Returning to Working Out Following Time Off

Falling off the wagon and failing to get to the gym on a regular basis is common and occurs for many reasons. They may include an approaching deadline for work, a recent injury, family commitments, or a general lack of motivation. Getting back into an effective exercise routine can be easy but it requires patience. You will be more successful starting slow and being patient than if you dive in full speed ahead with unrealistic expectations. A reference to a popular children’s story seems to help people in this situation. In the story of the tortoise and the hare, you want to be like the tortoise. He consistently worked to the best of his abilities to get to the finish line, whereas the hare whom may have been able to jump out to a larger lead out of the gate was distracted and could not consistently perform to finish the race.

Time away from the gym effects your body on many levels. First, when you stop exercising you are simple not burning off as many calories as if you are working out. Because you are burning fewer calories your body will be begin to store them as fat. Also the more time you take off from the gym the less efficient your cardiovascular system becomes at performing its function and subsequently the lower your VO2max will be. (more on this later) Because the cardiovascular system does not perform as efficient as it did in the past you can not workout as hard and gain the benefits of those efforts.

Another issue that occurs is less stored energy in your body called glycogen. Glycogen is a complex form of energy that is stored throughout the body primarily in the muscle cells and in the liver. Glycogen is one of the primary sources of fuel you use when you are exercising. Also occurring at the cellular level is a decrease in mitochondrial density within your muscles cells. The mitochondria is the power house of a cell, it produces the energy needed for the cell to carry out its specific function. A person with a higher mitochondrial density will be able to exercise longer and at a higher intensity than one with a lower density. This allows you to burn more fat and sculpt the body you are striving to achieve

All of these issues can compound and contribute to a lower fitness level once returning to the gym. Typically when returning to the gym following a layoff you may feel dizzy, light-headed, nauseous, short of breath, or a general weak feeling. These symptoms occur due to the reasons I have highlighted above. First your body has become less efficient at bringing in and using oxygen and less efficient at dispersing the byproducts of exercise: carbon dioxide and lactic acid. Lactic acid is generally associated with the burn you feel while exercising. The more you workout the more efficient your body becomes at eliminating these byproducts of exercise and subsequently you can exercise at a higher intensity longer to burn more fat. Another adaptation of exercise is the bodies ability to store glycogen more readily. Having higher storage levels of glycogen enables you to workout for longer and harder.

As I stated above, when you take time off from the gym your VO2max decreases. This is a measurement used in the exercise physiology field to describe a person’s highest level of oxygen they can use during sustained aerobic efforts. A higher VO2max is generally correlated with having a higher level of fitness. Intense exercise whether it is cardiovascular in nature or resistance training derives adaptations in your body to become more efficient. In general your body gets better at bringing oxygen to the cells and taking the carbon dioxide out. All of these adaptations allow you to exercise at a higher intensity for a longer period of time. This in turn burns more calories and helps you come leaner.

The best plan of attack to returning to the gym is to start at a lower intensity in which you can complete a specific workout. From there you can establish a baseline fitness level and progress your workouts.Workouts can progress by increasing any of the following: duration, workout intensity, and workout frequency. An effective method to progress your workout routine is by manipulating your work to rest ratio. For any given exercise you may work at a 2:1 work to rest ratio. Meaning your work for twice as long as you rest. For example, if you were performing step-ups a proper work to rest ratio would be 2:1, meaning you would perform the exercise for twice as long as you rest; thus, if you exercised for 60 seconds you would rest for 30. As you become more fit you would change the ratio to where you are working much more than you are resting. For someone returning to exercise a 1:2 ratio would be appropriate. You would then progress to 1:1 and so forth. This method can be utilized with any type of exercise whether it is resistance based or cardiovascular in nature.

Another very effective method of exercise progression is lactic threshold training. Using lactic threshold training you exercise using a progressive program that gets harder the further into the workout you get. I like to describe these workouts in terms of pushing back a curtain, an expression I learned from Juan Carlos Santana a strength and conditioning coach who trains several high level athletes. The curtain is your highest perceived level of exercise you can reach. The workouts in which you are pushing back the curtain you push yourself to the point of reaching the curtain and pushing it back slightly. Each day you push this curtain back a little further. However you do not want to break through the curtain because more than likely you will not be able to complete the workout which will not allow you to be progressive.

Returning from a layoff can be physically and mentally challenging. You return ready to work at the same intensity as you left, however your body has changed and you may not be able reach the same levels.Take it slow at first, to gauge your fitness level, and then continue to progress from there. You will be more successful than diving headfirst into the same routine expecting to pick it back up instantaneously. The most important piece of information you can take from this article is to be patient. Patience and consistent hard work will lead to the results you are looking seeking. Always remember the story of the tortoise and the hare.

Get Your Mind Right

In life you get many chances to do many different things, but you are never guaranteed a second chance at them. Some people just float through life while others take chances and make things happen. When you start a new job, study for an exam, do a chore, start working out, or even start reading a book, you must commit to that very thing. I have heard Todd Durkin (Owner and Founder of Fitness Quest 10) say numerous times, “How you do one thing is how you do EVERYthing”. In my experience, I have found that statement to be extremely accurate. You cannot float through one thing, or enter an event half hearted and expect to come out on top. In order to create greatness you must fully commit to the task at hand. Before we start a workout Todd always says “Get your mind right”, he is a visionary, a creator, and an inspirational leader. He has the ability to create greatness and create IMPACT because of choosing who he surrounds himself with and choosing to believe in himself. We can all learn from leaders like Todd, we can all be inspired, but we must create change and hold ourselves accountable as well. The right mentality is so crucial. Your mental outlook on your life and all aspects of it is directly correlated to where you currently are in life. It also directly impacts the direction you are headed. If you want to lose weight, gain muscle, get a promotion, be in a healthy relationship, or get an A on a test, it all starts with getting your mind right. When you fully focus, commit, and execute a plan you will conquer more than you can imagine.

THE PEOPLE WHO YOU CHOOSE TO SURROUND YOURSELF WITH
Not only is the right mindset extremely important, but the people you choose to surround yourself with is equally as important. I once heard my friend’s father say “You can’t fly like an eagle if you surround yourself with turkeys.” I have personally been through many ups and downs in my life as I am sure all of those reading this have as well. We all face different obstacles of life everyday and we all have our own personal battles we must work through but you cannot settle for failure. You must find your second wind and push through whatever it is you are going through and having a good support system of friends, family, or co-workers is critical to your success in your everyday life. If you want to learn how to work on cars then surround yourself by mechanics, if you want to be a millionaire then surround yourself by millionaires. I remember hearing a speech by Zig Ziglar (Best Selling Author and Motivational Speaker), he said “If you want stinking thinking, surround yourself by people who have stinking thinking and they’ll give it to you.” The circle of friends or family you surround yourself with has an enormous impact on your health, your mindset, your outlook, and your LIFE!

YOU ALWAYS HAVE A CHOICE
Do not let yourself settle for mediocrity, do not conform just because those around you choose to, you must create change and transform. Life is too short to just settle and watch it blow by. When you choose to make a positive change and follow through with your decision, the rest of your life follows. All you have to do is take action, and action creates momentum. A great way to make moves in that direction is to do something nice for someone else, it doesn’t matter who. “You can get anything in life you want, as long as you help enough other people get what they want.”- Zig Ziglar. There have been numerous studies done on how an act of random kindness towards others naturally raises your body’s serotonin levels. Serotonin is your body’s feel good drug. When you begin to think positive, help others, and commit to being transformed, your life will immediately change direction. Everything starts with a decision, you always have a choice. Being fit, losing weight, or eating healthy all starts with a decision. Your mindset, your outlook on life, your eating habits, your personal health, the people you surround yourself with, all starts with a decision. Just as you chose to read this article, you can choose to make a difference in your own life immediately, you can choose to create impact in others lives, and you can choose to believe in yourself. Do not wait; make the choice to be great right now.

–

Written by Adam Foote
Certified Personal Trainer and Combine 360 certified
email: afoote@fxstudios.com