Introduction
This is not a drill! Gyms are opening! Gyms in the U.K will be opening their doors again very soon (July 25th 2020). So we thought it would be a good idea to run through a few things you can do to help stay safe but also be more efficient in the gym. So, in today’s article, we are going to go over a few tips to get ready for when you go back to the gym. We are going to cover a lot of things, from personal health to plans routine and even a few surprising things that will help keep everything running safely and running smoothly.
Start Light and Work your Way Up
How to get back to the gym? Take it slow and steady! During this lockdown you will have lost some strength, Unless you have had access to almost the same equipment that you did before lockdown it is inevitable that you would off lost some strength. Just because the gyms are opening, does not mean you should rush into the gym and try to lift the same amount as you did pre-lockdown. It will not end well.
We highly recommend that you take it slow to start with, just because gyms are opening and getting back normal doesn’t mean your body is ready! Maybe spend your first few session going back to basics, familiarise yourself with doing some of the exercises again. Use lightweight and focus on form. Muscle memory will kick it and it should all come back fairly soon, but going straight into the gym and trying to lift what you lifted before lockdown will only cause injury.
If you wanted to be extra careful, you could start of maybe doing a few full-body workouts, using come compound movements. What you are trying to do is get your body use to lifting heavyweight again. Also, try to perform exercises you couldn’t do during the lockdown. If you had a set of Resistance bands, you would off been able to do some lateral raises or Dumbbell curls, but you wouldn’t have been able to do Standing military press or Squats. Spend a few sessions getting back into the groove.
Have a Plan or at least workout in mind
Everyone is excited that the gyms are opening. This means that everyone is going to go back to the gym at the same time. It is going to be like peak time, all the time! So you need to have a plan! Go into the gym with an idea or a routine in mind. Plan out your workout before you go in so that you can efficiently workout, and get the best workout for the time spent (if you are time restricted).
However, you need to find a fine line between a solid, set in the stone plan and being flexible. As it is going to be busy. Some equipment is possibly taken when you need it. In this case, you will need to either wait or swap out that exercise for something else. I suggest that when designing your workout, maybe write an alternative exercise. Something you can fall back on if the equipment is taken, for example. If you had Barbell Bench Press planned but find all the bench presses are taken, you might have to go do Dumbbell Bench Press or even a machine chest press. Doing this will help keep your workout going and allow you to spend as little time in the gym as possible, Speaking of which. That leads up nicely on to our next point.
Try to get in and out? Congestion is the enemy!
As mentioned above, it is going to get busy, very busy. People have been just under 5 months to get back to the gym. So there is going to be a mad rush to go back. Don’t be one of those people that need to get a 3-hour workout in. Just because the gyms are opening doesn’t mean you have to hog all the equipment.
If everyone aimed for around a 45-minute workout, this means that a lot more people could use the gym. Everyone would be able to get a safe, healthy and efficient workout in. As we have mentioned above, plan your workout. However, don’t be the guy that plans 10X10 on the bench press. Maybe do 10X3 or 10X4 for now. Another note (I’m not a hundred percent) on this, but I don’t think people will be able to “work in” with each other due to social distancing. Meaning it may take even longer or you will have to wait for more.
What we all need to remember is that this isn’t going to be a permanent thing. It will go back to normal soon enough. However, first, we need to all work together and get through this weird in-between period. You will all be back onto your full, standard workout routines soon enough.
Energy! You might have to change your diet!
We have all been working out from home since lockdown happened, So, going back to the gym will mean lifting heavier weights, doing some more intense workouts and this means you will need a bigger energy supply to pull from.
You might have to alter your diet to allow more carbs, and more food in general pre-workout so you have that energy and carb source to pull from. As always, this is a personal thing and depends on various factors, like your diet already, what time you workout and your goals. If you are planning to go into a bulk when the gyms are open, I doubt you will have to worry about consuming food!
Get Gym ready before getting to the gym
Now, I understand that some people won’t be able to do this, but those that can, if they do will help a lot. If you can show up to the gym, gym-ready, Meaning dressed, bottle filled and a workout planned. This will be a massive help on the gym, the staff and everyone’s help. If you live close to the gym and can get dressed beforehand this will help everything, Especial if they are restricting the number of members in.
If every person has to get ready while at the gym this will slow it down for the people waiting. As we have throughout this post, the aim is to be in and out as quick as possible. So showing up ready will help massively. It will also cut down on the number of hands that touch things. The fewer hands on the lockers, the fewer germs are spread and the quicker everything gets back to normal.
Some circumstances can not be avoided. Coming straight from work etc, but if ever thinks “Can I get dressed before going?” Then it will make everything so much faster and smoother for everyone.
Keep your Distance and be Mindful of Others!
This last one is just kind of a reminder. Keep your distance and be mindful of others. Don’t hog machines, don’t stand in the way of others, keep your distance and as we have mentioned many times, try to be in and out.
Also, remember to respect the staff, they are having to work through this and keep everything clean so you can go to the gym. If your gym allows it and has the facilities then clean the equipment after you are done with it. The staff will appreciate this massively and will make their job a thousand times easier.
Last major point is if you have any symptoms then please do not go to the gym or anywhere else!
Conclusion
Hopefully, this has helped you plan your return to the gym when. Personally I happy to continue to work out from home for a little while longer. See how opening the gyms pans out, but also let the gym calm dow. I think it is going to be fairly busy when they first open up, a lot of people are keen to get back into the gym. A little side tip, if you are looking to start a home gym, there is going to be a lot of second-hand gym equipment available soon.
Remember you can use this post to help you with how to get back to the gym after a long break. If you have been away from the gym for a while then you can use some of these tips. During the lockdown period you may find yourself asking the question “how to get back to the gym after a long break” then this post should be able to help you out a little.
If you have any tips or tricks for returning to the gym, let us know you either emailing us or letting us know over on our Instagram.
Written by Kieran Blacker
Kieran is the CEO and Founder of Sets & Reps. He decided to make an application that helped people get a gym workout when not at the gym. He designed, Coded and built the application himself.