You have been in lockdown for over 3 months, gyms have reopened and you just wanna get in there and train the house down! But maybe your worried about not being able to do what you were doing pre lockdown? Or maybe you have put on a few kgs and not feeling so good about yourself? This is totally normal to feel this way, and you are not the only one. Here are a few tips to help you ease back into gym training life and exercise routine.
TAKE IT SLOW
So you got to 100kg deadlift for a PR the week before lockdown? Or you ran 1km in under 5 minutes? Don’t try to replicate this on your first day or week back… Your body is going to need some time to get used to various exercises and movements under various loads again. But don’t be disheartened as you can get back to where you were, you will just need to be patient and take each session to build it back up again.
HAVE A PLAN
Make sure you know what you want to do when you walk in. You may want to jump on every machine and use every weight that you see but don’t get ahead of yourself! Have a program ready to go or certain exercises in mind that you would like to do. I would suggest anywhere from 4-8 exercises to get your body back into gear and remember, take it easy.
RECOVERY IS JUST AS IMPORTANT!
You might be super eager to go for hours every single day but remember recovery is just as important as exercise! Give yourself a day or 2 of recovery in between your sessions if you are feeling sore and get adequate sleep, hydration and nutrition.
GIVE YOURSELF ENOUGH TIME TO WARM UP
When entering the gym don’t forget to warm up your body, get your blood flowing, muscles activating and moving before increasing your intensity with exercises. An example is starting with some easy treadmill walk or steady bike for about 10 minutes followed by some resistance band work on the muscles and body parts you want to work on.
GET SOME ADVICE FROM A PT
If you aren’t sure where to start or want some more specific and detailed advice on how to get back into your training getting advice from a Personal Trainer can assist you greatly. They can show you how to use various pieces of equipment, correct technique and give you a training program and nutrition advice focused on your goal.