1. Be kind to yourself & accept the changes

Getting back into the gym after a long break is never easy, so don’t beat yourself up if you have re-arrange your routine or swap your exercises around. You’ve shown up and that’s the main thing that matters. If you had a pre-lockdown training routine that you were super consistent with that was significantly impacted by the restrictions - losing a significant amount of strength and muscle mass I’m sure has been frustrating. It’s been hard to feel your best at this time. 

The first thing to acknowledge is that everybody has in one way or another, been experiencing a similar struggle. Instead of obsessing over the loss, the mirror, the scale or any other number - congratulate yourself for getting through this! It has been gruelling! 

Focus on feeling better physically and mentally rather on how you look. Remember, physical states are temporary - what has been lost CAN be regained. After a solid few months back in the gym doing what you love, it will feel like you never left.

2. Understand your body

Building muscle requires you to lift heavy weights, so does building strength. By definition, strength training is about “exerting force”. When your muscles are trained to work against high levels of resistance, a couple of things happen - the first is within your nervous system. To put it simply, the neural connections between your brain and your muscles get better and better, allowing you the ability to exert more force. 

The second thing is muscle growth. You need more muscle fibres to lift more weight, so when you strength train, your body will adapt to the need and your muscles will grow. When you’re no longer using and training your muscles to the same capacity, gradually, the neural connections will weaken. And those muscle fibres will no longer be required. As a direct result, your strength will naturally decrease, and your muscle mass may reduce in size.

During your home HIIT workouts and bodyweight circuits, you might have been doing a lot more high rep focused work. This would have been a great test of your muscular endurance, kept you toned and lean, and improved your overall fitness. But, it won’t have been as effective in developing your strength. To get something strength back in the gym, increase those weights and reduce those reps.

3. Know you’re not starting from zero

Whilst working out from home, you will have built or maintained a baseline level of strength. Even just using your body weight or a pair of dumbbells. It might not be the same level you’re used to, but it doesn’t mean there’s nothing there at all. 

There’s also evidence to suggest that building strength back up to previous levels isn’t as tricky as it would have been the first time. It’s not a proven thing, but muscle memory theories can be used to explain why regaining strength is easier than building it for the first time because specific physical expansions remain in place.

Either way, you’re not starting from zero strength. You’ve maintained a certain level, and you’ve built strength before. So, you can do it again. It just takes time, patience and effort.

So where do we go from here?

Here are some fundamental principles to follow that will help you maximise your efforts and make some progress:

Have a plan

You know what they say - if you don’t have a plan, you plan to fail! And we definitely are not vibing that idea. Having a plan in place and some structure around your workouts, frequency and intensity can really help you ease back into better habits and routines - especially after being out of it for so long. A workout plan is also a great way to stay accountable and make sure the work you’re doing in the gym is reflective to your goals.

Be specific about what you're doing

Exercise selection and training with purpose is the key to achieving any goal. To progress and continue progressing, the stress you put your body under needs to keep increasing. Your routine needs to get harder and more challenging. Fitness and strength plateaus can happen when you’re getting better at your workout, and it no longer tests you anymore.

Bodies are very good at adapting, meaning that you need to kick up the difficulty incrementally to see continued improvement and progress. That’s the only way to stimulate the physical changes that lead to improvements. Keep refining your routine.

Progressive overload describes the approach of gradually increasing the amount of stress the body is put under to increase muscle size, strength, and endurance.If it’s muscle growth you’re after in particular, use weights within 60-80% of the maximum weight you can lift and aim for around 10 reps within each set. If it’s pure strength you’re after, use weights that are a bit heavier, within 80-100% of your maximum and aim for around 7 reps.

Get your Nutrition in check

Training and Nutrition always go in hand - make sure you are fuelling your body right to meet the needs and demands of your transition back into a gym setting, and also to make sure you are eating enough of the right things to accommodate for your goals. Make sure you focus on the right nutrition before and after your workout. Especially after time off and less intense workouts, it will help to assist recovery and minimise muscle soreness.

Remember: Protein is a fundamental macronutrient and makes up a large amount of the tissues in your body. Your muscles are tissues. Getting enough

dietary protein is essential to ensure that your body can carry out all of its normal processes. If you exercise, the body will need even more protein to repair muscle tissue damaged during your workout.

Don’t neglect MOBILITY!

When you’re lifting weights regularly, it’s essential to also pay attention to your mobility as well. Having good mobility means being able to work through the full range of motion of a joint. When it comes to strength training, mobility allows you to lift with the complete and correct form. When you can do this, you can lift heavier without risking injury.

Make time for mobility-focused exercises and stretches to ensure you keep moving forward in your strength training.

Need help returning to the gym? This is where BUILTFIT can help. Our Monthly coaching subscription gives you unlimited access to all the resources you need to help you along your fitness journey. PLUS, you get your own fully customised program made to YOU and your goals specifically by Kiki. Click here for more info.