Ep. #582: How to Get Back Into Weightlifting After a Break from the Gym (With a Training Program!)

2020-06-15

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So, here we are, hopefully closing in on the end of These Perilous Quarantimes. Restaurants are opening, stonks are rising, and . . . at long last . . . gyms are unlocking their doors. And that means a few things to us fitness folk: 1) If you’ve been slogging through bodyweight workouts, and the idea of doing another set of pushups instead of bench press makes you want to huff paint and chew someone’s face off, your salvation is nigh. 2) If you were lucky enough to snag some dumbbells or other exercise equ...

So, here we are, hopefully closing in on the end of These Perilous Quarantimes.

Restaurants are opening, stonks are rising, and . . . at long last . . . gyms are unlocking their doors.

And that means a few things to us fitness folk:

1) If you’ve been slogging through bodyweight workouts, and the idea of doing another set of pushups instead of bench press makes you want to huff paint and chew someone’s face off, your salvation is nigh.

2) If you were lucky enough to snag some dumbbells or other exercise equipment before this thing went down (or were #dedicated enough to sell one of your kidneys in return for said exercise equipment), then you’ll be well-prepared to jump back into your old routine.

3) And either way, you can look forward to a heaping bowl of good ‘ol fashioned muscle soreness, something you may not have experienced since your newbie gains days.

I’m talking stabbed in the thighs with a rusty butter knife . . . pecs bludgeoned by Sauron’s mace . . . spinal erectors so tender you could sell them at Outback Steakhouse . . . kind of sore.

And that’s not so good.

While muscle soreness can be a fun novelty, in a strange, masochistic sort of way, you actually want to avoid it as much as possible when getting back into a workout routine.

Why?

Because muscle soreness makes it difficult to train with heavy weights, or at all, which means it’ll take you even longer to regain any muscle and strength you lost during the lockdown.

So, how should you ease back into weightlifting when your gym reopens?

How should you adjust your workouts to minimize muscle soreness?

How long will it take until you can return to your old routine?

You’ll learn the answers to all of these questions in this podcast.

Let’s find out!

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Timestamps:

6:02 - Should I go to the gym as soon as it opens back up?

9:03 - What has happened to my physique if I didn’t do many workouts during quarantine?

19:49 - What are some guidelines for going back to the gym?

32:38 - How many sets and reps per workout should I do during retraining?

43:47 - What training program should I follow for retraining?