Restarting Weight Training Workout after a Long Break

Article by Sahil Sidhu

You are standing in front of the mirror, looking at your body with a raised eyebrow and thinking of past years when you used to go to gym regularly, you used to pump muscles in gym, and you used to look fit, lean and strong, now you are thinking of restarting your routine weight training workout and then you declare loudly – “Tomorrow I am going to gym and going to loose my fat as soon as possible”. Next day you are again standing in front of mirror and then again declaring the same.

If you are one of these people, you must right now get out of this vicious circle, because that day is near, when you are going to feel more embarrassed standing in front of your mirror.

Finally after a big struggle, you are standing in front of the gym, you feel proud and happy, and you open the door of the gym like a boss. You are in gym right now and you know what to do, you hop on treadmill and start running, and suddenly the old gym memories comes back, and you decide to run faster faster and more faster, now leaving the treadmill you walk towards your forgotten love – DUMBBELLS. You start lifting weights, you remember everything you used to do in gym earlier and you know that you produced results, so you keep on increasing weights, do everything and complete your weight training workout.

You are now about to get out of gym, but you can’t! The exit door of your gym feels heavier to push to open, you some how come out, walk with two left legs and manage to reach home. You are feeling horrible now, very exhausted and sleepy, you are not even able to eat your food easily, handling a spoon feels so heavy and in office you yawn the whole day, you reach back home, you are not able to open your eyes and you sleep.

Next day you feel bored to go to gym, you laze around and do your routine, the day’s passes on and your best friend the vicious circle of your thinking process is back, your mirror is back. You are back to your normal life!

Now getting to the main part of my blog, which says how to restart your weight training workout and information regarding how much long and when to take break from your weight training workout.

From the bitter part, now we reached the sweetest part, all I want to say is that, to restart your workout, Commitment to recreate your commitment to workout everyday itself is must. It’s good that you know the ways to workout in gym with weights, it’s a plus point, but after a long break, everything is not as easy and same as before, you need to calm down a bit, you need to relax rather than rushing to cut the fat, you need to start from zero, remember the first time you entered gym, you were so careful that time, lifting with very lighter weights, you need to love your body, love your fat, and make your body comfortable with you restarting your workout and as your body gets comfortable, no need to rush still, just increase weight slightly, and keep on moving even if you are not producing results.

I won’t say that this is the right track, nor I am going to say that it’s a wrong track. But yeah I can promise that by following this track you can produce results the way you want. I hope this brings a smile on your face. But I got some thing more important to inform you, that how long and when you should take break from your weight training workout.

Even if you are a workout freak, there are days when you feel not to workout and you don’t want to go to gym. But even then you drag yourself in gym, thinking that not going to gym will be a dishonor to yourself and you force yourself to workout thinking as if its your religion, this commitment is good, but you are forgetting one of the most important aspect and main pillar of your health and fitness, which is RECOVERY.

Like you go gym regularly, you must take breaks regularly to recover, this helps giving 100% in your workout every time you step in gym. SO just take break when you feel strongly not to go to gym, listen to your body, your body will communicate when it needed rest for recovery. Experts says it should not be like you completely take break and do nothing, instead one can go for a long walk, relax in swimming pool, kick football, few serves with tennis racquet etc.

One more important aspect is the duration for taking a break, if you train yourself with weights, taking break not more than one week is good, and one week break will not let go all of hard work you did in gym. But you must listen to your body and manage doing your weight training workouts and taking breaks.