Training After a Layoff

One of the most important contributors to progress on a fitness plan is consistency.  Simply showing up to train is key to staying on track with the goals you have.  Not every workout will be your best ever, but putting in the work on a schedule will take you further than sporadic periods of training.  This being said, even the most dedicated gym rats will experience a derailing in their routine.  Whether it be from injury, or an unforeseen world-wide lockdown, major interruptions to your training are likely at some point.  After significant time off, getting back to the program you were on might seem daunting.  For others, jumping back into it head first and picking up where you left off can be enticing.  The best approach is somewhere in the middle.  Here are some tips on how to smartly approach your training after a layoff.

Getting back in the gym after having extended time off is the first battle to win.  Old thoughts or habits that let you put off workouts in the past might be present again.  I find that if you can get yourself through the door, five minutes into warming up there will be some sort of mental shift that brings affirmation to your choice to show up!  Once this step is out of the way, the re-approach to your program is next to address.  

Although there will be some loss in strength, the movements you became familiar with should have some preserved efficiency through muscle adaptation.  This might lead someone to chase the weights that they used in the past too early.  After having time off, the ability to recover from strength training will be impacted, so training too heavy to quickly can slow your progress back out of the gate.  Muscle soreness is a good indicator of a successful workout, but muscle soreness that affects the quality of the next workout gets us nowhere. The best thing to do is to forget your old numbers and build back your lifts leaving a few reps in reserve.  While this may feel like you are limiting yourself, prioritizing muscle recovery in the first few weeks back will lead to better long term results on your physical goals. 

Considering that we do not want debilitating soreness in the first few weeks back to the gym, the selection of exercises should be given some extra thought.   Strength-loss is a factor we have covered, but muscle elasticity will be impacted after a layoff as well.  Exercises that put high levels of stretch on a particular muscle group should be avoided the first few sessions back.  While deficit lunges may have been easy to perform in the past, trading them out for a step-up will build back quad strength without overloading the muscle.

Building muscle after a layoff can actually bring you back to the days where you were just beginning.  A detrained lifter will experience muscle growth at a quicker rate than someone years into their routine.  While we are simply building back the gains we lost, the feeling of the experience being new again can re-invigorate passions for your fitness goals.  A steady approach back to your routine will remind you that fitness is an endeavor to be enjoyed, and when training and recovery are both prioritized, getting back to the level you were at previously and more is certain.