We investigated the effects of 2 weeks of detraining on cardiopulmonary function and muscular fitness in 15 endurance-trained male athletes (age: 19-26 years; height: 176.1 ± 7.5 cm; body mass: 68.3 ± 7.6 kg). VO2max, exercise time to exhaustion (ET), maximal stroke volume (SVmax), maximal heart rate (HRmax), isokinetic muscle strength, and muscle endurance were measured before and after 2 weeks of detraining. We determined that short-term detraining resulted in a significant decrease (p < 0.05) in VO2max, ET, SVmax and isokinetic knee extensor strength but not in isokinetic knee flexor strength or muscle endurance. HRmax and body mass increased significantly (p < 0.05), whereas body fat percentage remained stable after detraining. Furthermore, significant correlations were identified between VO2max and SVmax (p < 0.01, r = 0.6) and between VO2max and knee extensor strength (p < 0.01, r = 0.6). The results suggest that 2 weeks of detraining reduces cardiopulmonary functions, possibly as a result of the attenuation of hemodynamic and neuromuscular adaptations. Moreover, we observed that short periods of detraining appeared to increase lean mass and maintain muscle endurance in endurance runners.
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