Introduction
As you all may have known, the in the UK, they have reopened the gym “after Lockdown”. They have been opened for around a week and a bit now. I have had a few sessions back and have learnt a few things about going back to the gym after lockdown. In this article, we are going to go over the things I have learned about going back to the gym after a long break away.
Now, remember that I was still working out at home using a few bits of equipment. If your country still hasn’t re-opened the gyms you can check out our blog post here about working out from home with minimal equipment. Anyway, I have still been working out from home, and they have been fairly high-intensity sessions. I have also been running more since lockdown. So keep in mind that I haven’t been inactive during the lockdown.
The Good
I have discovered that are some good things about being back in the gym, and some bad things about being back in the gym. I am first going to start by going over the good things about being back at the gym, then after I will go over the negatives, which believe it or not, there are a few.
The main good point is that it is nice to have a full range of equipment to lift. I feel my legs have taken a hit after not being able to squat or leg press (With sufficient weight) since lockdown begins. I do love working out at home, and I will touch on this more later, I have missed having a range of equipment. Trying to bring up laggy body parts is hard if you don’t have weights that are heavy enough.
My workouts have also been of higher intensity. When doing home workouts, I would throw in burpee and jogs, after lockdown and back at the gym, because you have more equipment you find you will have a higher intensity without needing to add in any “cardio”. Even though I am back at the gym, I will still be hitting my weekly running targets and doing regular cardio.
Gym family! The longer you go to the gym, the more people you meet, friends you make and you start to build up this little circle of “gym friends”. It was nice to get back into the gym and safely catch up with them all. See how they have all been, in general, just workout with friends around. Sounds like a small thing but having friends round you can make working out so much easy.
The Bad
Don’t be tool fooled, There are some bad points. For example, returning to the gym made me discover how weak I was thanks to lockdown. Honestly, I am not too worried about it as it should all come back pretty quick, but you do forget that after a few weeks of not training with heavy weights you will lose some strength. On the flip side, it allows you to chase some new goals and set new targets.
Another negative is it is currently summer here in the UK. I have enjoyed working out in the sun during the lockdown. Nice to have that fresh air, sun and sky. I have seen some gyms move all their equipment outside (This is more for Safety and allowing people to keep their distance) but that would be perfect. An outside gym!
I also forgot how much energy an intense gym session takes, I have decreased my food over lockdown (also trying to lean up a bit) but also because I know my workouts aren’t going to be as intense). What I did underestimate is just how much more food I need for a heavy leg session. I increased my calories when going back (As we talk about in our get ready to go backlist) but not enough.
Travel! It isn’t a big thing but does make a difference. You haven’t got the luxury of having a full gym on your doorstep. (Unless you have a well-equipped home gym). So a bit of travel is required. This will have a knock-on effect on the rest of your day!
Last point? DOMS! Oh my! DOMS for days. Even though I have still been training Chest at home, but due to the lack of equipment, when going back to the gym and picking up that set of heavy dumbbells. It makes a huge difference! It reminded me of the first time I ever lifted weights! Woke up the next day very sore. It wasn’t just chest, I trained Upper body one day then lower the next, by the end of the week my whole body was sore.
Which One is Better?
So which one do I prefer? Which style of working out do I prefer after lockdown? Well, in all honesty, both! They both have their advantages and disadvantages. I like to mix it up, was nice to get into a gym again, however, I still love a home workout, outside in the sun. So what have I taken from this? Why not utilise both? Workout at the gym and at home! Both enjoyable, both help you work towards your goals, so we highly recommend you mix up your workout routine.
Conclusion
So there you have it, some things I have learnt after lockdown. How have you all got on with going back to the gym? Found it stressful? Hard?
Let us know over on our Instagram. We would love to hear everyone’s thoughts about it. I am off to recover from these leg DOMs from squatting for the first time in a while! Nice to get a bit of weight on my back for squats!
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.