How to Restart Your Workout Routine After a Long Break
exercise routine
exercise routine: Self-Care Tips for Returning to Fitness After Illness or Injury
Resuming your workout routine after a long break can be a daunting task. It's normal to feel exhausted and confused after taking a long break from exercise. This is especially true when recovering from an injury or major illness that sidelined you from everything you were doing.
If you're feeling like you're not making progress, know that you're not alone. Everyone feels that way when they're getting back into the swing of things.
Remember, a strong comeback depends on more than just the physical aspect of exercise. Yes, it's important how you physically return to exercise - but your mental readiness for the process is just as important.
In this article, I'll discuss how to restart your workouts safely after recovery from illness, and I'll explain several key nutrients that can support your return to fitness.
I'm not a doctor, and everyone's return to exercise is different based on their experience and body composition. If you've had a serious illness, consult with a medical professional to understand if you're ready to exercise again. When returning to your workout, ease back in and use the information below as a suggestion - not as a hard and fast rule.
How to Restart Your Workout
To start your workout routine correctly again after taking a break for a while, you'll need to understand and absorb these three key aspects:
1. Your return to exercise is different from everyone else's.
First, you need to understand that no one else will return in the same way that you will. It may take you a little longer to get back to your normal workout level compared to one of your peers who may have stopped for a similar reason. Realizing this fact early on can help to manage expectations and avoid disappointment or re-injury that results from pushing yourself too hard too soon.
How much strength and cardiovascular capacity you lose while you're not exercising depends heavily on individual factors like exercise age, workout history, genetics, duration of the break, severity of your injury or illness, and more.
You can save yourself a lot of stress and setbacks by simply recognizing the difference between you and others and not comparing your return to exercise to others' return. Give yourself space and enough time to return correctly.
2. Don't rush back.
Second, there's no need to rush back and assume you'll pick up where you left off. In general, strength and cardio activities start to decline significantly after about three weeks of not exercising. If you've been gone for several weeks, it's unreasonable to expect your body to be at the same level of performance as it was before you stopped exercising.
Weightlifters often fall into a trap when returning after an illness or injury, and it often goes like this:
Traditional mindset: "I've been off for four weeks. But I was doing this workout before that break and I feel good now, so I'll just pick up where I left off."
What happens: Returns to their previous workout routine with the same intensity and volume that they had before they stopped.
Reality strikes: A few days go by and they're in a ton of pain and fatigue. Then they have to take another short break from exercising.
Doesn't that sound familiar? I think everyone falls into this common loop at least once in their career. I've definitely done it before. To avoid repeating this, it's important to set a reasonable timeline for returning to exercise.
3. Use the half-time rule
The half-time rule is an easy way to ramp up your exercise routine after taking a long break. Keep in mind that you still need to account for your individual differences when implementing the half-time rule.
To apply this rule, you take the total amount of time you were sick, injured, or out of exercise, and then divide it by two to find the best estimate of how long you can reasonably expect to take to return to your pre-workout fitness level.
For example, if you took a two-month hiatus from working out, expect that you will need one month to return to your previous fitness level.
I recommend following the half-time rule because:
- Universal: This rule can be used by anyone with any form of consistent exercise.
- Easy to follow: The half-time rule is simple, but it provides a clear and reasonable estimate of how long you will take to return to your pre-workout fitness level.
- Research-based: It is rooted in research, and is one of the best-observed training practices, and can be modified to suit each individual case.
Using the half-time rule can help to keep overzealous minds in check to prevent injury and build realistic expectations.
.png "exercise routine")
exercise routine
.png "exercise routine")
The half-time rule: What the research says
As mentioned above, the half-time rule is a product of synthesizing research and experience to create a general guideline. Several research studies have examined exercise, or lack thereof (or fitness loss due to lack of exercise), and return to exercise on timelines to arrive at the half-time rule.
In one small study conducted in 2019, older men and women underwent exercise for 12 weeks, followed by 16 weeks of not exercising. They regained their strength levels after the break within 8 weeks of returning to exercise.1
Another small study in 2008 on older men and women evaluated changes in muscle strength after 24 weeks of exercise, 24 weeks of not exercising, and 12 weeks of returning to exercise.2 Participants regained most, but not all, of the strength they lost during the non-exercise period after 12 weeks of returning to exercise.
This suggests that with longer hiatus timelines, the half-time rule may not accurately predict realistic return timelines. If you have taken a long break from your exercise routine, it may take more than half the time to regain your full fitness level.
Constraints on the half-time rule
The half-time rule provides general guidance on how long you can expect to regain your fitness level before illness - but it has its limitations.
One notable limitation is that you cannot apply the half-time rule when your break from exercise lasts longer than a year. Why? When your break from exercise exceeds a year, the loss of muscle, strength, cardiovascular fitness, and other performance factors varies widely between individuals.
A 2017 study looked at the effects of long-term exercise, exercise cessation, and exercise resumption in older adults.3 Participants followed a 12-month exercise protocol, then ceased exercising for 12 months, followed by a 9-month exercise resumption schedule. The study authors measured various functional fitness performance indicators at 3, 6, and 9 months during the exercise resumption period.
They found that for flexibility, a 3-month schedule was sufficient to regain levels achieved before cessation. However, it took more than 9 months for endurance, balance, and strength measures to return to their previous levels.
This valuable information highlights that long breaks from exercise require extended stages to fully return to exercise at the same fitness level you were at before cessation.
However, when returning to exercise after a long break due to illness or injury, it is best to work on a longer schedule than you think you need. For best results and to avoid injury, gradually increase volume and intensity based on what your body tells you.
Support Your Return to Fitness
Whether you've taken a break from exercise due to illness or injury, your body can use some extra support as you work to regain strength and cardiovascular fitness. Make sure you're eating nutritious foods that fuel your body with the nutrients it needs to recover.
Consider including foods or supplements rich in these nutrients, which are especially important for recovery:
- Protein : Illness, injury, and time away from exercise can lead to muscle atrophy. Protein is important for building muscle, so making sure you're getting enough protein can help you rebuild lost muscle. If you're having trouble getting enough protein from food, you can try protein powder shakes, whey protein, or amino acid powder.
- Vitamin C : Vitamin C is important for the growth, development, and repair of all body tissues. It also plays a role in the production of collagen, which is important for muscles and tendons.
- Zinc : Your body needs enough zinc for proper wound healing and tissue growth.
- Calcium : Calcium is not only important for bone health — it also helps regulate muscle contractions.
- Vitamin D : Vitamin D is involved in many bodily processes and helps your body absorb calcium. Low levels may slow your recovery from a viral illness.
- Creatine : Naturally produced by the body, creatine may help you build stronger muscles and increase muscle mass over time.
- Glucosamine : Some research suggests that taking a glucosamine supplement can significantly improve flexibility after soft tissue injury.
- Hydration : Hydration helps with everything, including muscle recovery and growth. It's also especially important when recovering from illness. To make sure you're drinking enough, try carrying a reusable water bottle with you.
In addition to the nutrients that are essential for recovery, make sure you're using other self-care measures when returning to fitness. Research shows that post-workout massage can help with muscle recovery and pain relief. Using arnica cream may also help relieve muscle soreness and pain.
Summary
Remember that your journey back to fitness after an illness or injury is unique to you - you won't recover at the same rate as anyone else. Use the half-time rule to estimate a realistic timeline for your workouts and listen to your body. Fatigue and soreness can help you gauge how much and how hard you should be working out when you start exercising again.
Most importantly, enjoy the process. Know that you will get back to your normal fitness and training levels in time - there's no need to rush it. Strategic and slow progress will be more rewarding than sprinting to the finish line.