The effects of detraining on body composition and cardiometabolic health: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Hao Zhang, Yiqian Zhu, Zhipeng Zhao, Dashun Tan · 2026
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Description
Hao Zhang and colleagues asked a question every exerciser faces: how fast do gains melt away when training stops? Their 2026 review searched six databases for randomized trials pairing a training phase with a no-training phase. Eighty-six studies with 5,670 people qualified. The team compared body and heart measures before training, right after it, and after the break, with breaks split into short, medium, and long stretches.
Waist-to-hip ratio, average blood pressure, and fasting blood sugar stayed better than the starting point, and insulin resistance stayed barely lower. Weight, waist size, and top oxygen capacity held their gains at every length. Some prizes faded sooner: body fat share kept its edge only briefly, while muscle mass lost significance in every window. The authors read detraining as erosion at different speeds, not a cliff. A break costs fitness in a pattern, and knowing it helps coaches plan returns.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Hao Zhang, Yiqian Zhu, Zhipeng Zhao, Dashun Tan |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 48808 |
| LICENSE | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |