How to get back into sports after a long break

Illness, injury, unfavorable weather, change of place of residence, temporary lack of free time – many factors can cause the suspension of physical activity. Working out after a long break in the gym or at home should be well-planned to avoid body fatigue or injury.

Methods on how to start exercising again after a long break

First, you need to prepare psychologically. Even for short activities, wearing a uniform and sneakers is recommended. This will avoid the feeling of fatigue because the beginning has already been made. Lightweight training is the ideal solution. In this case, you can allow more repetitions. It is recommended to choose exercises for several muscle groups and joints. It is also necessary to remember the correct exercise technique. Re-adaptation requires more time to regenerate as well.

Basic recommendations:

Don’t expect too much from yourself! After a long break, the body needs time to adapt to exercise again. The recovery period should last about 3-6 weeks. During this time, the training plan is based on light exercises. At this stage, fitness bands can help. It is worth remembering that it is the repetition technique, and not the amount of weight, that quickly returns you to shape.
If you have doubts about your abilities, you should use the help of a coach, especially after a long break. It is the specialist who will draw up an appropriate training plan, thanks to which a return to previous loads will bring quick and satisfactory results.
Balanced diet. Healthy nutrition is the cornerstone of the recovery process. The body must be provided with the necessary nutrients. Protein will help cope with increased physical activity. Supplying macro and micro ingredients and introducing vitamins into the diet will make our muscles gain strength and the body burn unnecessary pounds.
Regeneration. After a long break from training, you can’t torture your body in the gym for 3-4 hours a day! Without rest, there is no effect. You may not have the strength to continue fighting for your figure. The most important factors of regeneration are sleep, relaxation, breathing, a break from training.
Stretching. Sure, after a few weeks of not exercising, your body has changed. To avoid injury, it is important to stretch before and after your workout. And be sure to warm up.

Adaptation phase

No matter what your training goal is, remember that after a long break, adaptation is necessary. Adaptation is the time to acclimate the body to the heavy work it will be doing. To return to the previous level of stress, it is necessary to prepare not only our muscular system but also our nervous system as well.

Basic rules of the recovery process:

strengthening of the heart muscle;
strengthening weakened muscle tissue;
correction of imbalances in the body;
work on posture defects.

Proper exercise techniques will help overcome this period. You should start your workout with a warm-up with elements of mobility. Then you can gradually move on to any exercises. Small home dumbbells give good results and allow you to restore muscle tone.

Popular wisdom says that prevention is better than cure. Even if you have stopped doing sports and decided to take a break from strength workouts, it is good to continue to lead an active lifestyle. This means that you shouldn’t suddenly turn into a couch sloth – it’s better to include walking, swimming, cycling, playing football and other activities in your life.

Motivation to get back to the gym

The biggest challenge is getting back into the rhythm and finding time for workouts during the day while still managing family and work responsibilities. It is important to add motivation to enthusiasm and self-discipline. And there can be no templates here. Each person has their motivation to get back to workouts. The main thing is that this does not lead to excessive stress during the recovery stage. At the same time, it is worth arming yourself with a dose of patience, consistency and wisdom. Only regularity will allow you to achieve the same results. Returning is difficult, but if you get past the initial stage, you will feel great satisfaction.

Returning to the gym after a long break should be accompanied by common sense and patience so that physical activity does not have a detrimental effect. The last component will make it possible to return to the starting position after a certain time. After passing the milestone, you can strive to build on further success, starting with an adaptation period of several weeks.