5 Tips For An Injury Free Return To The Gym
Most of us are tired of hearing the phrase “new normal” at this point. Pretty much everybody understands that life will be different as the world re-opens. COVID-19 has upended many parts of our lives and your gym routine is no different. Even those of us who have continued to train consistently and are lucky enough to have some of our own equipment have had to make modifications.
Getting back to a gym routine is going to be a huge relief for so many people. In this article, we are going to cover 5 tips to help keep your return to the gym smooth and injury free. Above all, patience and flexibility will be key.
Put Your Ego Aside To Avoid Injury
This is probably the one most important thing you can do. Even pre-coronavirus, this was good advice to follow. Don’t allow your ego to get in the way of your training. Pushing yourself is one thing, but being hard-headed isn’t helpful.
Don’t expect to be able to jump right back into your routine where you left off. This is a recipe for injury. You have to give yourself a break and realize that you have been through a lot over the past few months. Even if you have been able to exercise regularly recently, there will likely be some level of de-conditioning that has occurred since gyms were forced to close.
A good rule of thumb is to decrease your volume and intensity at least 10-20% for a minimum of a week or two. For example, if you normally squat about 200 pounds, cut the weight to 160-180 pounds or so. It is also a good idea to temporarily reduce the amount of sets and reps you do.
Use at least a week or two to re-establish your baseline and focus on good form. Take this opportunity to go back to basics and make sure your foundation is solid. Just re-establish your routine.
Warm Up and Cool Down Consistently
This is another constant topic in the worlds of Physical Therapy and strength and conditioning. As we discussed above, use this time to establish some new habits that will serve you well in the future.
A good warm up and cool down doesn’t have to take forever or be complicated. 5-10 minutes on either end of your training session will go a long way.
A good warm up should do a few things:
increase core body temperature
prepare your body for the movements in your training session
address/improve movement and mobility issues
improve psychological readiness
Be efficient with this. Don’t try to mobilize or foam roll every individual part of your body. Keep it simple, get moving and gradually ramp up intensity. When in doubt, do a few dynamic stretches that feel good, then gradually work into the main movement for the day.
A good cool down can be even simpler. Just try not to stop your training abruptly and walk out of the gym. Spend a few minutes down shifting both physically and mentally. Do some soft tissue work, stretching, breath exercises, light cardio, etc. A good cool down is another opportunity to get in some of the work many people neglect. Deliberately end your training for the day so your body knows it is time to start the recovery process.
Listen To Your Body
We think it could be argued that a factor in many injuries (especially overuse injuries) is that people simply aren’t in tune with their body. Do you know how your body responds to different types of training? Do you understand how your body recovers best? Do you know the difference between muscle soreness, fatigue, tightness, stiffness, pain, etc.?
A good way to start listening to your body more is to learn how to gauge the subjective intensity of a workout. In other words, how hard did a workout feel?
We have our clients use what is called a Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale. We have people rate the difficulty of a certain exercise or entire session on a scale of 0-10. A rating of 0 means they could do this all day. 10 means it was an absolute maximal effort and they had no more to give.
Start tracking your RPE ratings for each workout. This is a learning process and your ratings will change over time as you become more experienced. Once you get good at it, this is a really great way to understand how your body is responding to training.
For example, say you do a very similar workout a couple weeks in a row. One week it is a 5/10 on the RPE scale, the next week its an 8. What gives?
Something is probably off about the session itself, your recovery, sleep, stress, etc.
You can see how this kind of quick check in with yourself can pay huge dividends. In this example, it might be that you slept like crap the night before the second week’s workout. That can remind you about the importance of sleep and help you prioritize it.
For the first couple of weeks you are back in the gym, stick to a 6-7/10 RPE or lower to allow your body time to adapt.
Be Consistent, Not Heroic
This ties into many of the things we have already talked about, but it is worth saying again. There is a time and a place for pushing your body really hard, but this should not be the norm. The majority of training sessions should be at a moderate level of difficulty.
If sessions are too easy, they won’t force any adaptation and you won’t improve. If they are too hard, you’ll never be able to recover and your body will break down.
Focus on staying consistent and improving gradually over time. This is extra important when returning to the gym after COVID.
You have been dealing with a lot of stress, both physical and mental. Don’t jump back in and crush yourself right away.
Also remember there is a difference between training and performing. Training gets you prepared to perform at your best when you absolutely need/want to. Every session shouldn’t be maximal. Prepare your body with consistent effort that you can sustain over the long term, then you will be ready to perform at your peak when the time comes.
Get Help When You Need It
Don’t go it alone. When you get back into your gym or Crossfit box, ask the coaches for help. If something doesn’t feel right, they are there to assist. Have them watch you move, ask for their feedback. As an impartial observer, they can offer advice and help you stay safe and injury free.
The same goes for any Physical Therapists or other qualified healthcare professionals in your life. If you aren’t sure where to start with a return to the gym program or if you aren’t feeling at your best, consult someone who is an expert in fitness, health and wellness.
We wrote this blog because we’ve seen people jump back in too fast after time off and hurt themselves. There is no reason for that.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out. It is what we are here for.
We can provide simple advice when appropriate or get you in for a full evaluation to optimize your movement, mobility and resilience. A session or two can be the difference between a frustrating return to the gym and feeling your best.
We know these kinds of recommendations are totally un-sexy and can feel unnecessary, but all you need to do is make some small, short-term modifications. This will significantly increase your likelihood of feeling good and decrease the chance of an injury. Getting back into to gym isn’t useful if you have to stop again in two weeks because you crushed yourself and got injured.
Check out our services page HERE. We help people everyday who are dealing with shoulder pain, back pain, knee pain and much more. Please reach out to book a free discovery call if you have any questions. We’re here to help.