…without hurting yourself
Sometime life gets hectic. Priorities shift in different phases of life and that can mean people go months (or even years) without following a structured exercise regime. I get it, I’ve been there. Many times. Some times work or life gets in the way and sometimes the gym just feels way less appealing than Netflix and a pint of ice cream (let’s be honest, we have all been there). As we find our way out of inactive season of life, getting back into exercise can be full of challenges you may not anticipate. Let me provide you with some tips for making a smooth transition back into exercise. Take your time, be smart, and before you know it, you will be back to crushing it!
As with any discipline, the first place you should look to get back on track are the basics.
Get your mind right:
A while back I took 6 months off of exercise. After 6 months out of the gym, I started my training with a workout I wrote for myself to “ease back into lifting.” Decreasing some weights to account for my certainly diminished strength levels, I felt a little weak but on top of the world! Finally, I was back in the gym, really pushing myself and moving some weight around! Look out world, Tyler is back! Then I woke up on Tuesday. I couldn’t move right for a week!
Don’t be like me. Be smarter than me. Get your ego in check and build yourself back up. If you are too sore to move, you can’t get good training in and you won’t make progress.
You are back to being the gym newbie. You are going to use some light weights. You are going to feel ridiculous doing movements far more basic than what you are used to. Get over it. You’ll be better off and it will be much less painful to get back into it the right way.
Get moving:
You have a class of muscles called tonic muscles. These are muscles that tend to get tight with inactivity and aging. Among these are your hip flexors, chest, upper traps, hamstrings, and calves. When these muscles are tight, you WILL have difficulty moving through the full range of motion many exercises require. Tightness in these areas can also lead to back pain, shoulder issues, neck pain, knee pain, etc.
To get back to your former glory, you need to spend time loosening up these areas and any other problem areas unique to yourself (old sports injuries anyone?). Many peoples biggest mistake when working on mobility is not holding stretches long enough. When static stretching, aim to hold each position for at least a minute to give your muscles time to relax into the stretch. A good rule of thumb is what I call “the rule of 2 to 3.” Stretch each of the above muscle groups for 2-3 minutes at a time and 2-3 times a day.
Get your strength back:
Any strength training program you do should be balanced around the basic human movement patterns of Squat, Hinge, Push, Pull, and Brace. There are countless variations on these movements, but if you aren’t proficient at these basic patterns, you need to fix that before you move on. Being we are working on the basics, these will be the moves we stick with.
This program is what I should have done in coming back to the gym. Worst of all, I knew it was what I should do and I didn’t do it. Don’t be like me. Do what I should have done.
My program for returning to the gym works for two main reasons. First, it allows your neurous system to readapt to weight training without the punishing fatigue seen from lifting heavy. Second, it is easy for your muscles to recover from, allowing you to return for more training. This is very similar to the methods behind the “Easy Strength” program by Pavel Tsatsouline and Dan John (If you don’t know them or their work, you need to).
Below is my recommended strength training protocol for getting back into the gym. If you do this plan 3x/week for 4 weeks, you will be set up wonderfully to head back towards your normal training routine. Add in cardio as you please. 5-10 minutes before and after each workout, 30 minute sessions on your non-lifting days, its up to you.
A few key points:
- Get a full warm up in. Maybe even work on stretching some of those tight muscles (hint hint cough cough)
- Use moderately light weights. You should not struggle to complete any reps, but it shouldn’t be easy. If you are struggling, lighten the load. If it is easy, increase the weight. Weights will and should increase significantly over the 4-week protocol.
- Complete all exercises in a circuit to allow proper rest of muscle groups between sets.
- Rest 30 seconds to 1 minute between exercises
- Week 1 = 2 sets/session, Week 2 = 3 sets, Week 3 = 4 sets, Week 4 = 5 sets
Plan:
- Goblet Squats – 10
- Push up – Pick a number you can do for all the sets, 10-20 is a good place to start (go from your knees or elevate your hands if needed)
- DB RDL – 10
- DB Row – 10 each
- Plank – Time that is doable for all sets without much trouble. For most people this will be between 30-60 seconds. Adjust time as needed.
That’s it. 4 weeks and 5 exercises. Simple and effective. Welcome back to exercise. It’s great to have you back!