After a long break, getting back into the gym can be a mega challenge.

If you haven’t gone to the gym in a while, you may be feeling like your fitness progress has come to a halt. But the good news is, you CAN get your fitness back on track!

Whether you're feeling excited or nervous, it’s super important to take care to avoid injury and get you feeling comfortable in the gym environment again.

So how can you transition back into the gym? Here are my top tips!

Refamiliarize yourself with the gym

You may be feeling a little nervous about getting back into the gym… and that’s okay! If you haven’t gone in months, it is a really good idea to take the time to familiarise yourself with your gym, the equipment it has, and where everything is!

My advice is to put your headphones on, and walk around the gym to scope things out. Take a moment to locate certain equipment and get comfortable with your environment. It may be a good idea to go during off-peak hours at first until you feel more confident! 

Go easy on the resistance

Whilst it may be super tempting to squat your usual PB, using your pre-lockdown resistance weight may just be a little too challenging for the moment. Lifting too heavy may actually increase your risk of injury — ain’t nobody got time for that!

Lifting a little lighter is nothing to be ashamed of! Assess where your current fitness levels are at now and lift a weight that is challenging but achievable for you. 

Focus on technique

Now more than ever, focusing on your technique is vital. It may well have been a few months since the last time you did exercises like barbell deadlifts or cable kickbacks. Be sure to be aware of the proper form and execute each rep to the best of your ability. If you’re ever feeling unsure, just open your LSF app and watch my exercise video demonstrations! 

Do NOT skip the warm up or cool down

As tempting as it is to jump into your main sets and rush out of the gym once you’ve finished your last exercise — skipping the warm up and cool down is doing your body a disservice and increases risk of injury.

Warm ups are essential to promote blood flow and prep your muscles for the main exercises. After receiving feedback from many of our #LSFbabes, we have now added an LSF warm up routine to the LSF app! You can find the warm up video to follow along to in the ‘tips’ section under the ‘training’ heading.

Cooling down is essential to reduce lactic acid build up, improve muscle recovery, and help regulate blood flow. Ways you can cool down include a slow walk on the treadmill, foam rolling, and stretching.

Stay consistent

Building a workout routine is key to really transitioning back into the gym. It may be hard at first finding the motivation to head to the gym, but you will need to try your hardest to be consistent so fitness becomes part of your lifestyle again.

At first, you may want to train less days per week than you usually would, to give your muscles a chance to adjust. Once your body feels ready, work back up to the amount of days you usually like to train. 

Remember — to see results, consistency is essential! 

Whilst it can be intimidating to get back into the gym after an extended break, with the right strategies you CAN safely get back into gym training!

Remember to be patient with yourself. If your fitness has regressed, it’s okay! With the help of the LSF app, you will be well on your way to increasing your fitness, boosting your confidence and SMASHING your goals!

Not part of the LSF community yet? Join our Global Girl Gang today!

Loz xx