In case you missed it, in NSW some restrictions have been lifted, most importantly this means gyms are back in action. You can count on them being busier than Westfield on Christmas eve, with many people restarting their programs or others just beginning their fitness journey.
When returning to gym/exercise/sports it is important to consider that the majority of us haven’t replicated the intensity of your normal program throughout the lockdown period. Our tendons, muscles and bones don’t particularly like sudden changes in exercise frequency and intensity. This is something we refer to as loading response, we know that when someone’s exercise load fluctuates rapidly, their injury risk proportionally increases.
Simple steps to reduce injury incidence on returning to the gym -
Avoid heavy training loads >5 days a week - rest is almost more important than training, the less chance your body has to rest and recover = less gains and improvements from your hard work
Vary it up - Don't weight train in every single session, make sure you're ticking off your aerobic and mobility needs (HIIT, running, Pilates, Yoga)
Walk before you can run - set yourself a SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time constrained) goal to work toward, this might be X amount of weight lost, a specific bench/squat goal, sessions per week, or your pre-COVID 1RMs
Those 1RM’s you were hitting pre-lockdown – as tempting as it is to hit them with a crowd in the weights room on week 1, put the groundwork in place first & build up your ability accordingly.
Want to go from your daily lockdown stroll to a daily double gym session? Ease up turbo, otherwise you will have more time off in store for you.
In essence, DON’T over do it, don’t go too hard too quick. As tempting as it may be, Rome wasn’t built in a day or week and neither will your summer body, trust the process.
Do you want guidance to get back to sport/exercise safely? Contact us to make a booking with one of our Physio’s who can assist in guiding you back to fitness.
88a Wallarah Road Gorokan, NSW 2263
02 4393 1800
