Are you are coming out of this lockdown feeling like you’re carrying a few extra coronavirus kilo’s?

Don’t worry you’re most definitely not alone, I know I am. As much as I’ve tried to stick to some form of routine I feel far from my pre-pandemic self.

But the good news is that the re-opening of gyms is now only a day away. Some of you may be itching to get back into your sweaty place of worship to do some serious training. You just want to hit the gym, lift some heavy weights, and smash some HIIT classes.

At the same time some of you may be thinking that the last place you want to be is a sweaty, people filled gym. It is undoubtedly going to be daunting for a lot of you. After all, coronavirus is still here.

Is the gym even a safe place to go back into?

The answer is that we don’t know that just yet, but one thing is for sure…

The doors won’t just open up with an influx of people racing to the squat rack, waiting around for a lifting platform, or hooping and hollering at each other as they attempt a bench PB. Although I’ve not doubt all the ‘influencers’ will be back in full force with their SLR’s, tripods and gymshark gear.

As you should already know the gyms have to abide by the guidelines that the government place on them or risk being shut down. This means that there will be some big restrictions put in place. Such as, limiting the number of people in the gym at one time. Time slots and booking systems may well be introduced. There will be a reduction in class sizes, with spacing out and in some cases removing equipment to maintain social distancing. The music will be quieter. There may be one-way systems put in place. Your gym may even encourage you to shower and change at home instead of using the changing rooms. There will also be many stricter health and safety measures put in place, with heightened cleaning and PPE for staff, which is definitely not a bad thing!

As much as what gyms will be changing. What about yourself, how should you approach the re-opening?

Don’t get carried away!

Don’t head back into the gym thinking you can just carry on where you left off. You won’t be able to start back at where you were 4 months ago; unless by some miracle you have had full access to everything you lifted before. 

Our bodies respond to what we do with them, and they respond positively to exercise. As we train we become physically stronger and fitter, and our mental health improves. But if we are inactive our physical condition simply deteriorates. We become deconditioned. We lose muscle mass, and our aerobic capacity drops.

At very best you may have maintained where you were.

The likely hood is you haven’t so jumping straight back into heavy lifting, or engaging in some high intensity workout that you are now not used to would be dumb. Please consider the reduced capacity of what your body is now able to cope with.

If you are one of those people that is itching to get back into the gym my recommendation to you is to ease back into it. At least for a few weeks.

• Reduce your training intensity, or load, and then build back up.

• Make sure you use a specific warm up for whatever exercise you are doing.

• Focus on re-establishing healthy habits, like addressing poor sleep, and managing stress as you return to work.

• Get your nutrition back on track, and watch that alcohol intake now the pubs are back open.

Check in with yourself, before and during your workout by using the principle of ‘auto-regulation’ to monitor how you’re feeling when training. Modify your loads as you go, modify the intensity of any high intensity workouts to prevent yourself from overdoing it.

Just because the gyms are re-opening, it doesn’t mean you have to race back in all guns blazing. You can still continue to train in the great outdoors.

Just remember that whichever path you choose the benefits of exercise far outweigh the risks. Being fit and healthy during times like these is important. You just need to reign in your enthusiasm and have a realistic view of what your current condition is.

Not what it was 4 months ago!

If you prefer outdoor training - keep it up.

If you’ve only just discovered exercise during lockdown – keep it up.