Suddenly, when you find yourself wondering how to get back into working out, it's much more difficult than you ever thought it would be.
Maybe you've had a two-week break basking in the sunshine, maybe you were injured and were forced to take an extended period off the gym, or perhaps there's no reason at all other than life getting busy or motivation lacking in the colder (or warmer) months. Whatever your reason and however long you've had off, getting back into working can be tricky for everyone - no matter your level of base fitness.
If any of this sounds familiar then don’t worry: we’ll guide you through every step of the way, so you get back into shape and (safely) hop back on the gain train.
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Working out how to get back in shape after a long hiatus can seem a daunting task, but following these five tips for getting back into the gym will make the transition a little easier and hopefully mean you'll be seeing progress that little bit quicker:
How Do I Go Back to The Gym After A Long Break?
1. Start Small And Build Up Slowly
Getting back to the gym should be done slowly and gradually–don't go with the intention of hitting the gym 5 days a week right off the bat. Not only is this much harder to mentally build yourself up to start, but it also places a lot of stress on your body, going from 0 to 100 off the mark. Start small (you could plan a strength workout day, followed by easy cardio and mobility, as we show later on) and plan in extra rest days to allow your body sufficient time to recover between sessions.
2. Establish A Routine
Getting yourself back into a routine where the gym is just another part of your day is essential. Set yourself a realistic routine and stick to it. After a few weeks, it will feel natural, and you can then begin increasing the number of days you go to the gym if you wish to do so. But the most important thing at first is making your gym routine realistic and achievable.
3. Always Have A Workout Plan
Walking into the gym with no clue what to do is a recipe for disaster. Save yourself the stress and make sure you have a plan before you head onto the gym floor. Download the Gymshark Training App and pick a workout–it will guide you through how to do each exercise, how many sets to do, and time your rest periods, so you'll never be stuck for what to do.
4. Don't Push To Failure
If you're feeling impatient to get back to where you used to be, it can be tempting to push yourself to failure, by which we mean using a challenging weight and pushing out every last rep until you can’t lift anymore. Unfortunately, this is likely to lead to DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) and possibly injury. For your first few weeks, practice leaving something in the tank for every session and rebuild your strength gradually.
5. Join A Community
Having someone to share your goals with or train alongside can make you up to 95% more successful at achieving your goals [6]. Why not join #Gymshark66 to become part of a community taking on a challenge to form fitness/wellbeing habits over 66 days, making you accountable and keeping you on track? Or, why not book onto a gym class or join a running club?
What Are The Best Workouts For Getting Back Into Working Out?
So we've covered the basics of what to do, but how do you structure your week when getting back into working out?
Whenever we're talking about how to start a workout routine after time off, our priority is to revisit the basics. We're looking to establish a strong foundation and build sustainable momentum, incorporating easy workout routines in three main areas:
1. Strength
Arguably, the best way to start working out again and rebuild strength is to pick a few whole-body, compound movements that recruit the most muscle groups and signal the biggest adaptation response [1].
Limiting your initial workouts to just a handful of exercises may not sound that exciting, but it's a great way to streamline your training, removing unnecessary distractions.
Your strength-based easy workout routines could be based on the following template:
Strength Workout A
Back Squat
Bench Press
Bent-Over Row
Strength Workout B
Deadlift or Hip Thrust
Overhead Press
Pull-Up
If you're looking to keep things simple and sustainable, or if you're completely new to training and wondering how to start a workout routine, that might be enough for now. However, feel free to add accessory exercises and core work after the main lifts.
To ease in, start out with 2-3 sets of 8-12 repetitions using a lighter weight than you usually would, and focus on correct form.
As your body begins to adjust after a month or so, you could then play with increasing the weight, upping the sets to 3-5, and lowering the rep range to 5-8.
2. Endurance
You might not be able to flex it in the mirror the way you can with your biceps, but the heart is an extremely important muscle that should be kept healthy. No one wants the embarrassment of being out of breath as they walk up the stairs, but more importantly, cardiorespiratory fitness (how well your heart and lungs pump blood and oxygen through the body during exercise) is correlated with longevity [2].
If you're getting back to working out after a break, the best way to build your cardio fitness is through slow and steady zone 2 workouts (rather than intense HIIT sessions, which place a lot of stress on the body and could lead to an increased injury risk [3]).
Zone 2 training allows you to build a foundation of stamina, eventually enabling you to go longer and reach more intense efforts later on. This could include walking, jogging, or cycling outdoors, or treadmills, cross-trainers, and rowers at the gym.
If you were previously used to training at high intensities, reining things in and sticking within your zone 2 heart rate can feel strange (and a bit boring!). But eventually, it will help you perform better at higher intensities, getting you back to where you want to be without overly fatiguing your body.
Aim to keep at a conversational pace for 30-60 minutes, before incorporating some more HIIT style workouts after a month or so.
3. Mobility
Mobility is often neglected but is particularly important when getting back into working out.
Many of us work in jobs where we find ourselves sitting for extended periods of time, which can cause a number of postural adaptations, including tight hips, a stiff mid-back and sleepy glutes. These adaptations may have a knock-on effect on your form, placing you at risk of injury.
The good news is that incorporating some simple mobility exercises into your warmup, cooldown and off days will make it easier to adopt more stable positions and may reduce your injury risk while in the gym or out running [4]. So when you find yourself wondering how to start working out again, ensure to make time for some joint TLC.
Two simple mobility exercises for undoing some of the damage from sitting include:
Lunge patterns
Lunges and split squats are great for releasing tight hip flexors and reactivating the glutes.
Thoracic rotations
Standing thoracic rotations and a revolved high lunge pose can be great for opening up the mid-back and shoulders.
What Is the Best Workout Split for Getting Back the Gym?
The best way to start working out after time off is to ease in, which you can do with a “two days on”, one day off” schedule:
Monday: Strength Workout A
Tuesday: Mobility & Cardio
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: Strength Workout B
Friday: Mobility & Cardio
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Strength Workout A
Around 2-4 weeks after getting back into working out, your body will have started to adjust to the new demands. At this point, you might up your training volume or intensity and shift to 3 days on, one day off schedule:
Monday: Strength Workout A & HIIT
Tuesday: Mobility & Cardio
Wednesday: Strength Workout B
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Strength Workout A & HIIT
Saturday: Mobility & Cardio
Sunday: Strength Workout B
Once you’ve built up a routine, it might be time to move onto a more specific training split, Be it a PPL split, upper-lower, or body part workout split. Read our guide to the best workout splits to understand what these splits are, which is best suited to your goals and experience, and how you can program an effective gym workout split.
FAQs
What Happens When You Start Exercising After a Long Time?
Exercise isn't easy, and depending on how long you've had off and the reasons for doing so, some may find it harder to get back to the gym than others.
When you start working out again after a break, the first thing you'll likely notice is a drop in performance. Some research suggests that cardiovascular fitness starts to reduce as soon as 12 days post-exercise, while muscle strength in athletes reduces after roughly three weeks [5, 6]. If you've had time off (especially for an extended period), you might feel out of breath quicker, your muscles might feel weaker, and you'll feel generally tired as your body adjusts.
You'll also probably experience DOMS–these aren't a bad thing, but they can be painful! DOMS occur due to tiny microscopic tears in the muscles. When the muscle recovers, it comes back bigger and stronger. Although we want this to happen, severe DOMS can prevent you from working out. When you're getting back to the gym, start slow and use light weights, programming plenty of rest days. Then, over time, as your body adapts, you can increase the intensity.
Is It Easy to Regain Lost Muscle?
We wouldn't call it easy, but regaining lost muscle is much easier than building it in the first place. This is thanks to a phenomenon called ‘muscle memory’, making it easier for trained individuals to rebuild lost muscle mass after a break.
When you initially build muscle, your muscle acquires nuclei called myonuclei. When you stop training, your muscles reduce in size, but the myonuclei don't disappear, instead remaining in the muscle fibers. When you start training again, the myonuclei regain their previous size at a much quicker rate than previously–making it quicker and easier to build muscle than when you first built it. A 2024 study proves this, finding that bicep size increased quicker in the previously trained muscle compared to the untrained one [7].
In summary, It won't be easy to regain lost muscle–but it should be easier than the first time you built it (depending on how long you've been off and how long you trained for before your time off).
Why Is It So Hard To Get Back To The Gym?
Getting back to the gym is both a physical and mental struggle–and the longer you've had off, the harder it is to get back into working out. If you’re struggling, follow the steps in this article and explore how to get back to the gym after a long break, which includes starting small and setting a realistic routine; going to the gym with a plan so you feel more confident; and getting involved in a community to motivate you and keep you accountable, whether online or in person.
How to Get Back Into Working Out: Final Thoughts
Getting back into working out can feel daunting and unappealing. Building up the motivation to go to the gym (especially in the colder months) can be a real challenge–made worse if you've been out of action for a longer period of time.
The most important thing is to be realistic and not expect yourself to pick up where you left off. Be motivated by the progress you can make in the long run. And to do that, you need to set a routine to build habits.
We know it takes 66 days to form a habit. And it's so much easier to do if you've got a community by your side. That's where #Gymshark66 comes in: a 66-day workout and wellness challenge, helping you set goals, build routines and stay accountable, alongside thousands of others around the world.
Keep your eyes peeled for updates coming soon 👀
But in the meantime, it's not too late to get started on a pre-66 fitness challenge: The Winter Arc.
References:
Paoli, Antonio, et al. "Resistance”training with single vs. multi-joint exercises at equal total load volume: Effects on body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, and muscle strength." Frontiers”in physiology 8 (2017): 1105. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5744434/.
Mandsager, K., Harb, S., Cremer, P., Phelan, D., Nissen, S.E. and Jaber, W. (2018). Association of Cardiorespiratory Fitness With Long-term Mortality Among Adults Undergoing Exercise Treadmill Testing. JAMA Network Open, [online] 1(6), p.e183605. doi:https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.3605.
Rynecki, Nicole D., et al. "Injuries s”stained during high-intensity interval training: are modern fitness trends contributing to increased injury rates?." The Journ”l of sports medicine and physical fitness 59.7 (2019): 1206-1212. https://europepmc.org/article/med/30758171.
Ramskov, Daniel, et al. "High eccen”ric hip abduction strength reduces the risk of developing patellofemoral pain among novice runners initiating a self-structured running program: a 1-year observational study." journal o” orthopaedic & sports physical therapy 45.3 (2015): 153-161. https://www.jospt.org/doi/pdf/10.2519/jospt.2015.5091.
Girardi, M., Casolo, A., Nuccio, S., Gattoni, C. and Capelli, C. (2020). Detraining Effects Prevention: A New Rising Challenge for Athletes. Frontiers in Physiology, 11. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2020.588784.
Dt, M., N, G., J, C. and M, M. (2013). The Development, Retention and Decay Rates of Strength and Power in Elite Rugby Union, Rugby League and American Football: A Systematic Review. [online] Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.). Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23529287/.
Kristoffer Toldnes Cumming, Stefan Markus Reitzner, Marit Hanslien, Skilnand, K., Seynnes, O.R., Horwath, O., Niklas Psilander, Carl Johan Sundberg and Truls Raastad (2024). Muscle memory in humans: evidence for myonuclear permanence and long‐term transcriptional regulation after strength training. The Journal of Physiology. doi:https://doi.org/10.1113/jp285675.
