Summary • Most of the physiological determinants of endurance performance decline rapidly once the training process is interrupted, leading to detraining and impaired performance capacity. • Knowing the kinetics of these disadaptations allows athletes and coaches to implement alternative strategies limiting the effect of training cessation. • V02max decreases exponentially with the duration of training cessation. • Qmax is altered before a-vDO2max, with a cut off duration of 3-4 weeks. • Metabolic disadaptations occur very rapidly and negatively affect aerobic endurance. • The energy cost of running is less affected by training cessation than other determinants of endurance performance. • Endurance performance is decreased by 4 to 25% during periods of training cessation lasting 3-4 weeks or longer. • When the training process is interrupted, most often because of an injury, athletes and coaches should estimate the physiological consequences of implementing no alternative training. • Choose the most appropriate alternative training according to the cause of training cessation and its anticipated duration. • Resume normal training progressively, even when the duration of training cessation is short. • When training cessation exceeds 3 to 4 weeks, structural disadaptations will occur which require the training program to go back to the preceding cycle.
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