15 Dec Back to the gym after lockdown!

I’m sure many of you have enjoyed your return back into the gym recently! Many exercise habits have changed significantly during the COVID-19 lockdown. Hopefully many of you have managed to stay active over the lockdown, others may be adapting to the ‘new normal’ such as working and exercising from home.

So, where does this leave you in planning for a return to the gym?
Overall, the main message is to set a solid foundation for yourself to get back to training. Don’t just jump straight back in where you left off, that is a guaranteed recipe for an overload injury!

1. Drop the weights/intensity to 50% of what you were doing (pre lockdown) and increase by a set percentage each week.
   Your early focus should be on form and technique, not high loading/intensity. A 10% increase in intensity per week should be achievable, meaning you will be back to your full weights at week 6.
2. Gauge your number of reps by intensity levels, rather than numbers.
   If 10/10 is full/maximal intensity, meaning failure, then start at 5/10 intensity and increase by no more than 1/10 per week, as a guide.
   – 10/10 = failure
   – 9/10 = 1 more rep could be performed
   – 8/10 = 2 more reps could be performed
   – 7/10 = 4 more reps
   – 6/10 = 6 more reps
   – 5/10 = 7 more reps
3. Sleep and eat well.
   Sleep is by far the best recovery tool known to man, it’s also free and enjoyable! Getting your 7-9 hours in is important at all times but especially when exercising.
4. Be very considerate with re-starting plyometrics.
   Any jumping, hopping or skipping tasks should be re-added cautiously. By far the biggest loads on tendons and bones are through plyometric exercises, these can take 72 hours to recover from.
5. Respect any niggles and see your physio if any pain persists. If you start to feel any pain on your return to the gym, see a professional ASAP to get it sorted and get you back on track.