How to Start Training Again After Taking Time Off

It’s an exciting time as more and more people return to their gyms. Here are some tips on how to ease back into your routine 

As more and more people receive the COVID-19 vaccine, establishments around the world (including gyms!) are re-opening with fewer restrictions.   

If you plan to return to the gym after getting your COVID-19 vaccine, you may feel a mix of emotions about working out after more than a year away from the gym: Excitement, to be sure, but maybe a little bit of uncertainty about where your current fitness level lies and how, exactly, to return to your pre-COVID-19 gym routine.  

This article will help you ease back into your workout routine without getting injured or becoming burnt out.   

Related: How Exercise Can Protect You From COVID-19 

Set Reasonable Goals  

Don’t expect to lift the same weight you did before leaving the gym. 

Be realistic about your current fitness level. Even if you continued to work out at home throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s likely that you didn’t have access to the same equipment or instruction you had at the gym.   

Your body has adapted to new stimuli over the last year and a half, so make sure to account for that when establishing new fitness goals. Read our full article on how to set fitness goals for more tips.  

Don’t Overdo It 

We know you’re excited about returning to the gym. We’re excited to have you back! But, don’t let that excitement cloud your judgement. You don’t need to do back squats, front squats, lunges, leg press, step-ups, deadlifts, and hamstring curls all on your first leg day back. That’s how you wind up waddling for the next week.  

In addition to not overdoing it within a single workout, you should also be careful not to overdo it over the course of a week. When you return to your gym routine, you may find that you need more rest days than before. That’s okay! Give yourself time (guilt-free) to return to your normal gym routine post-COVID-19.  

Prioritize Recovery  

Rest and recovery become even more important as you ramp up your fitness routine.

You’ll feel extra fatigued when you start to work out again after a long break. Don’t let this derail you, but definitely listen to what your body is telling you. Make sure to get enough sleep every night — at least seven hours, but ideally eight or more — and take rest days. Fight the urge to work out every day when you return to the gym. Neglecting rest will only set you back in the long run.   

You can still move on recovery days, but make it easy and simple: Go for a walk, take a yoga class with World Gym Anywhere, stretch, or spend some quality time with a foam roller. Heck, even taking a nap is a great rest day activity.  

Safety First 

Attending World Gym Athletics group fitness classes is a great way to ensure you don’t hurt yourself.  

The last thing you want to do when trying to ease back into working out is sideline yourself even further. This is why it’s so important to follow the above three guidelines when restarting your workout routine.  

If you set your sights too high, you might overdo it and injure yourself, or you might send yourself spiraling into overtraining syndrome by failing to get enough sleep. Trust us when we say we know how exciting it can feel to get back to the gym. But you’ll thank yourself later for putting logic in control and slowly, safely, easing back into your training routine.  

For help starting to work out again, consider working with a qualified personal trainer who can help you with a periodized training program to make progress without getting injured or overworked. Another option is to attend World Gym Athletics classes, where a coach can assess your current fitness level and monitor your technique to provide appropriate workout modifications and progressions.