How to Safely Start Exercising Again After a Long Break

Are you struggling to get back into working out after a long break? Ease back into exercise safely and avoid injuries with these simple steps.

So, for whatever reason, you have gotten off track with getting regular physical exercise. Perhaps you’ve been busy at work and raising a family, or maybe you somehow lost your motivation. It doesn’t really matter – it happens to the best of us!

Now that you’ve decided to do something about getting back in shape again let’s look at the right way to start exercising again – without hurting yourself in the process.

This is not going to be a specific list of exercises for you to start with – ideally, you should pick activities you will enjoy and that make sense to you – but rather some general guidelines that apply regardless of how you choose to start training. Many of these rules of thumb are relevant irrespective of whether you are someone who used to work out but has had a longish pause or if you are someone who is starting to work out for the first time in your life.

Taking That First Step Is Never Too Late

Often taking that first crucial step can be the hardest. Restarting your healthy habits feels like a daunting task. And you obviously want to get back on track again without ending up quitting right away.

The fact that you are reading this means you are already well on your way; you are, at the very least, considering getting going again. That said, turning a fitness routine into a regular habit will take work and dedication.

One of the best ways to get this momentum going is to get some good results early. However, the best way to achieve that may sound counterintuitive at first. Let me explain.

How to get Back Into a Workout Routine Without Hurting Yourself

Injury injuries are always a significant concern with intense physical activity, particularly if your current fitness level has dropped significantly over weeks, months, or even years.

However, as the advice to “take it easy” is about as useless as a screen door on a submarine, I would like to break this down into a more actionable plan.

Step 1 – Assess Your Current Fitness Level

Before you get into an actual workout, try to get an idea of where you are currently. Going for a brisk walk is a good starting point if you have had a really long gym break. If you used to follow one or several workout routines before, give one of the easier ones you know from before a test drive – preferably at the beginner level. Don’t try to go straight back to the level you remember from the last time you were actively working out.

Remember, at this point, you are merely testing the waters – not working out.

Be honest and try to get a realistic picture of your current form to decide at what level to begin your actual workouts. After your chosen test, make mental notes of how you felt both during and after the exercise. Repeat this process several times and with different activities if needed.

Although most exercise programs come with a blurb about “seeing your doctor first,” that isn’t strictly necessary (it is more than likely there to prevent the program’s creator from getting sued). Using common sense ought to be good enough if you are generally healthy. Of course, if you have previous injuries or existing health conditions, consulting with a physician may be a good idea.

Step 2 – Manage Your Expectations

Thinking like a beginner is an excellent strategy when you get back into working out after a long break – regardless of whether you are one or not. Start at a lower level if you have one or several workout regimens you used to follow. For example:

In addition to the above, if you choose new exercises, consider practicing them for a few sessions before you actually pour some more juice into them. Study them carefully, get the technique right, and figure out how to best set up for each exercise (for example, if working out at home, you may need to move some furniture around).

If you use equipment, let’s say a kettlebell, the tool itself is a potential safety hazard for you and your surroundings. Learning to do things properly is always worth your time.

Don’t worry – there’s no hurry. You will get there eventually. And you are receiving 100% of the benefits of everything you currently do!

Step 3 – Put Strength in The Bank – And Collect With Interest

Some exercise systems, like the various Athlean-X strength training programs, often talk about repeating an exercise “to failure.” You do as many repetitions as possible (all in good form, of course) until you can’t muster one more rep. While this may be an effective strategy for building muscle, strength, and athletic performance, it may be something to stay away from when returning from a long break. At least initially, to avoid injury.

Because there’s a good chance that “failure” will mean precisely that – as in you limping away mid-workout, desperately clutching the back of your thigh. That is usually also the end of that session, and if you’re unlucky, it could take weeks for you to recuperate fully.

A more sensible approach when you are first starting (or restarting your efforts) is to put some of your strength in the bank, as some coaches call it. Or making wise investments and collecting dividends would be a more contemporary analogy, but I digress. The point is that – while you still might push yourself progressively harder – you stop while you still would have been able to crank out a few more good repetitions.

In my experience, the to failure -protocol can be even more dangerous for returning exercisers than for stark beginners. Those who have previously exercised at a reasonably high level may – although they have had a longish break – still have the capacity to perform quite a few reps if they put their heart into it. However, that doesn’t mean their bodies are quite prepared for that much stress all of a sudden. Think of taking a performance car with a poorly tuned engine and worn tires out on the track and flooring it…

Try to push yourself instead gradually. If you feel a muscle cramping up or sharp pain – back off! Don’t grit your teeth, and try to push through it. Put the rest in the bank and come back to collect it with interest in the future.

Step 4 – Include Enough Active Recovery

As both science and most good instructors these days will emphasize, getting enough rest is essential. During the rest phase, your physique develops, and your muscles will grow.

How many rest days you need will depend on many different factors. How hard do you work out on your more active days? Your age, sex, training break length, and so on.

For this reason, it is also difficult to say exactly what your workout schedule should look like. Three days a week of “tougher” workouts are probably plenty when you start. If you follow a particular workout program, stick to the recommended schedule.

Also, note that the headline said active recovery. Just because you have a rest day doesn’t mean you remain seated doing nothing. Engaging in lighter forms of exercise will be a lot more beneficial. Such as:

There is No Final Step – Stay Consistent

Following the type of “break-in plan” outlined above is a great idea anytime you get moving again after a long hiatus. It will help you get back into the right mindset and prepare your muscles, tendons, and ligaments for the progressively more strenuous workouts you will subject them to in the future.

With this approach – gradually pushing towards peak performance – most people can get gratification from making tremendous progress in almost every session during those very first weeks of training. 

You will likely have increased your number of repetitions in any given exercise more than if you had pushed yourself to the most extreme limit right away (possibly injuring yourself in the process).

With any luck, you will also have gotten a good momentum going in terms of exercising regularly. You may even have reached the point where not working out regularly feels strange and out of place.

Last but not least, while achieving certain specific goals certainly is gratifying, try to develop the mindset that eventually arriving at some specific “destination” is not what will bring you happiness.

Just keep going, enjoy the process and enjoy any progress you make along the way. This, in my opinion, is the best way to start exercising again.

Featured image photo by Julia Larson.

Photo credits, in order of appearance: Ryan McGuire and Nattanan Kanchanaprat from Pixabay.