Summer is coming to an end… September XNUMXst has always marked the resumption of most of the activities, with closed umbrellas we return to the city and return to the daily routine. And the workouts? Did you continue training during the summer holidays or did you take a long break?
It is generally recommended to avoid a break from training that is more than 2-3 weeks, yet it often stops for more than a month, up to 3 full months. Starting a training routine again after weeks or months of sleep is not easy, that's why today we want to give you some tips from the MyProtein team to start this September in the best possible way!
# 1 Resuming workouts after a long stop, how long?
The number 1 advice we give you is undoubtedly evaluate the resumption of training based on how long you have been stationary.
We explain, if you only skipped a week of training your muscles will still be reactive and you will not need to change your gym routine excessively. If, on the other hand, you have been down for 2-3 weeks, you will need to implement some changes. The good news is that you will not have lost muscle mass, many studies have shown that our body is able to maintain the muscle mass gained for more or less two or three weeks, however you will have to start training again without overdoing it, step by step.
If, on the other hand, you have skipped more than a month, up to 3 months of training, the situation is different. In this case, your muscles will have lost muscle mass and will need a much slower and more progressive return to training. Boys / girls it is essential to start again step by step in this case, otherwise you risk muscle and tendon injuries.
# 2 Get back to training step by step
As we anticipated, if you resume training for more than a two-week break, we recommend that you start over gradually. You will have to re-accustom your tendons and joints to exercise to avoid any kind of trauma. Pay particular attention to:
- intensity: start the first sessions at a low intensity, insert more minutes of recovery if you perform series in repetition.
- break: in the first 4 weeks of training remember to implement at least one day of break between workouts, it will allow the muscle fibers to get used to the physical effort having time to regenerate and recover.
- loads: If you use loads try to slowly increase the load and volume every one or two weeks.
Don't let yourself be demotivated! Getting back to training can be difficult. Especially after spending many months before training hard, it can be frustrating not to be able to perform the same exercises or use the same loads. Do not let yourself be discouraged, be patient, in a few weeks you will be back in shape just like before the summer break!
# 3 Go back to your daily diet
Holidays always lead to an imbalance of our diet, for this reason, when you resume training it is essential to return to a healthy diet that can help you lose weight and gain muscle mass.
It is particularly important to replenish the recommended daily amount of water. For sports enthusiasts we are talking about at least 1,5-2 liters per day, considering that every hour of sporting physical activity can be lost from a minimum of 500 ml based on the intensity of the exercises. The correct introduction of mineral salts and water can undoubtedly help your sports performance.
In the hectic pace of life it is always difficult to make sure you are getting the right amount of protein, as a solution you could rely on protein supplements. In particular, whey proteins facilitate the growth of muscle fiber and fat loss.
# 4 Warming up and Stretching
Considering the stop time from training, the initial and final phases of warm-up and stretching acquire an even more essential value. Because? We explain to you.
Il heating it is the phase of exercise that precedes the most intense physical effort that leads to an increase in body temperature and an improvement in the oxygenation of the muscles and their elasticity. The warm-up prepares not only the muscles, but also the tendons and ligaments for the next, more acute training phase.
Lo stretching its main objective is to increase the flexibility and elasticity of the muscles. After a workout, stretching will help lower blood pressure and improve your coordination. It is a real cure-all for the muscles that will also help improve future sports performance.
These two often underestimated exercises therefore allow the muscles to prepare for activity and recover without incurring muscle and joint trauma, do not skip them!
# 5 Start training again, but with what exercises?
A shooting card undoubtedly varies according to your past experience, the time you have been stationary, if you prefer only the gym or you like to play sports outside.
In general, regardless of the variants explained above, to start training again it is important to start with basic exercises, especially full body. In this phase you will have to make sure to exercise and awaken all the muscles of the body: biceps, quadriceps, triceps, calves, hamstrings, pectorals, lats, deltoids, rear delts, among the most important. Typical exercises for these muscles are: chest presses, leg presses, squats and its variations, pull-ups, rowing machines, French presses, standing calf machines.
You might start with repetition sets to do three times a week for about a week or two, then increase the rep sets week by week and vary the types of exercises.
Good workout!
