Returning to training after a long break – training and mindset tips

Are you ready to return to training after a long break? Are you aching for those heavy lifts and intense workouts? Returning to training is never easy. Here are a few tips to do it safely and optimize your gains! 

Training hard or smart?

Of course, we all want our gains back asap! Who doesn’t?! We also want to feel that endorphin rush from a hard workout. But our bodies adjust to what we do, if for a while you’ve done more cardio, more flexibility or even worse, nothing, jumping straight into the same weights and the same routine might lead to injury or worse – less gains. Take the transition period instead, depending on how active you were before returning to training consider 2-6 weeks transition period. It is recommended to start with 50% of weights normally used and 50% intensity and increase it by 10-20% every week. Not only will it prevent injury and result in more gains since your muscles will react to any weight after break and it leaves you a lot of room to add weight, but also lets you trust the process in which muscle memory will do work for you anyway. Muscle memory is proven to get professional athletes back to where they were after years of workouts in no time after even very serious injuries, but training, diet in supplementation needs to be done right. 

Do I hear you say: But that’s harder I don’t want to do it! I want to lift heavy!

Well was it ever easy? Did you start squatting twice your bodyweight, or three times? Are you coming there to feed your ego or improve yourself? Do you want more gains in 3-12 months time or do you want them right now? Does right now ever work for you or was it a long hard road where small changes over long periods of time made the biggest difference? I am guessing you know the answers to those questions, we don’t have to answer them for you, do it right, just like you did it before. 

Stay tuned for diet and supplementation tips.