If you’re local to the Greater Sydney area or NSW, Australia in general, you are well across our recent 107 day Covid lockdown. You may have celebrated the well promoted “Freedom Day” with a beer at the pub on your first day back in the real world. If so, what’s your next big plan? Well, like most of our patients we see, we’d bet you’re itching to get back to the gym and back to the exercise routine you once knew and loved.
Maybe you’re not coming out of NSW’s lockdown and are just getting back to training after some time off. For whatever reason it may be that you’ve taken some time off hitting the weights at one of your local gyms, we’ve got you covered. Here are 5 tips to help transition back in to the gym:
Complete a structured warm-up
This Is a given and should be a key part of every gym program, especially when returning back to the gym. I know we are firing all cylinders to get back in the weight room, but the body needs to be warm and ready to go. A structured warm-up that involves low resistance movements and activates a variety of muscle groups is a great place to start.
The below are a few of our favourites to get you warm and keep you in the gym upon your return:
Work with familiar activities
Returning to the Gym after 2-3months off will be enough of a shock to the body. It is important to reintroduce yourself to familiar workouts and exercises. Now is not the time to completely overhaul your program. Small changes may be okay but starting with at least 3-5 familiar exercises as a base to build will help the body acclimate to the gym environment.
Decrease the weight when returning back to the gym
You can expect to jump straight back into where you were Pre-Covid. Overload injuries are the main concern as you ramp up your return to the Gym. One way to start is to complete the same workouts you are familiar with but with 50% the weight you would achieve prior to our forced hiatus.
Progress gradually
Now you have found a safe and comfortable weight to start with, don’t expect to jump straight back to 100% in 1-2 sessions. A general rule of thumb is to increase your weight for each activity by 10% per week until you reach your pre lockdown resistance.
Let yourself recover
Prior to lockdown, you may have been able to train multiple times a week, in some cases going day to day with no worries. When reintroducing a gym-based program, the body may require slightly longer to recover before going again. Starting with a 1 day on/ 1 day off the program can be the perfect way to get your feet off the ground.
If it still seems like too much there is no shame in 1 day on/ 2 days off. If it means you can continue to train, injury free, that’s a win in our eyes. Getting back to the gym and back to training after some time off is a marthon not a sprint.
Bonus Tip: Practice good hygiene
We should be experts at this by now but remember, the gyms are a shared space and being able to use them is a privilege we all enjoy. Let’s not turn these health hubs into a breeding ground for covid cases.
Remember to sanitise yourself and contact surfaces before and after use, as well as try to avoid bouncing from equpiment to equipment between sets.
If you’re looking for a personlised performance program as you get back to the gym and back to training, contact our friendly team today.
Helping the Central Coast Feel Well, Move Well and Perform Well!