How to regain weight after a break. How to return to training after a long break. How to start playing sports after a long break - recommendations from experts

How and where to start classes

Resuming sports training after a significant pause requires increased attention and extreme caution.

Most trainers and doctors are unanimous in their opinion that the training program after a long break must comply with a certain set of recommendations and rules. Otherwise, active physical exercise may not help, but may lead to undesirable serious consequences.

The state of the body after a long pause

The human body, forced for one reason or another to for a long time give up active training, significantly weakened. Doctors call this condition maladaptation. It consists of two aspects: detraining and imbalance.

Detrained

The body of a person who has not exercised for a long time undergoes significant changes. They are connected with the fact that unclaimed resources of the body are directed to other, more relevant areas. This causes weakening of muscle tissue, joints and ligaments. In addition, the work of other vital systems changes:

• circulatory;
• cardiovascular;
• respiratory;
• central nervous;
• musculoskeletal system.

Thus, training after a break is a strong stress for the body. It causes a restructuring of the entire body, trying to reconnect those functions that were temporarily not involved.

Imbalance

Intense training after a long break often causes an imbalance in the strengthening of muscle tissue and joints. As a rule, muscles recover much faster.

This can lead to symptoms of overtraining: pain in muscles and joints, deterioration in overall health. In addition, imbalance is fraught with injuries, leading to a new forced break.

Basic rules for resuming training

Given the above, it is obvious that the training program after the break must comply with a certain code of rules:

• mandatory preliminary consultation with a qualified medical specialist;
• gradual increase in loads and intensity - similar to training for beginners;
• need to pay more attention basic exercises and basics of technology;
• Conducting training in the gym only under the supervision of an experienced trainer or instructor.

Of course, a lot depends on the general physical shape of the person, the reason for the break, its duration and a number of other parameters. In addition, the chosen sport or type of physical activity is of great importance.

What not to do

There are things that are strictly contraindicated. Firstly, the most common mistake is trying to immediately return to previous loads and intensity levels.

Overtraining can cause not only pain, but also dizziness, nausea and even vomiting.

Secondly, many believe that before starting to play sports after a long break, you can take a course sports nutrition or (even worse) pharmacological drugs. This can lead to extremely undesirable consequences. A body that has not fully recovered can react to strong stimuli in the most unpredictable way. A better solution would be a properly constructed training process and healthy eating.

In addition, it must be remembered that at the first sign of discomfort, fatigue or pain, exercise should be stopped.

Where to start training

There is no clear answer to the question of where to start exercising after a long break. Everything, again, depends on many factors. Among them are the duration of the pause, the results of a medical examination, the chosen sport or type of physical activity. Today, a large number of different rehabilitation programs have been developed that take into account certain nuances. However general recommendations you can cite:

• a more thorough preliminary warm-up is necessary, including breathing exercises;
• It is advisable to strive to load only one muscle group with one exercise;
• you need to expand the variety of exercises, while reducing the number of approaches and repetitions.

The last point allows you to use the maximum number of different muscles without overloading them.

Resuming training after a long break is a very labor-intensive and responsible process. It requires compliance with all the listed rules and recommendations.

If we talk about the time frame for final restoration, it is generally accepted that if the process is properly organized, it will take half as much time as the break lasted.

Physical activity is necessary for every person, and if you have not visited the fitness room for a long time, it is advisable to take the right steps towards restoring the body. Wanting to renew physical fitness, to regain lost physical shape and health, you are probably interested in the question - how to return to the gym after a long break? Next, we will talk about the measures recommended by professionals to obtain excellent results.

Impact of a break on physical health

There are many reasons why regular workouts in the fitness room were interrupted: vacation, business trip, birth of a child, illness, etc. One of the key circumstances is the duration of the break. Recommendations from experienced experts will help you return your body to working condition and get used to physical activity again.

Training and exercise improve performance internal organs, increase physical endurance and the body's resistance to infections. Oxygen absorption deteriorates, which is also not recommended. At certain time intervals, the state of the body will be characterized by the following manifestations:

1. The break was several weeks. The cardiovascular and respiratory systems work worse, while there is enough strength. Endurance levels are still high
2. 1 year. Cardio exercises will be 15% more difficult, and the strength parameters of your body will be reduced by half, and this is the minimum indicator
3. Years have passed. We'll have to start from the very beginning. If you have previously had good results and were in appropriate physical condition, then recovery will be faster and more effective

The new program is selected depending on the reason why you had to give up the fitness room for a while. The duration of the break is also of great importance when creating a training program. Below we will consider the correct actions for each case.

Video: DOCTOR / BODYBUILDER - how to train after rest.

2-3 weeks

Such gaps often occur due to illness. Don’t assume that a period of several weeks without training has cost your body nothing, and you can immediately begin intense exercise. It is important to understand that most diseases, including bronchitis, colds or poisoning, lead to intoxication of the body. Other consequences include loss of fluid, malfunctions water-salt metabolism. Muscles receive less oxygen nutrients. As a result, the usual loads and jogging are more difficult.

What to do?

After an illness, the body is weakened, and it takes a couple of weeks to restore the immune system. During the recovery period, you should indulge in fruits, freshly squeezed juices, prepare and drink homemade fruit drinks. Helps normalize water-salt balance mineral water. Start training only when you are fully recovered. Forget about high-intensity exercise in the next two weeks. Also, you should not visit the sauna for the first time. Be attentive to your health, monitor your body’s reaction to physical activity!

2-6 months

Perhaps you changed your place of residence, moving to another city or district of the city, or you were injured and took a long time to recover. These reasons are most common during such a period without fitness. You probably think that you can run a few kilometers and do aerobics. In fact, already in the first weeks without training, muscle endurance decreases and strength is lost, while performance remains high. After an injury, it is worth resorting to rehabilitation exercises.

Exit

If the reason for the forced break was an injury, it is advisable to come up with a rehabilitation program. It will be better if you involve a professional trainer or doctor in selecting a training program. If you have been away from fitness for some time not because of an injury, start calmly training according to your usual program. The key word is calm. You should not work according to a schedule, maintaining the same intensity: run the same distances, but at a reduced speed. The exercises will need to be done with half the weight used previously.

Also listen to your body. If you feel tired, take a break and rest. Feeling completely out of shape? Walk on a treadmill for two weeks, gradually increasing the pace. It often takes from a year to a year and a half to restore the body.

Helpful advice: when forced to take a break, it is recommended to maintain a couple of cardio and one physical workout per week.

More than 1 year

Such a break is typical for representatives of the fair sex who have given birth to a child. You most likely needed 1 year to set aside time for training and resume physical activity. During pregnancy, many expectant mothers engage in water aerobics and gymnastics, which is why the question often arises: “Why can’t I train like before?”

What should I do?

In fact, you will need to start working again, since prenatal stress is minimal and serves solely as a preparatory measure for childbirth. As a result, physical condition is lost, and you have to start from scratch. It is recommended to start with fitness testing. It is possible that during pregnancy your body experienced disruptions or problems, and therefore it is advisable to consult a doctor. There is a possibility that the previous loads and the usual schedule of physical exercises will be impossible.

Start aerobic training and light exercise, thanks to which you will be able to reduce extra pounds, improve the functioning of the heart. Often, during long breaks, the cardiovascular system suffers first, which is why you are not able to perform even 20 squats without shortness of breath. In the first weeks, it is recommended to walk on a treadmill - 2-3 sets of 20 minutes each. Next, increase the duration of your walk to 30 minutes and add stretching exercises.

Go to gym after a month after retesting. After returning to normal activities, get help personal trainer: the specialist will draw up a training program, indicate correct technique. Even if you've missed more than a year since your last workout, you will be able to get back into shape and push yourself exercise after 2-3 months.

If you don't have time to go to the gym several times a week, exercise at home. Try strength training and stretching. The cardiovascular system can only be adjusted in gym. Walking with a stroller is considered useful, but remains a walk. Therefore, it is better to use a treadmill, with which you can maintain a certain pace.

Several years

For some reason you were forced to quit training. You think that returning to the pace and load is a piece of cake, but this is not so. Of course, it is easier for you to start fitness training than for someone who has never exercised at all. Over the course of several years, your body has become unaccustomed to physical activity. An exercise program designed for a young athletic student is not suitable for a person who leads a sedentary lifestyle and also has osteochondrosis or chronic bronchitis.

Your actions

Forget the past too sporting achievements in the field of sports. Muscle memory will definitely remember previously mastered exercises, which is clearly visible in the example of rollerblading and cycling. If there has been a significant break in your training regime in your life, start with your usual exercises. Take a fitness test and, based on the results, choose the appropriate level of exercise.

Fill the training process with a large number of exercises, while the number of approaches will need to be reduced. In the case of strength exercises 3 approaches will be enough for the muscles to adapt to the load. Pumping more muscles, you will be able to work out the entire muscular system faster. There should be one exercise for each muscle group. Otherwise, there is a possibility of muscle overload, resulting in next workout will not prove fruitful.

A small or large number of repetitions is undesirable. Also professional athletes It is recommended to leave a reserve for each approach. You shouldn’t exhaust yourself to the limit - you won’t be able to achieve records, and your muscles will most likely become very sore. Starting with your first workout, perform basic exercises, which include presses, squats, and deadlifts. After a long break, you will need to reconsider the exercise technique. Pay more attention to warming up before the training process.

In any case, after a long break between workouts, it is highly undesirable to overload the body with physical exercise. Significant loads will only harm in an effort to restore physical condition. Create a training schedule with an experienced trainer and doctor.

Due to various circumstances, people are forced to take long breaks from sports training. We are not talking about a week-long pause, but about the absence physical activity for several months or more.

After a long break, many try to return to the gym as soon as possible and continue training as before.

However, such actions cause injuries and other consequences that only complicate the restoration of physical fitness.

What happens to the body when you take a long break between gym sessions?

With a long break between workouts, a number of processes are launched in the body that need to be taken into account when returning to further exercise. The endurance and strength that a person has acquired is lost at a catastrophic rate.

For example, 14 days after stopping training, overall strength indicators decrease by 40%. For this reason, a person becomes unable to take on the level of load that he could easily perform before the break.

To maintain vital functions, the body constantly saves and conserves energy received from food. During sports activities, a person accumulates muscle mass, which subsequently becomes the main source of energy expenditure. The body of a person who has not exercised for a long time reduces the amount of energy resources consumed by the muscles. In this regard, there is a gradual decrease in endurance, muscle mass, strength.

The physical condition of an athlete after a long pause is more reminiscent of what he had before training. After classes, he will experience pain and aching muscles, just like the first time. The only difference is that a previously trained person knows how to perform this or that exercise.

Be sure to check out:

Where to start training if you haven’t trained for a long time

The first rule that an athlete should remember after a long period of inactivity is a gradual and systematic return to the previous level, despite the desire to quickly achieve the same results.

There are several basic rules to consider before returning to sports:

1. Organize classes twice a week. The body is not yet ready for a higher level of stress. This schedule is followed for the first 2 months after the pause. Before starting more intense workouts, you should consult your doctor or fitness instructor.
2. Each program begins with a short warm-up that prepares the muscles for further work. During a break from sports, ligaments and joints lose elasticity, so warming them up before going to the gym is mandatory.
3. Perform exercises that work individual muscle groups with equal intensity. You can’t concentrate on pumping up any one area of ​​the body. The ideal training option in the first days after a break is 1 complex each for the muscles of the back, chest, legs, biceps and triceps. To avoid “wear and tear” of the body, it is necessary to leave strength in reserve, even if it is physically possible to do more exercises or approaches.

Returning after a long break is also a great opportunity to review your previous training program. Previously, it was impossible to change the technique of performing some complexes, as this would mean reducing the load on the body.

After the break you will have to start the program from the most simple activities, so you can learn new exercises. However, you should remember one more rule - an experienced instructor should come up with a training scheme after a long pause.

Form recovery program

Let's take a closer look at the training program for 3 weeks.

First week with two classes a day:

1. Squats with weights (dumbbells, barbell, sandbags, bottles of water) - 10 times in 3 sets.
2. Bench press in a supine position – 10 times in 3 sets.
3. Leg extension on a special simulator - 10 times in 2 approaches.
4. Raising the knees to the chest in a hanging position – 15 times in 2 approaches.

Second week with two workouts a day:

1. Squats with dumbbells - 10 times in 3 repetitions.
2. Pull-ups on a horizontal bar or crossbar – 5 times in 3 repetitions.
3. Lifting the machine with your toes - 12 times in 2 repetitions.
4. Raising the body while lying on the floor - 15 times in 2 repetitions.

Third week with two classes a day:

1. Press with a narrow grip - 10 times in 3 repetitions.
2. Working out the biceps on the block – 10 times in 2 repetitions.
3. Curling arms with a barbell - 10 times in 3 repetitions.
4. Lifting the body by incline bench– 15 times in 2 repetitions.

Before each workout, do a warm-up, for example, a 5-minute walk elliptical trainer and other exercises aimed at warming up the muscles. On average, the duration of the warm-up is 10-15 minutes.

Important! Between each approach, rest for 1-2 minutes. A break must be taken before different types exercises.

It takes about half the time of the break to restore physical fitness. For example, if the pause was 1 year, then it will take 6 months to return to your previous physical shape. With a well-designed complex, you will be able to quickly and safely make up for lost time.

For a number of reasons, there may be long breaks in visits to the gym. Laziness, love, illness, work and other excuses are the reason for this. After a long break (a month or more), your body is unaccustomed to regular physical activity and needs a program that will help it adapt. This is exactly what this training program is for.

Features of this training plan

Remember the technique of doing the exercises - this will be the main goal of the first workout. Don't chase large scales, the main thing is to remember the mechanics of doing the exercises.

With each subsequent workout, gradually increase the weight of the load (2.5-5 kg). In the third week, training should take place with your usual working weights (which were before the break).

Before each workout, be sure to warm up. For example, start your workout with a 5-minute walk on an elliptical machine. Then stretch all the joints and muscles of the body well.

Rest time is average. Depending on your level of preparedness, you can change this number. Remember - you must rest exactly as much as your body needs (more about rest between sets).

For a variety of reasons, I haven't been to the gym for a little over a month. Illness, laziness, changes at work and every other little thing contributed to this. But I gained strength and decided that this was a great time for a new training program. All this time, I did not stop monitoring my diet and ate about 5% fewer calories per day. I drank the same amount of water as before. For sports nutrition, I only consumed whey protein and protein bars, but only in extreme cases when there was no opportunity to eat. Due to the decrease physical activity a little has accumulated subcutaneous fat, it's time to shake it up and return to training after a long break!

Where to start training?

You could say I started everything from the very beginning. Since I have practically no experience in creating programs, I took the training program for beginners from Dmitry Golovinsky as a basis. In his program, I replaced the standing press with a seated press. Yes, in this case fewer muscles will be involved, but this way I don’t experience discomfort in my back.

When preparing a training program for myself, I reduced the weight in all exercises. The first week of training was more like a warm-up than a full-fledged workout. But every week I gained 2.5-5 kg ​​depending on the exercise. My recovery training program looks like this:

Training program after the break

First day

1. Barbell Squats - 3×10
2. Bench press - 3×10
3. Leg extension in the simulator - 2×10
4. Chest in the simulator - 2×10
5. Hanging Knee Raises - 2×15

Second day

1. Deadlift - 3x8
2. Seated dumbbell press - 3×10
3. Pull-ups - 3×5
4. Calf raises in the gym. leg press - 2×12
5. Hyperextensions - 2×12
6. Rolling up the torso on the floor - 2×15

Third day

1. Close grip press - 3×10
2. Triceps on the block - 2×10
3. Standing biceps with barbell - 3×10
4. Biceps with dumbbells - 2×10
5. Incline sit-ups - 2×15

A few notes on the program. A warm-up is required before each workout. Every workout I do starts with a 5 minute walk on the elliptical machine. Next, I warm up all the muscles of the body and do stretches. It takes me 10-15 minutes to do everything. I gradually increase the weights in each approach. I rest 1-2 minutes between sets. The weights in all exercises are taken with a reserve; it is necessary to increase them slowly and gradually, even when you feel that you can do much more.

Due to my work schedule I train 2x2 i.e. I train for two days, rest for two days (work). It turns out that I train something like this: First day, 3 days of rest, Second day, Third day, 2 days of rest, First day, three days of rest, Second day, Third day, etc. This is of course not entirely ideal, for those who have the opportunity to train on Monday, Wednesday, Friday. I plan to do 4 microcycles (three training days each) and move on to the next working training program. I'll tell you about it later.

Do you take breaks and how do you get back to training? Leave your answers in the comments.