Back to Gym: How to Return Safely
Gyms are back in business and we couldn’t be happier! This is fantastic news for all the gym junkies out there who just can’t wait to get back to training. But this also means, we’re likely to be seeing some accidental injuries.
For many of us, this’ll be the first time we’ve been active in a while so we’ve written up some general pointers about the importance of returning to weight or cardio training as safely as possible, to avoid the risk of injury! Here are some simple things you can do and remember.
Don’t go too hard, too soon
‘Go hard or go home’ does not apply to returning to the gym. It’s been a while since you’ve trained in a gym environment so consider the first couple of weeks as your “re-introduction”.
Weight training
Our advice is 1-2 weeks of full body LIGHTER sessions before you start training specific muscles. Think compound exercises like squats rather than leg extensions, or a machine chest press rather than a dumbbell chest fly.
Cardio training
Build back into your training by altering speed or distance, not both initially. Our advice would be to aim to build your distance first, then slowly increase your speed over your coming training sessions.
Warm up before you train
We all know the importance of performing an adequate warm up or mobility routine prior to training, but that doesn’t mean we always do it. Warming up is extremely important and should be dynamic (not just static stretching) which can include mobility exercises, muscle activation exercises, or both. If you’re stuck for ideas, please give us a call!
Give yourself rest days
Remember, you likely haven’t done this in a while, so it’s important that you give your body enough time to rest and recover between gym sessions. Our advice would be start training 2 – 3 times a week with rest days in between. Then slowly build your days up over the coming weeks.
Cool down after your session
Cooling down properly after a session is almost as important as warming up. Again, think dynamic and mobility cool down with some static stretching added in.
Keep practicing good hygiene
What was once not a critical factor of returning to the gym, is now more important than ever. Keep yourself and others safe by continuing to use hand sanitiser, as well as washing your hands and sanitising the equipment before and after you use it.
Have questions? Don’t hesitate to reach out to the team at ISO Physiotherapy for any advice on returning to the gym – we’d be happy to help!
If you think you may have injured yourself, don’t hesitate to book in a consultation or give us a call at the clinic.
Enjoy the freedom,
Your ISO Team