risk when training resumes. A growing body of evidence shows that adapted programs—for example, retaining some weekly sessions while reducing training volume—can greatly attenuate the consequences of detraining. In soccer, a recent systematic review published in the prestigious journal Sports Medicine shows that holidays produce negative adaptations, including increased fat mass and poorer VO₂max, Yo-Yo intermittent-test performance, vertical jump and repeated-sprint ability. When athletes did not stop training completely during the holidays and instead followed an adapted program, however, the deterioration in VO₂max and repeated-sprint ability was much smaller.⁴ Similarly, a study led by Spain's Jesús García-Pallarés in elite kayakers found that 5 weeks of detraining reduced muscular strength and VO₂max. When those athletes followed an adapted program with only two strength days and one aerobic-training day per week, the negative effects were smaller: a 3-4% strength loss instead of 8-9%, and a 5% loss in VO₂max compared with 11% when they did not train.⁵

It is therefore clearly important to remain active during holidays. Reducing training volume and frequency while maintaining intensity appears to be the most effective strategy for attenuating detraining and returning from the break at a higher fitness level.¹ Several studies in soccer players found that reducing training volume by 30% during a two-week period while retaining some high-intensity sessions can prevent negative adaptations and may even improve performance.^6,7

Conclusions

 Although holidays may be necessary for physical and mental rest, we should maintain at least a minimal training stimulus whenever possible to avoid performance consequences. It may be helpful to reduce training volume and frequency—for example, to 3 one-hour sessions per week—while maintaining intensity by prioritizing strength sessions or high-intensity aerobic exercise.

 
AUTHOR

Pedro Valenzuela
Researcher in the Physiology Unit at the University of Alcalá and the Performance Monitoring Unit at the Sports Medicine Center (AEPSAD, Madrid High Performance Center).
Website: www.fissac.com

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References

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2. Coyle EF, Martin WH, Sinacore DR, Joyner MJ, Hagberg JM, Holloszy JO. Time course of loss of adaptations after stopping prolonged intense endurance training. J Appl Physiol Respir Environ Exerc Physiol. 1984;57(6):1857-1864. doi:10.1152/jappl.1984.57.6.1857
3. Houmard JA, Hortobagyi T, Johns RA, et al. Effect of short-term training cessation on performance measures in distance runners. Int J Sports Med. 1992;13(8):572-576. doi:10.1055/s-2007-1024567
4. Clemente FM, Ramirez-Campillo R, Sarmento H. Detrimental Effects of the Off-Season in Soccer Players: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Sport Med. 2021;51(4):795-814. doi:10.1007/s40279-020-01407-4
5. García-Pallares J, Sánchez-Medina L, Perez CE, Izquierdo-Gabarren M, Izquierdo M. Physiological effects of tapering and detraining in world-class kayakers. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2010;42(6):1209-1214. doi:10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181c9228c
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7. Thomassen M, Christensen PM, Gunnarsson TP, Nybo L, Bangsbo J. Effect of 2-wk intensified training and inactivity on muscle Na +-K+ pump expression, phospholemman (FXYDI) phosphorylation, and performance in soccer players. J Appl Physiol. 2010;108(4):898-905. doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.01015.2009