The impact of pandemic-related social distancing regulations on exercise performance-Objective data and training recommendations to mitigate losses in physical fitness

Abstract

Introduction: In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany, governmental restrictions led to the closure of sports facilities for several months. To date, only subjective and fitness-tracking related data on physical activity during the pandemic are available. Using data of a chip-controlled fitness circuit, training data as a measure of physical performance before and after the lockdown during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic will show the impact of the training interruption on exercise performance in middle-aged and older adults. The re-training data are analyzed, to extract practical recommendations.

Methods: Objective training data of 17,450 participants [11,097 middle-aged (45-64 yrs), 6,353 older (≥65 yrs)] were exported from chip-controlled milon^® fitness circuit systems before and after the first COVID-19 related lockdown in Germany. The change in the product of training weight (sum of lifting and lowering the training weight) and repetitions on the leg extension resistance exercise device (leg score) between the last three training sessions before the lockdown and the first ten training sessions after individual training resumption as well as the last training session before the second lockdown in October 2020 was analyzed.

Results: Participants who trained with high intensity before the lockdown, experienced deleterious effects of the training interruption (middle-aged group: -218 kg, older group: ~-230.8 kg; p < 0.001 for change in leg score from to post-lockdown) with no age effect. Participants training with a leg score of more than 3,000 kg did not resume their leg score until the second lockdown.

Conclusion: The interruption of training in a fitness circuit with combined resistance and endurance training due to the lockdown affected mainly those participants who trained at high intensity. Apparently, high-intensity training could not be compensated by home-based training or outdoor activities. Concepts for high-intensity resistance training during closure of sports facilities are needed to be prepared for future periods of high incidence rates of infectious diseases, while especially vulnerable people feel uncomfortable to visit sports facilities.

Trial registration: Identifier, DRKS00022433.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; aged; exercise training; health promotion; physical activity; physical fitness; social distancing.

Figure 1

Left column: Course of changes in the for the leg score (A), rowing score (B), and endurance score (C) over the first ten training sessions after the lockdown. Negative values indicate losses in the leg and rowing score in comparison to the values before the lockdown, and lower heart rates per given work rate. Right column: Description of the mean for the leg score (A), rowing score (B), and endurance score (C) before (Pre), during the ten first sessions after the lockdown period 1(Post1–10), and for the last training session (Last) before the second lockdown in Germany, considering age and training intensity groups (TIG; low, moderate, high) based on the leg score before the lockdown (pre-COVID-19_legscore). SE are too small to be presentable.

Figure 2

Presentation of the estimated effects on the increase of the leg score of (A) average training weight per repetition (sum of lifting and lowering the training weight), (B) average repetitions per set, (C) pre-COVID-19_legscore, and (D) the number of days after training resumption during the post lockdown training sessions. The heat maps include contour lines, which denote increase or loss in the leg score compared to the first training session after the lockdown. As the intercept of the model is −598.06 kg, the zero line still indicates a loss in training performance of at least ≈600 kg compared with baseline level, the difference will be larger depending on age and gender. Therefore, we marked the contour line 1,000 in (A, B) which indicates recovery of baseline values. The red color indicates a permanently reduced leg score until October 2020.