We know that many of you are contemplating getting back to the gym after lockdown. If we were to ask you what you miss most now that coronavirus made you spend most of your time isolated at home, many of you would mention your fitness routine.
The Coronavirus pandemic has been challenging for everyone, and especially for gym-goers who couldn’t stick to their training sessions. The last couple of months have been excruciating for the ones who had to exercise at home with no professional equipment. No squat racks, no dumbbells, and no running mills. All of a sudden, doing a single exercise seems like an impossible challenge!
While some purchased home gym equipment and subscribed to fitness apps, many spent their time in front of the TV and lost their shape. Now that many countries are lifting their restrictions, you are one step closer to returning to your normal training routine. If your gym is about to reopen, you may be tempted to take vengeance on your body and go too hard on your muscles, but you should take it easy at first. This guide will give you a handful of tips to consider when you re-start training.
Start slowly, your body needs to regain flexibility
You had a long break, and it’s tempting to hit the gym hard and work your muscles like you used to, before the lockdown threw you out of the gym. You should start training slowly and gradually work your way up to the intensity and volume of exercises you performed before the pandemic. In the beginning, keep the exercises simple and aim for lower intensity and repetitions. Your body will tell you what you need to do during your training, so pay attention to its messages and be honest with your limits.
Your body feels a little stiff from all the lazy days you spent on the couch, so you need to activate the flexibility in the joints and muscles. Don’t wait to go back to the gym to prepare your body for training. Start a stretching routine to regain flexibility and mobility. This way, when you go back to the gym, you are ready to exercise, and you won’t feel your body as hard as a rock.
Start with cardio
If you did no cardio training during the last months, your cardiovascular system might fail to support your physical efforts. When you go back to the gym, you may notice a decrease in your performance on the treadmill, but it’s ok. Don’t stress yourself over it because it takes some time for your body to get back in shape.
Before getting a subscription to your local gym, run in the morning or go for bicycle rides to build up your cardio. Start slowly, and don’t push your body. After a couple of sessions, you will feel more comfortable with the physical effort.
Allow your body to rest
If you go from Netflix and Chill to 2-hours training at the gym, you’ll catch your body off guard, and even a low-intensity workout will feel like a shock. Pay attention to the signs your body sends you and give it at least 24 hours of rest between training sessions. If you feel sore after a killer workout, you may even need a 48-hour break. Check online how to massage your sore areas, and pay attention to your diet because it plays a crucial role in the recovery stage.
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Keep an eye on your diet
Let’s face it; the last months have wreaked havoc on your diet because no one eats healthy snacks during a Netflix marathon. But now that you are ready to go back to the gym, you can turn your eating habits around. Start by cutting down on the excessive amounts of sugar and salt you eat daily. Get rid of juices and sodas, and replace them with water. Your body needs minerals, vitamins, and dietary fibre when you exercise, so adopt a diet that supports your physical effort. A functional nutritional diet includes carbs, protein, and healthy fats.
Keep pains at bay
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Getting sore for a week or so after returning to the gym is expected, mainly because your body is no longer ready for the intensity of the exercises. Muscle aches and pains are the results of tiny injuries in the connective tissue and muscle fiber. Doctors call this delayed onset muscle soreness, and it often appears when you exercise after a prolonged pause or when you increase workout intensity.
To relieve the pain, you can apply ice packs on the swollen or aching area. Wrap an ice pack in a towel and place it on the painful area for 15 minutes. Then apply a heat pack for another 15 minutes and alternate the treatments a couple of times until your body relaxes. The best CBD moonrocks for sale are also popular for their ability to relieve pain and reduce inflammation. CBD can alleviate the pain in the sore muscles and reduce its cause. Some CBD products even relieve the pain you experience from an old injury because it reduced the inflammation at the injury site. Since muscle pain produces a lot of stiffness in the morning, you can take CBD before going to bed to help the body heal and recover.
What risks do you face when returning to the gym after a long break?
The most significant risk when going again to the gym after the pandemic lockdown is the temptation to force your body to return to your pre-pandemic levels of weight and volume. But you should not hurry to do it because you can injure yourself.
Allow your body to build back the strength and flexibility it once had, and be cautious when you do it. It won’t take long to get back to your previous performance, but you need to be patient and allow your body to get back in shape. Take it slow for a month to prevent injuries because they are the number one risk gym enthusiasts experience when they put too much strain on their muscles and tissues. The first sign you push your body too much is the stiffening you feel in the muscles. Listen to your body and enjoy the moment you spend back at the gym.
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