How to reintroduce yourself to the gym after a long break

A lot of people in the world are facing a forced lockout as far as gyms are concerned. Ours recently re opened with a lot of hand sanitizer and machine spray being the new normal and I have zero problem with that. I've always felt that even the best gyms had a chance to feel a bit dirty with all the people touching things and what not.

Cleanliness has imrpoved and that will always be a good thing: But I want to focus on what a person should do or more specifically, what they should NOT do, when returning to the gym after a long break.

Do NOT pick up where you left off

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Our gyms had been closed for 5 weeks and the last I had written down in my journal for a variety of exercises, i was tempted to jump back in there at the same weight level but know from having made this mistake in the past that this is a terrible idea. The reason is pretty obvious, you are out of practice as far as muscles are concerned, but probably more motivated in your mindset. This is a recipe for disaster.

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Your brain is telling you "you can do this!" which would normally be a good thing, but the reality of it is that your mental state will overrule sensibility and even though you may not notice it at the time, you are almost certainly going to hurt yourself.

The last time I was out of the gym for 3 weeks (vacation) I went straight back in and started back up right where I left off. I didn't tear a ligament or separate a bicep muscle or anything extreme like that. What i did do was end up extremely sore the next day and was unable to even turn around properly, let alone head back to the gym the following day.

Therefore this next time when I went back I had a different strategy.

Take it easy on the first (and perhaps 2nd and 3rd) day back in the gym

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You might feel silly grabbing half the weight that you would normally lift, i know that i felt a bit embarrassed reaching for the 10's during my curls rather than my usual 20 or 25's but the idea here is to ease into it and therefore slowly return to your previous form before the break. Even if you were doing calisthenics or resistance band training at home during the break from the gym this is a very different exercise than the targeted exercises that the machines at the gym provide.

Forget what the people around you are doing, and especially don't worry about what they think. They too might be overdoing it and end up not being able to come back the next day whereas you are not going to have that problem.

I went for a 2 day re-entry where I did 50% my max on day one, and then on day two I did a set at 50% and then a set and then did a set at 75% to see how it felt. By day 3 I was back to very close or at the same weight level that I was doing before the break.

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I don't know the science behind "muscle memory" but I know from my own experience of "feeling it happen" that it is a very real phenomenon. It just takes a little while, like say stretched out over 3 days if you are an every-day gym visitor, or perhaps over a week if you are one of those people that goes 2-3 times a week.

Patience is key here. Just like a lot of things in the fitness world, if you hurt yourself, you are more likely to quit. No Pain No Gain is a stupid mantra for anyone not on steroids and pain killers. Basically I am returning to the same statement that I have always utilized as I started to become a regular at the gym over the years.... "Don't try to be a hero."

_{You can do it!}