So Your Gym Just Reopened
Returning to the gym after months of not training is a humbling experience. Warming up for your first barbell lift is exciting, and then you add more weight and wonder who turned up gravity. In order to have an efficient and successful return to weight training, I recommend you keep a few things in mind.
Everyone’s strength returns at different rates
We all want to be back to where we were before gyms shut down. While it is possible for someone to take weeks/months off and show very little regression, I am not one of those people and you might not be either. It might take a few sessions/weeks before you’re able to push the weights harder, and that’s okay. The pace at which you return is unique to you, and even if it feels slow, you’ll still progress as long as you’re willing to accept where you are currently at and put in the work.
2. Linear progression
When it comes to programming in the gym there are many options, one of which is linear progression. This is when you plan incremental increases in training load/volume that remain the same over several weeks/months. I don’t normally advocate for linear-based programming because progress is rarely linear. This is an occasion where I think the benefits of a linear program are worth talking about.
Strength and muscle don’t just vanish forever when we don’t lift weights for a few months, it’s likely we’ll quickly recover a large percentage of what was lost upon our return. Because of this, I think it’s reasonable to plan a linear increase in weight each week. This can be an efficient way to progress yourself back to where you were, given you respond appropriately if progress starts to stall.
If you’re thinking of taking a linear approach to your return, I have a few suggestions. First, even if you’re feeling great, stick to the planned weight for that day and don’t full-send. This will reduce the likelihood of a rollercoaster of good weeks and bad weeks. Second, I would start around 50% of my old max for whatever rep range I am working in, and then increase by 3-5% each week. Not only does this allow you to increase the weight each week, but you’ll start to build up your chronic workload. Chronic workload is how much stress our body has been exposed to over a long period of time, and the more we build this up the harder we can push ourselves in the short-term. Third, as long as you remain patient, you’re only 10-15 weeks away from being back where you were. This sounds like a long time, but it’s roughly how long most of us were out of the gym. I would ride this linear approach until I’m close to 90% of my old numbers (given things run smoothly) and then swap back to whatever programming method you typically use.
3. Aches and pains are to be expected
If you haven’t been lifting, a few aches and pains upon return is nothing to worry about. You’re challenging your bones, tendons, ligaments, and muscles in a way that they haven’t been exposed to since the gyms shut down. For me, this looks like a cranky left knee whenever I return to squatting after time off, and my left shoulder gets a bit pissed off when I haven’t been pressing. You might experience this in different areas, but the principle is the same. If you’re experiencing this a day or two after your return to lifting don’t be scared, don’t give up, just keep moving and be smart with how much weight you choose to lift. Your body will get used to the loads and positions after a few training sessions, and you’ll be able to push more and more as time goes on. Stay the course, be smart with your weight selection, and be consistent.