Heading back to the gym?
So today was a VERY EXCITING day for me…
GYMS ARE BACK OPEN IN THE UK!!!
Along with shops, salons and pub gardens… and it also turns out we now get April snow showers after waking up to a surprising sprinkling of SNOW first thing this morning!!!
I woke up early with a big smile on my face, absolutely buzzing with energy (like a very excited puppy being let out for a walk… god I wish I had a puppy!) and couldn't wait to get back into the gym… with actual people!!
Now, I have been lucky enough to have access to equipment throughout lockdown so heading back into the gym this morning, my training wasn’t too different from what I have been doing (hello assault bike again!) but it was certainly nice to be surrounded by other people for a change (albeit slightly weird!)… but I’m expecting to hear about a lot of cases of bad DOMS this week!! (For those who don’t know what that is... it stands for Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness.. so basically… aching a lot the next day(s)!!)
I’m sure there will however be lots of people who may be returning to the gym after not training for a while or having trained with minimal equipment at home during the last few months and feeling a little nervous or not sure where to start…
Feeling a little nervous about going back to the gym?
You are certainly not alone in feeling like this… and it may not be just because you are going back to the gym and not sure what to do but also because we haven’t been around many other people for a while!
So here are a few tips that may help you feel a little more at ease when walking back into the gym for the first time…
Find yourself a friendly and welcoming gym that makes you feel comfortable
Try and find out the times when the gym may be a little quieter so you don’t feel so overwhelmed by lots of people
Ask a member of staff to show you round so you are familiar with where everything is before you start
Have a plan of what your training session is going to look like - if you’re not sure what to do then you can always ask a trainer to put together a plan for you
If you are not comfortable going into the gym on your own just yet then you can always book in with a personal trainer who can take you through your training session
Excited to get back to lifting some heavier weights again?
Okay so you may be ok with going in the gym but you haven't trained with heavy weights for a while and not sure how heavy you should go or where to start back with the equipment you now have available to you…
Ease yourself back in gently, leave your ego at the door and few reps left in the tank - There’s no point trying to go for a PB on the lifts you were doing before lockdown… that is only a recipe for injuring yourself on the first day back (and let’s face it…. we’ve waited long enough to be able to train in the gym… you don’t want to be back out of it again from your own doing!)
Focus on getting that technique of your lifts on point and then build up the weight/reps/sets from there…
You’ll be back to those PBs soon enough!
Let’s hope it’s back for good this time…
So for now… go enjoy your training with some actual people around you, get yourself back to some consistent training and smash those goals of yours!
*Summer body pending!*
Happy training & keep smiling!! 😊
