From Injury to Recovery: Personal Trainer's Guide to Getting Back in the Gym

When you’re injured, especially when you’ve made working out a part of your normal lifestyle, it can feel like it’s been a lifetime since you’ve been able to get a good workout, so it’s no surprise that so many men the are returning to the gym after an injury are some of the most prone to getting hurt in the first couple of training sessions. As much as you would like to get right back to the heavy lifts you were able to do before your injury, you cannot allow yourself to get carried away, and if working with a personal trainer, make sure you let them know of your limitations. The path to returning after an injury should be done slowly because this is when you’re most vulnerable to aggravating that injury, so you need to practice patience.

As much as we would like to see results appear as fast as possible, you already know that this has never applied to fitness, so your best bet for positive gains after returning to lifting after an injury is to be mindful of the little things. When a guy is injured, the recovery process usually means exercises during that time are more subdued, and this may mean some of your flexibility may not be what it was prior. Additionally, among the main culprits behind re-injuries, especially when it comes to men, is the ego. You need to be sure that you check your ego at the door from the minute that you restart your lifting and even when it’s been a couple weeks and months, thereafter.

Flexibility and Mobility

Among the most common reasons men in their 30s suffer muscle injuries has a lot to do with skipping their warm-ups and pre-workout stretches. You can’t forget that you’re no longer that kid that used to be able to get right into his workout as soon as he got to the gym, so it would behoove you to take some time to prep your body for the workout. Since you’re bound to develop some muscle or joint stiffness as you get older (this is totally normal), a light warm-up and dynamic stretches can help to loosen you up.

As one of my Exercise Phys professors described it, foam rolling is “the poor man’s massage”. Some people got a little carried away in overpromising and exaggerating the benefits of foam rolling, but this doesn’t mean that there aren’t any real benefits. Foam rolling aids in stretching the fascia surrounding the muscles, which allows the muscles to relax and improve mobility.

Static vs dynamic stretching — do you know which stretching variation to do before your workout? Recent research encourages gym goers to employ dynamic stretching before their workout and static when they’re finished. More importantly, before you even start with your stretches, walk on the treadmill, use the stationary bike or stair machine, or hop on the rowing machine or elliptical for 5-10 minutes to warm-up to the point where you actually start to break a little sweat. You want to warm-up beforehand because stretching cold muscles are likely to lead to a muscle strain.

Do not make the mistake of overlooking the importance of proper hydration when you’re working out. Muscles rely heavily on water to function and maintain good elasticity, which allows for better performance in your workouts. Of course, you don’t want to overdo it with drinking water since too much water can cause headaches or even death.

Overtraining

After spending time away from the gym because of an injury, it’s understandable that a guy will want to get right back to beast mode-level workouts, even ignoring recommendations from a personal trainer, but doing this is probably going to aggravate the injury, thus putting you right back on the IR. It doesn’t matter if you’re new to working out or a seasoned veteran, you need to practice patience and give yourself time to recover, such as giving yourself a day off in between your training days. When it’s been a while since you’ve worked out consistently and at full intensity, soreness is going to take effect, so taking a day off between you’re workouts is a great way to come back to your next training session with less soreness, thus allowing you to a more effective workout.

After an extended layoff from training because of an injury, your workout technique might have taken a hit. Additionally, since you have a newfound limitation, you might want to work with a personal trainer to guide you, even if it’s just for a month or two. By setting your sights on excellent technique, it plays a massive role in ensuring a much more effective injury recovery and reduce the chances of re-injuring yourself.

Quality sleep is essential when returning to the gym after suffering an injury. You can take all the supplements in the world, hire the most expensive personal trainer, and use the most expensive and trendiest recovery device, but nothing can compare to good sleep. When you’re asleep, this is the time when the body is most productive in repairing the damage caused by an injury and the micro tears in the muscles that occur when you lift weights, so when you’re sleep deprived, it’s only going to lengthen the recovery process.

If you don’t already use a training log to record your progress, you should definitely use one when you get back to training after an injury. Logging your progress makes it much easier to keep your ego in check, as well as pinpointing signs of overtraining. You could either use a spreadsheet app on your phone, like Google Sheets, Apple Numbers, or Microsoft Excel, or simply get yourself a notebook and a pen.

Conclusion

The only thing that’s worse than suffering an injury at the gym is re-injuring yourself as soon as you get back to training. Be conscious of your limitations and make sure you’re taking proper precautions when you get back to working out. When you work on your mobility, flexibility, and emphasize excellent technique (hire a personal trainer, if possible), the odds of a rapid recovery are much better, which should be reason enough to adopt each into your daily routine so you can get your health back on track.

Ready to get started on your fitness journey? Schedule a FREE Consultation with Coach Julio, today, at www.365physique.com/bookonline