How to Get Back in the Gym After a Hiatus
You’re going to the gym and working hard on your fitness. You’ve got your workout schedule thoroughly organized, you’re in a good groove and feeling great when all of a sudden, something comes up and causes you to start missing workout sessions.
Maybe it’s a vacation, holidays, illness, injury, work deadline, or simply a busier-than-usual schedule. Time starts to fly by and before you know it, a week, a month, or a few years slip by without getting back into the gym.
It’s happened to most of us, including myself, on several different occasions. Real life has an uncanny way of surprising us and derailing our carefully thought out plans.
It’s completely normal for your training consistency to ebb and flow throughout the course of your life. The most important thing is that you get started again so that you can feel your very best.
One big takeaway I want my clients to know is that the gym will always welcome you back with open arms!
The challenge for many people is that getting back into the gym after some time off can feel incredibly difficult, and understandably so. As a matter of fact, how to pick back up with fitness after some time away is one of the most common questions that we get asked at Hill Country MVMT, so you are not alone.
Here are a couple things that will help you get back into your workouts.
GIVE YOURSELF GRACE
Everyone pushes fitness aside at some point or another — whether they choose to, or are forced to — and you have the opportunity to jump back in now. That is all that matters. It doesn’t matter where you’ve been, but where you’re going! Give yourself a heaping dose of grace.
EVALUATE YOUR EXPECTATIONS
One of the biggest challenges that my clients face in getting back to the gym after a hiatus is that they are scared or embarrassed of how much strength and/or conditioning they may have lost. It can be difficult and disheartening to develop certain skills or strength and not be able to pick up where we left off.
Something to note is that your first workout — and possibly the first handful of workouts back — will feel extra challenging. I call these “welcome back workouts”. You might feel out of breath and it may be uncomfortable. This is normal, and it’s important to remind yourself that this level of discomfort won’t last forever.
After some consistent movement, things will start to feel better. Getting over the initial hump can be the hard part, and might take some mental fortitude, but it’s temporary. Hold strong.
The best way to overcome this is to ease back into things by cutting down on the duration and intensity of your workouts and instead hone in on quality of movement. This is important for a couple of reasons.
First, it will ensure that you get in a workout without being too sore. I often see people hit the gym after a long break thinking that they can pick up right where they left off. Not only does the workout end up feeling really hard which can feel defeating, but it leaves them so sore that it takes them far longer to recover, causing them to miss their next workout
In order to set yourself up for success and ensure consistency, consider cutting down the volume that you would normally do. Let your body get adjusted to working out without running your body into the ground.
Additionally, by giving yourself permission to ease back into things you take the pressure off yourself. Set yourself up for an easy win to build some success momentum, which will help you get back to the gym again for your first workout.
If you’re not sure how to start, I encourage you to reach out to professionals, (cough) like our trainers at Hill Country MVMT, for much-needed support, accountability and guidance!
