How to transition back into the gym after an injury or a break
Every now and then, you may either experience an illness, injury or reason why you need to take a break from the gym or your weekly workout routine. It is not always ideal, but we are human and not immune to experiencing setbacks. A few setbacks may look like: Injury, Surgery, Travel, Postpartum, Work Demands, Mental Health, etc. The list could go on and on.
Even I, myself, have had to take off weeks from the gym at a time over the last 12 years. But, guess what? Giving my body and my mental health some rest and time off helped me keep showing up when I was physically or mentally able to. People think however that if you take a break from your workout routine, you lose it all. But here is the good news: you do not. Here are some awesome advantages if you have been consistent and built a previous foundation:
You don't lose EVERYTHING
Muscle memory remains intact
Previous training accelerates recovery
Regaining is faster than building
If it is important to you, re-building a schedule/routine is very possible to help facilitate health and fitness goals
That is fantastic!!
Again, setbacks truly can be frustrating, but it does give us an opportunity to work on our weaker areas and make a plan for a comeback. And who doesn’t love a good comeback story, right? ;)
So, here are my step by step ideas to get back to ‘biz (as they say):
Consult with your dr: Make sure that you are in the clear to return to normal workout routines and also ask them certain questions such as: if I cannot do strength training, can I do cardio? This will help you understand both your limits and your options!
Start with what you can do: If you can only do 20-30 min. of a light workout with resistance bands, that is better than nothing! And will totally help you re-gain confidence and the motivation to continue your previous routine! Even if this is in front of the television, it can make a difference!
Build a routine: I know I sound like a broken record, but having a plan is key here. Do not over-do it or over-think it. This plan may look like this: I am going to walk at least 5,000 steps a day and workout 4 times a week for 30 minutes at a time. Then build this out on your calendar and make sure to block off this time. This will reinforce your previous commitment. What I love about the Google Calendar is that you can make events weekly re-occurring ones which again helps you hit your goals because you’ve already made a commitment to yourself!
Slow and steady: Focus on going slow and making sure that your form is amazing. You can also push the rep volume and do higher reps and less weight until you are ready to increase the weight or resistance again! This will still help you build muscle so that you can maximize the current options. Also, if you only have the energy/time/motivation for a 30-minute workout, that is fine! Because guess what? More often than not, you will spend at least 45 minutes at the gym or working out! And then, boom! Soon, you’ll be over an hour and feel on fire for doing more than you originally planned. LOOK AT YOU GO!!!
Lastly, I know injuries or setbacks are annoying and can be taxing both physically and mentally, but the hardest part about overcoming, is surrendering. If you let go, make a plan, stick to the plan, and just do your best, you will get back to where you were and then some. I promise.
I am SO proud of you for sticking to your health and fitness goals. You are not alone. Keep going. Because again, everyone LOVES a good comeback story! ;)
