Man, I really have to get back to the gym. There’s no question anymore, it’s been months and even though I’ve been doing stuff on my own it’s just not enough. I guess I’m understandably pretty intimidated by the prospect. At this point I’m almost too embarrased to go back, but I know I have to.
So, to help both myself and you, I’m going to go into how to prepare yourself to head back into the gym.
Set Your Goals
It’s going to be important to you to go into your first workout back with a plan. If you go to the gym without a solid objective, you’re just going to drift around and get frustrated. But you’re going to avoid getting overwhelmed by choice, beacuse you’re going to set a strict plan for yourself. Doing this will make you really think about what you want to accomplish.
Don’t just wander aimlessly when you step in there. Think about what you want to do and what you’re there for. But make sure you’re realistic with these expectations. If you set the bar too high for yourself you’ll be setting yourself up. This will only lead to you getting bogged down with failure and frustration.
Evaluate Your Losses
If your time off was less than three months, you’ll probably not have to worry about strength loss. According to studies, you retain strength gains up to about 90% for about twelve weeks. Thankfully, even after long periods of inactivity, your previous strength should be easier to restore.
As for weight gain, it’s typical for you to put on as much as five to eight percent of your weight over several weeks. Thankfully, most of that weight is probably from excess water retention if it’s not much over that. All of this will help you set better goals for yourself when you step back in the gym. This will keep you from trying to press the same amount of weight as your previous peak and getting hurt.
What to Start With
Unless you’re training for a specific sport, you’re gonna want to start off by rebooting your cardio. Yes, you can increase your heart rate with strength training. But getting it high enough to hit the cardio zone is just too good for your health not to. Increasing your overall cardio fitness will also make everything more productive as well. If you don’t have the energy, how are you going to be able to increase your big lifts?
Also, coming back and starting some sort of class can help big time. If you’re intimidated about not having a clear workout, try something like a spin class, or an aerobic class. Just make sure to ease yourself into it, and know what you’re getting into. Don’t walk into a boxing gym on sparring day if you’re not ready for something like that.
Also, don’t be scared to start off with body-weight exercises at home. I’ll do a write up here in about a week for a full body weightless workout to get you gym ready.
Just Do It
To put a neat little bow on all of this, you just gotta get in there. Working out is fun. I know you don’t believe me sitting comfortably at home, I don’t even believe myself. But once you get in the gym and start throwing around those weights or getting your heat pumping on the stationary bike, you’ll see. It’s not staying there, it’s going. It takes about a month for something to become a habit. In the time it takes for you to do that, it’s no holds barred for getting yourself in there. Pre workouts help a lot, a coffee, a five hour energy. Use every tool you can and get your butt in there. Once you’re there you’ll love it. Trust me.
