If you have the pleasure of having a home gym, this article may be less useful to you. For others, you might not have the same privilege and didn’t quite get the chance to prepare yourself before the lockdown. It’s testing times for many of us after the recent pandemic of COVID-19 and we’re trying to keep fit by doing home workouts instead. However, they won’t be the same compared to doing your normal gym routine and you’ll be eager than ever to get back into it.
Although we’re still uncertain about when we may be able to get to our normal routine, there’s no harm in preparing for the future. It’s important to stay positive and eventually we’ll be able to get back normal. In the meantime, you may be worried about easing your way back into your gym routine. If so, here’s some tips you can follow for when it comes to the time.
Don’t overdo it
The hint is already given in the title. Don’t over do it! You need to ease yourself back in considering it’s been so long since you last attended the gym. If you do too much too early, it can overwhelm you physically and mentally. You’ll need to understand that you won’t be as fit as you were before, so start small and work your way up again. Even low-intensity exercises are a great way to ease yourself back in.
Take your Rest Days
It’s going to take time for your body to recover considering how long it’s been since your body was able to cope with strenuous activity. Your recovery is just as important as the amount of hours you spend working out. It’s likely you might even need more of them compared to what you were previously used to. Just remember that even when you’re taking a rest day, your body is still busy repairing your muscles that you’ve torn from your workout.
Warm up and Cool Down
Being so eager to get back to your routine, it can make you forgetful about warming up and cooling down. However, cool downs and warm ups and essential parts in making sure you prevent injury and recover well from your workout. Muscles that haven’t been worked for a long time will suffer from delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). This means your muscles will be tight and achy. Warm ups and cool downs can’t help prevent this state from happening.
Focus on your Form
The best form provides the best results and prevents injury. You might be a bit rusty from not working out for so long, so you’ll need time to get used to what you were. Take your time to ensure that your form is perfect before lifting heavier weights. Control your body and breathing to get back to your fitness level that you were once at.
Get back to your Sleeping Routine
Taking advantage of the spare time that you have whilst you’re stuck indoors? Most likely. Well, by the time you’re reading this article you’re probably sat in your mens gym t-shirt ready to head back out again to the gym. So, it’s time to get back to your normal sleeping pattern so you have enough energy to do your workout. You’ll be burning more calories and working out more, so your body will be naturally tired but it also means it needs plenty of recovery time to be ready for the next one. Get in your needed recommended sleep hours and ensure you can utilise your work out.