Nagelkirk, P. R., Cummings, D. M., Goldfuss, A. J., & Davis, S. E. (1998). The effects of detraining, retraining on cardiorespiratory responses after six weeks of high-intensity cycling. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 30(5), Supplement abstract 1374.

Untrained males (N = 6) were tested and then trained for six weeks (30 minutes per day five days per week), detrained for two weeks, and then retrained for two weeks.

Six weeks of training produced statistically significant improvements in RPE, heart rate, and oxygen uptake dynamics. RPE changed significantly after two weeks of detraining. The slow component of oxygen uptake decreased significantly between the end of the two-week detraining period and the end of the two-week retraining period.

Untrained individuals who train and produce significant aerobic improvements lose some conditioning within two weeks of detraining but regain them within two weeks of retraining.

Implication. Aerobic factors are lost and regained over roughly the same short time period.

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