It takes approximately 6-8 weeks of training 3-4 times per week to see improvements in fitness levels as the body adapts to a new training routine. Initial gains occur in the nervous system, allowing for better movement control and performance. Physical changes like increased muscle mass require continued training over weeks to spur adaptation. Fitness decreases more quickly than it is gained, with cardiovascular ability dropping after just 2 weeks without training as the body adapts to inactivity.

1. How Long Does It Take To Get Fit
Firstly, it depends on what "being fit" means to you. For example for some being fit can be
gaining muscle, for others running a marathon, for others be great at the sport they practice.
The dictionary says that fitness means the condition of being physically fit and healthy.
Then it also depends on your training routine, which depends on your goal of course. And
then if your training is not properly planned and you overtrain your body will not make
progress, adaptation will not occur. Same goes if you don't train hard enough.
It depends on the supply of nutrients. Adaptations occur not when you exercise but after, in
the recovery period. So the recovery time also plays an important role.
How your body adapts to exercise
Whether you are a coach or not it is important to have at least a basic understanding of
what's going on with your body when you begin a new training routine or you just got back
into training.
What you are looking for is to maximize the adaptation phase and avoid exposure to
exhaustion phase.
Physical activity and the nervous system
Before you see any major changes with regards to your physique, the first adaptations occur
in the nervous system.
Regular training and practice cause adaptations in the central nervous system allowing
greater control of movements.
Thus movements become smoother and more accurate and performance improves.
Once the adaptation occurs after a certain stimulus (training routine) the initial rate of gain
usually begins to slow down. And this leads to the well known plateau.
This happens within a few weeks, 6-8 in general, from starting the training program. What
you do next to create the new stimulus is critical, and it makes the different between
reaching your goal, stagnate or drop training.

2. When we perform an activity our senses provide constant feedback regarding limb position,
force generation and the performance outcome through the nervous system
Structuring an appropriate adjustment or modifying the fitness programme will keep progress
moving in the desired direction.
To change your routine get creative by addressing:
 number of exercises
 number of sets
 target repetition range
 recovery periods between sets (decrease, increase)
 workout frequency
 movement speed – slow to fast
 different exercises
 stable to unstable surface
 simple to complex
 split routines
But still...how long does it take?
In general give your routine 6-8 weeks, training 3-4 times a week. And have a way to
measure your progress.
For example with my clients the progress is easily visible as they can hang for longer, crawl
with a better technique and longer distance, or manage to do all the unusual movements,
sequences or exercise combinations I come up with.
If you train outdoors like we do, and change locations, every few weeks you must go back to
the previous locations and perform the same techniques to see the progress.
Or counting, works as well. However outdoors the terrain is never the same so what you can
do in one location will be different from what you can do in another location, so you must
think whether counting is the best option.
How long does it take to get OUT of shape?
So to get into shape, or rather to increase your fitness levels, it takes 6-8 weeks before you
need to makes changes and take it further.
To get out of shape it doesn't take that long. If you stop training for about 2 weeks your
cardiovascular fitness will begin to drop.
According to Dr. Edward Coyle, The director of the Human Performance Lab at the
University of Texas at Austin, in highly-trained athletes, VO2 max decreases by 7 percent in
the 12 to 21 days after stopping training and another 9 percent during days 21 to 84.
VO2 max is a measure of the maximum volume of oxygen that an athlete can use. It is
measured in millilitres per kilogramme of body weight per minute (ml/kg/min).

3. The initial decrease in cardiovascular abilities is followed by muscle mass and strength
atrophy.
The good part is that your body can get fit faster if you were fit in the past. And also the fitter
you are the less your fitness will decrease if you stop training for a couple of weeks. But why
would you do that anyway?
Make it easy for yourself and, when you don't feel like training, just do something to
maintain the level you are at. To maintain your fitness you don't need an extreme amount of
training. Aim for 2-3 days a week, not necessarily high intensity workout, just maintaining the
level.
Also, a decrease in fitness levels is not a good excuse not to take a break. Athletes have 1-2
weeks break from training to recover and, in some cases, to get past plateaus. You won't get
out of shape in a few days.
There is a lot of information and science behind this adaptation process, but I tried to make it
short, to the point and just answer the question: how long does it take to get fit. Hope I
managed to clarify.
If you need advice on your training routine you can book a free call and together we can
create progressions or regressions in your routine to get you back on the right path or to set
you on the right path. Book the free call here

4. Alexandra Merisoiu is a Transformational Health and Wellness
Coach, Founder of Urban Women Fitness and creator of The
Merisoiu Technique.
She works with entrepreneurial and corporate women in their 30's &
40's to take their bodies and their minds from shut down to fully
functional using lasting foundations and transformational coaching.
She does this by creating a healthy, fit, organic lifestyle using The Merisoiu Technique and
its Five Guiding Principles: Earthing, Natural Movement, Mindful Control, Fluid Movement
and Habits Transformation.
Since 1995 she has explored how the body and mind works through using many different
sporting techniques and through a wide variety of highly respected coaches. At 14 years old
she was ranked 2nd in the World Championships, 2 times National Champion and now she
is a 3rd Dan Black Belt in Karate Shotokan, and still competing at an international level. It is
through these learnings that she has created The Merisoiu Technique and has established
her own unique transformational programs that incorporate thousands of years of knowledge
with modern coaching methods.
Her mission is to share her gift and educate the world, passing on to the next generations
why they need to get out of the gym and back to nature. Going back to nature takes them
on a journey of discovery, experience and creativity, and installs lasting foundations and
transformational results.
Find out more at Urban Women Fitness