AFTER FURLOUGH, approximately 9 million people were dusting off their membership cards and getting back to the gym. According to a pre-covid study from the University of Arkansas, there has been a 35 per cent increase in gym injuries in recent years.
Most people hadn’t visited the gym for more than a year. How can they ensure that they get back into their fitness routine as effectively as where they left? But more importantly, stay injury-free?
Small Steps
Don’t expect to breeze right into the gym doing what you were doing previously. You are no longer in your best shape, and trying to prove otherwise on your first day back will give you an injury. Play is safe and starts slowly with lower weights and less intensity. Training is a marathon, not a sprint; give yourself time to strengthen your body’s connective tissues and increase the resistance capacity. With a thought-out conservative approach, you will provide your body the time it needs to get used to adjusting to the stresses you’re placing upon it.
The Beginning
The initial beginning phase is crucial as you work your entire body and re-train your neural pathways. Start with weights at least 50 per cent lower than you used before. You can adjust your progression within four weeks your body will start feeling a lot like its former self—a time when you can consider the transition from light to heavier weights.
Postural alignment
On a day-to-day basis, people have poor postural alignment. Poor posture has been made worse by people spending more time at home during the days of furlough. Poor posture weakens your entire musculoskeletal structure. To combat this, stand tall, make sure you’re not hunching over your computer screen/phone, and position it in a way that you’re not straining to see it.
Warm-up
Your lockdown fitness program has likely been very different from your gym routine – unless that is if you have a fully equipped home gym. The way you move your body in the gym will be other from training at home, and you will recruit muscles you haven’t worked for a while. A key component to any workout is your warm-up – preparing the muscles to get the blood flowing – is necessary to avoid injury.
Smarter, not Harder
Always focus on quality over quantity. Ensure you maintain good posture and focus on complete movements rather than compromising your form for a higher number of repetitions or how many sets you do. There are no achievement badges for stupidity, especially for a smooth transition back to the gym.
Never Assume
Avoid returning to old, bad habits refresh your knowledge to avoid injury or re-injury. Remember, it’s been over a year since you last worked out in a gym. The good thing is that we are all in the same boat; there is no need to be embarrassed if you’ve forgotten how to work the machines or set up the fixed weight apparatus. Gym Instructors are there for a reason – use them, and don’t be ashamed to ask for a quick refresher. Consider going one step further and book in for a program review to reset your gym confidence and techniques. Better still, book a personal training session.
R&R
With time you’ll be right back to where you were before, but it’s important not to go hard too early as it will result in pain or injury and set you back again. To this end, rest and recovery is an essential step on the road to peak fitness and rest days are a prerequisite, so take them.
