Have you been feeling a bit unmotivated lately when it comes to returning to the gym? We get it. Most of us have fallen out of our workout routine at one point or another. This may have been due to the on and off closures of the gyms over the past few years in a pandemic world, taking an extended ‘break’, having an injury, or just feeling like you’re too busy to stick to a routine.
Regardless of the reason, getting back into a health and fitness routine after a break can be a real challenge. Circuit Works LA is here to help support you on your journey back to a fitness studio. Today we are going to share with you how to get back into routine with 4 tips for a successful return to the gym.
Start Slow
One of the most important tips we can provide for a successful return to the gym is to start slow.
While you may be eager to get back into your workout routine, it is important to remember that it is possible your body can still be fatigued due to a lack of muscle use. Your body requires a period of time to adjust and get back into the groove of things, which is why we recommend easing back into your routine rather than jumping right in where you left off (as tempting as that may be).
Start with light weights and low repetitions, focusing on perfecting your form to avoid injury. Over time, you’ll be able to lift more weight for more reps. At Circuit Works LA, our trainers will be here to assist with this transition. The key here is to start off slow and work your way up to more intense activities as you build endurance and your body builds up strength.
Set Goals
Another one of our favorite tips for a successful return to the gym is to set goals. When you set fitness goals, it’s important to set SMART goals. The SMART goal-setting method is a great tool that can help you stay motivated and accountable for achieving your short-term and long-term fitness goals.
The SMART acronym stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timely.
Specific: You will want to get specific about what you want to accomplish. Keep in mind ‘Who?’, ‘What?’, ‘Where?’, ‘When?’ and ‘Why?’ questions while coming up with this. Who is involved with this goal? What do you want to achieve? Where will you work on it? When will you work on it? Why is this important to you?
Example: Instead of saying, “I want to work out more” you could state “I want to gain stamina and endurance in order to live a healthy life while building my upper body strength”.
Measurable: Making your goal measurable will make it easier to track. Reflect on the time that it would take to achieve this goal.
Example: I will work out at the fitness studio for 45 minutes 3x a week for one month.
Achievable: It is important to make realistic goals in order to have success.
Example: I want to be able to lift 12lbs above my head by the end of the month.
Relevant: Ensure that your goal is relevant to what YOU want. For example, you wouldn’t want to set a goal to spend 30 minutes a day on the treadmill if you are looking to improve your upper body strength.
Timely: Set deadlines for yourself!
Get a pen and paper or open up your notes app to write your SMART goals out now and get some clarity on your goals. We would love for you to share your results with us when you visit our fitness studio so that we can best support you in achieving your goals. These goals will help you stay motivated throughout your training sessions and ensure you focus on things that really matter to you.
Stay Active
Our third tip for a successful return to the gym is for you to stay active … even on rest days! A rest day doesn’t mean you completely clock out of your daily duties. We’re not saying you can’t enjoy some downtime, but it is important to weave some light activity and movement into your rest days as well.
Your muscles become stronger when given time to recover and rebuild, which is why we at Circuit Works LA believe in active recovery.
The best way to accomplish this? Take a walk every day. Even when you are on holiday, take a stroll in the morning or during your downtime. Many studies show that walking is one of the best ways to stay active when you are not working out. It gives your body a chance to recover from the exercises from the previous days, while also helping to build muscle tone and torch calories.
Join a Group Fitness Class / Fitness Studio
Our fourth, final, and most favored tip for a successful return to the gym is to join a group fitness class at a local fitness studio. Joining a group fitness class holds you accountable and gives you a routine to follow. It is more effortless to return back into a fitness routine when you are surrounded by like-minded individuals that possess goals that are similar to your own.
At Circuit Works LA, we run our group fitness classes throughout the entirety of the week and have various class times available daily that you can view in advance on our online schedule. We also are happy to share that we have many flexible memberships and packages to choose from as well as an option to purchase a single class pass before fully committing.
We’re here to help you reach your goals and make sure you don’t feel like you’re going at it alone. Our classes will help you feel recharged, refreshed and ready to face the day.
Now that you have your SMART goals figured out and are equipped with tips for a successful return to the gym, it’s time to contact us and book in a group fitness class at our fitness studio.
See you soon!
