Returning to Training After a Break
Many of us haven't been able to train as we would normally for the past year with gyms being closed because of lockdown.
However, any fitness that you've lost will quickly come back quickly!
Don't expect to be at the same level as you were before the break
After months away from training, you will have lost some strength. You're likely to have gained some fat, or lost some muscle.
You can be out of the gym for 1-2 weeks without much loss of strength and muscle, but after 3-4 weeks, you can expect to have lost some, after 3-4 months you will have lost a significant amount of strength.
The good news is you'll regain any lost muscle or strength very quickly.
It will take less a lot less time to took to build it in the first place.
After the first lockdown, I was using more than 40kg less weight than normal for my first squat session back.
Within 4 weeks I was back to where I was before the lockdown.
You can be out of the gym for 1-2 weeks without much loss of strength and muscle, but after 3-4 weeks, you can expect to have lost some, after 3-4 months you will have lost a significant amount of strength.
The good news is you'll regain any lost muscle or strength very quickly.
It will take less a lot less time to took to build it in the first place.
After the first lockdown, I was using more than 40kg less weight than normal for my first squat session back.
Within 4 weeks I was back to where I was before the lockdown.
Be patient and don't overdo it at the start
It can be difficult knowing that you’re not as strong or in as good of shape as you were before, but you need to be patient. Try not to compare yourself to when you were training more regularly. Accept you're current fitness level, and know that as long as you're consistent and continue to train, you will return to how you were quickly.
Being impatient and trying to do too much at the start will just increase the chances of injury. To start with, you'll need to reduce the weights you were lifting compared to what you were doing before.
For your first session, do your warm ups sets until a weight feels fairly challenging, but still comfortable. Use this for your work sets, and then you can add top this in your next session.
See how you recover from that, and you can go from there.
Doing too much too soon if likely to make you excessively sore, and increase your risk of injury. The chances are that you'll feel slightly sore after the first one or two sessions anyway even with using lighter weights.
If you've gained a lot weight, don't go on a drastic fad diet in an attempt to lose it as quickly as possible.
Follow a sensible plan that you can stick to.
For your first session, do your warm ups sets until a weight feels fairly challenging, but still comfortable. Use this for your work sets, and then you can add top this in your next session.
See how you recover from that, and you can go from there.
Doing too much too soon if likely to make you excessively sore, and increase your risk of injury. The chances are that you'll feel slightly sore after the first one or two sessions anyway even with using lighter weights.
If you've gained a lot weight, don't go on a drastic fad diet in an attempt to lose it as quickly as possible.
Follow a sensible plan that you can stick to.
Focus on developing the habit of going to the gym again
After spending months out of the gym, you might find it hard to get motivated to go again.
Concentrate on building the habit of going to the gym consistently again.
If you manage to do this, it will be a matter of time before you're doing better than you were doing previously.
Concentrate on building the habit of going to the gym consistently again.
If you manage to do this, it will be a matter of time before you're doing better than you were doing previously.
Have a plan
Make sure you have a plan and don't just go to the gym and do random stuff or whatever you feel like doing on the day.
Pick a program you're going to do and stick to it. This will give you a much better chance of success.
If you're not sure what program you should follow, get a personal trainer to help create one for you.
Pick a program you're going to do and stick to it. This will give you a much better chance of success.
If you're not sure what program you should follow, get a personal trainer to help create one for you.
Get a personal trainer
Getting a good personal trainer will ensure you're using correct exercise technique, give you a program suited to your current fitness level and circumstances to ensure you're progressing towards your goals. It will save you a lot of time and save you making mistakes. Get in touch to see if I can help you.