Whether it was planned (like a vacation) or unplanned (like, hmmmm idk, a worldwide pandemic) workout breaks happen.
Injuries, burnouts, busy schedules, or other factors might lead you to miss a few weeks of workouts. But now you've shaken all of that off and you are ready to get back to it!
Here are some tips on how to properly and safely get back into your workouts.
1- Set New Goals For Yourself
I hate to break it to you, but you're not going to be as strong or fit as when you left off. Set some attainable goals and milestones so you can see the progress you're making once you return to the gym.
2- Start Slow
You may want to dive back in and play "catchup" with a 3-hour workout, but that's not going to get you anywhere. You'll need to slowly ease back into things. This means more warmup sets, more stretching, and possibly even more rest between sets.
3- Recovery Is Still Key
When you're coming back from a workout break, you may need additional recovery between workouts since your body isn't used to getting beat up by workouts. Take an active rest day when needed, get enough sleep, and make sure you're getting plenty of protein with your meals!
4- Don't Max Out
It's going to be tempting to test your strength and see how many you can max, but just don't do it... Spoiler alert, you're going to be weaker than you were before! Spend a few weeks getting your strength back, and then you can get into to lower rep ranges to test your max.
Tips From Other Pure Cut Customers
On our Instagram, we asked the Pure Cut Family if they had any additional tips for making that comeback. Here's what they had to say...
"You've gotten weaker. Don't attempt your old PR's"
- @W.Porter916
"Enter the gym, aka don't wait any longer. The sooner you get back into it, the easier the comeback will be"
- @Davidkdou
"Wipe your equipment down before and after you use it"
- @LittleLinaa__
"Stretch, stretch, stretch"
- @GarageGym_DadBod
"Take it slow, don't max out on day one. Your muscle memory will soon kick in"
- @C_Tschirret