Gym workouts after a break

Author: Timko Ilya - master of the whole project and fitness trainer.
2012-04-08

It often happens that a person has been training for a long time and has achieved certain results, but then is forced to take a long break from workouts. I'm referring to a break lasting several months or more, during which almost complete deconditioning occurs, and all previous strength and mass are lost. Sound familiar?

Typically, in such a situation, even experienced athletes make the mistake of trying to make up for lost time as quickly as possible. They return to the gym and throw themselves into lifting weights with double the energy. After all, they remember just how strong and big they used to be, and this does not give them peace. In principle, this is a noble aspiration. But it’s important to adhere to certain principles to quickly regain your former shape without overdoing it.

On one hand, you’re essentially starting from scratch, but on the other hand, you've already traveled this path, and it has left its mark on your muscles and central nervous system. Therefore, it will be much easier for you to regain what you’ve lost than for someone else to acquire something new. So, here are the principles to follow when returning to the gym after a long break.

1. Include more exercises in your workout, but fewer sets. Let's say, it's better to do 8 exercises with 3 sets than 5 exercises with 4-5 sets. Three sets are quite enough to give your untrained muscles a good shake-up. By including a larger number of exercises, you can "hit" more muscle groups.

2. Perform one exercise for each muscle group. A maximum of two. Remember, if you overdo it, muscle soreness will prevent you from fully loading them the next time.

3. Do not perform too many or too few repetitions. You don't need heavy weights right now. If you aim for 20 repetitions, your muscles will likely remain sore for a week afterward, which is definitely too much. The optimal number of repetitions is 6-12 per set.

4. Leave a buffer of 2-3 repetitions in each set. Do not go to failure. You won’t be setting records right now anyway. To achieve initial shifts in your muscles, it's not necessary to work to failure—at least not for the first 2-3 weeks.

5. From the very first workout, perform basic exercises like squats, presses, and rows. This will help you return to your previous form more quickly.

6. Returning to the gym after a break is a good opportunity to review your exercise techniques. Often, you realize you need to change the technique of a specific exercise, but you hesitate to do so because changing means stepping back and reducing weights. Take this opportunity to adjust your technique where you see fit.

7. It’s not advisable to dive into sports nutrition and pharmacology from the first days. During this period, they will be ineffective. Give your body 1-2 months to get into the swing of things.

8. Pay close attention to general warm-ups at the beginning of each workout. Otherwise, there is a high risk of injury, even if minor. During the break, your ligaments may have lost their elasticity, and your joints may have lost some mobility. So, you need to be cautious.

From my experience, I can say that usually, the period to regain form is about half the time of the break. Thus, if you haven't been to the gym for six months, you will likely recover in three months. If a year, then in six months. Of course, this is a rough estimate and depends on various factors. So please don't judge me too harshly.

I hope this article has been helpful to you and that you won't repeat previous mistakes when returning to the gym. Good luck!