How quickly muscles recover after a long break. How to train after a break? Make a plan and set realistic goals

In any training, consistency and regularity are important. However, it happens that, due to various circumstances, physical activity has to be temporarily reduced, or even stopped altogether. How to return to your previous shape without harm to your health, read our article.

Start training after long break It is difficult not only psychologically, but also physically. In sports science there is even a special term to denote a long break in exercise and its consequences - detraining. In order to start training correctly after a long break, you need not only to understand the changes that have occurred in your body during this time, but also to build the process of returning to past sporting victories.

Changes in the body after a break from training

Without high loads the body quickly returns to a calm state and redistributes the resources it previously spent during sports. It has been proven that within 1-2 months after stopping regular exercise, the following physiological changes occur:

• blood volume decreases
• the level of adrenaline decreases, and along with it the consumption of oxygen by the muscles, as a result, endurance decreases
• opportunities are decreasing respiratory system: now the respiratory muscles require more oxygen, taking it from other muscles
• the amount of fat increases because it is no longer used as an energy source
• power capabilities remain much longer than many fear, but they are gradually declining

Why adaptation is needed after returning to training

If, after a break, you suddenly return to high-intensity activities that you could easily handle, for example, six months ago, then most likely you will feel ill both during and after the activity. Such stress on the body can result not just in muscle pain and fatigue, but in serious injury. Remember that your body is almost at entry level preparation.

Three golden rules for returning to classes after a long break

The first rule that will help you quickly return to your previous shape: warm up. needed in order to overcome the imbalance between body systems. If muscle respond to the load faster and increase in volume, then the ligaments and joints return to their previous levels much more slowly. And only during warm-up can you warm up the body and prepare it for further stress.

Second rule: gradualism

We're coming back the same way we started. We started with minimal loads, gradually increasing them. Therefore after long break in the schedule we look only at classes for beginners, gradually move to the intermediate level, and only after 1-2 months of regular training do we sign up for high-intensity classes for those who are prepared.

Third rule: attitude.

It is possible to return to the previous form. It’s possible to become better than you were before the break. All it takes is time. Therefore, even if it’s hard for you, get ready to return to fitness and your previous shape. A gradual loads, which you will give to the body and with which you can absolutely cope, will only lift your spirits and determination in conquering the heights of sports.

How quickly will you get back to your previous shape?

Returning to your previous form depends on three factors: the reason for the break in training (injury, laziness, emergency at work), the duration of the break (a month, six months, several years), and, of course, time regular classes before the break (you studied for six months or several years).

If before the break you had been training for several years and were in excellent shape, then your return will be faster and easier than for those who trained for up to six months.

If the break in training was only a couple of months, then the strength capabilities will hardly change, but the respiratory and cardiovascular capabilities require restoration. But if the break was several years, then you will have to start almost from scratch. Although you will achieve more success than beginners.

Returning to exercise after an injury requires not only consultation with your doctor, but also consultation with a trainer who can adapt the load to your needs. physical fitness, and will also prevent further injuries.

And most importantly, listen to yourself and listen to your body. Because no one knows its capabilities better than you.

What if suddenly there is a break again?

No one is safe from the next break, not even professional athletes. To easily get back on track later, give your body at least minimal, but regular exercise in the form of exercises or long walks. And then the subsequent return will seem much easier to you.

I think that each of you, for some reason, was forced to do break in the training process. For example, during vacation, as well as for reasons injuries or illness. But sooner or later you need to return to training. After a break, almost every athlete strives to get to his previous strength indicators too quickly, which ends overtraining or injuries. The question is how to do this correctly?

What happens to the body after a break

Regardless of the reasons, if the break lasted more than two weeks, you need to know what is happening to your body during this time. When there is no load, his work changes, and these changes must be taken into account when resuming training. As sad as it may be, power is decreasing at a catastrophic rate.

The level of strength loss different people different, but on average it is 40% after two weeks. Not only do maximum performance in some movements drop, but the overall level of strength decreases. Therefore, you return to the gym much weaker than before, and cannot train with the same intensity as before the break. Recovery is much slower and muscle pain lasts longer.

In many ways, your physical condition is very similar to when you first started training. The main difference is that you know what to do and how to do it. But even so, some people do much more long steps than when they first came to the hall. If your main lift scores were quite high before the break, you are very concerned about how to get there faster. For example, someone who has been bench pressing 160kg for a whole year will be very upset to find out that after a break he can only bench press 150kg. He simply cannot accept this and rushes into training like crazy, doing too much. He will overtrain, but he will be adamant. Finally, shoulder pain will force him to stop pressing for another two weeks, and the result will drop to 130 kg.

Our body is a balanced, well-coordinated mechanism that constantly strives to save energy to maintain vital functions. Through training we develop muscle mass, which means that muscle tissue becomes the most energy-consuming organ of our body. During a break from exercise, the body tends to reduce the amount energy consumed by the muscles. Gradually decreases endurance our body, then muscle mass begins to decrease due to lack of energy, at the last stage the level of strength potential begins to decrease.

Many are sure that a great loss of shape can only happen to those who were irresponsible in their training, ate the wrong way, and the like. But in fact, even a competently trained bodybuilder who took a responsible approach to the issue of nutrition can lose on average 40-60% of those during a year's break. physical qualities which I was able to acquire thanks to training. Of course, in about 2-3 months, a bodybuilder can return to his previous shape, but this will only happen at a young age. For a 40-year-old athlete, getting back into shape will be a much more difficult and sometimes unattainable task.

Neuromuscular memory

Neuromuscular memory allows the body to restore the body's endurance. Gradually, the body begins to produce the amount of ATP that previously allowed it to train for a long time and achieve good results In sports. At the same time, the body seems to awaken from hibernation and begins to produce an increased amount of energy, all its processes are accelerated, even the number of capillaries increases to improve blood supply to muscle tissue.

Since the muscle tissue now receives plenty of energy and oxygen, recovery mechanisms gradually come into play. After some time, the previously existing muscle mass is completely restored.

conclusions

• Taking time off from training can be very beneficial if you plan your return carefully. IN otherwise you can make your life very difficult
• When you return to the gym, your body is not ready for hard work to the same extent as before the break. Slow progress allows him to change and adapt. You have to get your routine and diet back on track before your results start to improve.
• Thanks to the break, you have a reserve of energy when you return to the gym. However, it is unwise to dive headfirst into training. Start with the beginner program or something similar. Be patient and reasonable, and always remember to move forward slowly. If you stick to this approach, especially in the first - most important - week, you will begin to smoothly move towards the highest levels of fitness
• Never be afraid to take a break from training. Consider your body as fireproof capital that you have temporarily frozen in your bank account. Of course, at first you will lose some percentage of your savings, but by returning your capital to circulation, you will restore it completely
• If you already have the opportunity to return to training, do not hesitate and return. Of course, it's best to find yourself professional trainer, which will help you competently return to work and short terms restore your previous shape

Training program after the break

Course No. 1. This is how you need to train for the first 2 weeks. The workouts follow each other every other day.

Course No. 2. This split system is designed for 3-4 weeks.

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 big 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 elliptical trainer. 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).

How to quickly get in shape after a long break, tips from trusted experts + video.

There are situations in life when it is necessary to resume training after a long break, and a forced break in training occurred against one’s own will, some do this because of an injury, others because of life situations, I don’t mean a break lasting 2-3 weeks, and when it drags on for several months. During this time, the body greatly loses strength and muscle volume, physical endurance is lost and the overall shape of the body decreases by several levels.

A normal reaction would be to come to the gym and start training at a frantic pace, trying by leaps and bounds to return to your previous form, because the consciousness remembers how powerful and resilient you were, but here you need to not break things in the heat of the moment, otherwise the injury will delay you even more. longer.

Don’t be upset, the muscles remember the technique and so it will take much less time to gain previous results than for beginners who come to the gym.

How to start training after a break

1. Warm-up

Spend 5-10 minutes on your first steps general warm-up body before starting strength training, during a long break, the muscles have lost their elasticity and flexibility; if you start training without warming them up, you can get injured tendons, joints or muscle strain much faster, which will again throw you out of the rut of your training.

2. Don’t rush into sports nutrition

No need to refuel right away sports nutrition or even worse pharmacology, the body now needs proper rest, properly structured training process and healthy natural nutrition. At a minimum, work according to this scheme for 1-2 months so that the body gets into the tone of the training regime.

When you come to the gym after a long break, remember the exercise technique and possible mistakes which were allowed in the exercises. Remember all your tricks to lift more or tricks to finish the exercise easier. Try now to remove all these shortcomings, improve your technique and make your workout close to ideal.

Regular exercise is the best thing you can do for your health. Most people are interested in a healthy lifestyle, but they do not dare to do anything, because they often do not know where and how to start playing sports.

Soon after you start exercising, you will notice and experience all the benefits that physical activity can bring to your body and overall health.

Be that as it may, include sports in your daily life It will take time and require determination and discipline from you.

If you're thinking about taking up exercise but don't know where to start, this article is for you. It contains everything necessary information about where to start, when is the best time to exercise and how to make exercise a part of your life.

It has been proven that regular exercise can significantly improve and improve your health. Therefore, before moving on to the question of how to properly start playing sports, let's first talk about the benefits of exercise.

They help achieve and maintain healthy body weight, muscle mass and reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases.

On top of that, studies have shown that exercise improves your mood, boosts your brain, helps you sleep better, and increases your libido.

And that's not all - they help maintain good energy levels.

In short, exercise makes you strong and changes your life for the better.

Conclusion: Exercise can improve your mental performance, reduce your risk of developing chronic diseases, and help you lose weight.

Types of exercises

There is a huge amount various types exercises. Here are the most common ones:

• Aerobic exercises: They are typically the foundation of any fitness program and include periods of constant movement. Examples are swimming, running and dancing.
• Power: Helps increase muscle strength and endurance. Examples include resistance exercises, plyometrics, weight lifting and sprinting.
• Rhythmic gymnastics: Basic body movements performed without the help of exercise equipment at an average aerobic pace. Examples are lunges, squats, push-ups and pull-ups
• High intensity interval training(HIIT): Involves alternating short periods of high-intensity exercise followed by low-intensity exercise or rest.
• Boot camp exercises(from English - “training camp for beginners” : Time-controlled, high-intensity exercise routines that combine aerobic and resistance exercise.
• Exercises to develop resilience: Strengthen muscles and improve coordination of movements. For example, Pilates, Tai Chi poses and general strengthening exercises.
• Flexibility exercises: They help restore muscles, improve coordination of movements and prevent injuries. Examples of such exercises are yoga or individual muscle stretching movements.

The exercises listed above can be performed individually or in combination. The main thing is that this or that exercise suits and pleases you.

Conclusion: The most common types of exercises are aerobic exercises, strength training, rhythmic gymnastics, HIIT, boot camps, exercises to develop flexibility and stability. You can perform them individually or in combination.

Where to start?

Your sports journey begins here. There are a few important things to consider before you start training:

1. Check your health

Preparing for this important stage your life should be thorough. If you decide to take up sports seriously, then first consult your doctor and undergo a full medical examination.

This is the main condition for those who are not used to physical activity, as well as for people in the age category 45+.

Timely o The screening will identify any health problems that may increase the risk of injury during exercise.

A visit to your doctor will help further optimize your training and make it easier for you and your trainer to choose the right training program.

2. Make a plan and set realistic goals.

Once you have decided to start exercising on a regular basis,
try to make a plan that will consist of goals and ways to achieve them. So, how to start exercising at home from scratch?

Start with simple actions and goals and make them more complex as your level improves. physical training.

For example, if your goal is to run 5 kilometers, then you can add a few shorter distances to your plan to start with.

When you can handle more short distances, add more meters until you complete all five kilometers at once.

If you start with small and achievable goals, you will increase your chance of success, which will motivate you throughout your journey.

3. Make exercise a habit

Another key component to a successful start, and equally important, is that you need to find time to exercise and make it part of your schedule.

This will be easier to do if exercise becomes a habit and takes place on a regular basis. This will train you to be disciplined and responsible.

According to research data, replacing one bad habit switching to another healthy one guarantees that the new habit will enter your life and become a part of it for a long time.

Moreover, if you create a schedule or exercise every day at the same time, for example every day after work, this will allow you to turn training into something familiar.

Conclusion: Before you start exercising, check your health and create a plan with achievable goals. Then turn exercise into a habit by incorporating it into your daily routine and life.

How many exercises should you do?

There's no need to be professional athlete with high performance or get used to long hours of training to start playing sports today.

You can distribute these 150 minutes yourself according to the days of the week, as is most convenient for you, that is, when it is best to exercise, you decide for yourself. For example, you can exercise for 30 minutes 5 times a week or 35-40 minutes every other day.

Recent studies have shown that if you spend 150 minutes at a time or two in the gym, it will be the sameis beneficial for your health and well-being, as is daily training at home or exercising every other day.

Your workouts should start at a moderate pace, gradually increasing in intensity as your fitness level improves.

Lastly, even though daily exercise is essential to good health, it is also important to give your body proper rest.

If the body is not given time to recover and rest, then the risk of injury (stress fracture, muscle strain) and overtraining syndrome increases several times.

Exercising too intensely can weaken your immune system and increase your body's susceptibility to infections, hormonal imbalances, depression and chronic fatigue.

Weekly training program

Where to start training and when is the best time to exercise?! Below is an example of a simple weekly workout program that does not require the use of additional equipment and will take 30-45 minutes a day. It will give you a rough idea of ​​how to get started from scratch and help you create your own fitness program.

It can be changed depending on your level physical fitness and complicate it as desired. It can start with any type of exercise.

Monday: 40 minutes of moderate jogging or brisk walking.

Tuesday: Day of rest.

Wednesday: Brisk walking for 10 minutes. Next, perform the set of exercises below, resting for a minute after each set, not exercising. After that, stretch.

• First set of exercises: 3 sets of 10 lunges on both legs, 10 push-ups, 10 sit-ups from a supine position
• Second set of exercises: 3 sets of 10 chair push-ups, 10 stretches, 10 air squats

Thursday: Day of rest.

Friday: 30 minutes cycling or jogging at a moderate pace

Saturday: Day of rest.

Sunday: Run, jog, or take a long walk for 40 minutes.

This program is just a simple example of how to start training from scratch.

Conclusion: There are a wide variety of exercises that you could easily do. The workout plan above is provided as an example to give you a general idea of ​​where to start exercising at home.

1. Consume the required amount of fluid

Drinking fluids throughout the day is very important to maintain adequate fluid levels in the body.

During training, it is also important to drink enough fluids to maintaining an optimal pace of work, especially if it’s hot outside.

After a workout, you should also drink a lot of water, as it helps the body recover faster for the next workout.

2. Optimize your nutrition

Make sure your diet is balanced enough to meet your body's nutritional needs.

All food groups are necessary to maintain optimal energy levels in the body and get maximum benefit from your workouts. Carbohydrates are especially important because they fuel your muscles before exercise.

Carbohydrates are also important post-workout as they replenish glycogen stores and aid in the absorption of amino acids into muscles during muscle recovery.

Protein protects your muscles from breakdown during physical activity, restores damaged tissues after them and promotes growth muscle mass. Consuming certain proteins after exercise speeds up the muscle recovery process.

And finally, regular consumption of “healthy” fats helps fight overweight, and these fats are also a source of energy for muscles and the body as a whole during training.

Every beginner should know and remember this.

3. Warm up

Before starting any workout, be sure to warm up. Warming up significantly reduces the risk of injury during training and improves your athletic performance.

It increases body flexibility and reduces post-workout pain.

Just start your workout with simple exercises aerobics such as arm swings, leg sweeps and walking lunges.

You can warm up using simplified versions of the exercises you'll be doing during your workout. For example, walking before running.

4. Cool down

Cooling down is also important as it helps the body return to its normal state. This is essentially just a short break, but it is just as necessary as a warm-up.

A few minutes of cool-down restores normal blood circulation and breathing, reducing the risk of pain after training.

After doing, for example, aerobic exercises, you can simply walk slowly, and after doing resistance exercises, you can do stretching exercises.

5. Listen to your body

If you are not used to exercising every day, then be aware of your limits.

If you feel pain or discomfort during an activity, stop, there is no need to force yourself to do something you don't like. Rest before exercising again. Training through pain is not best idea, as this may cause injury.

Remember also that training harder and faster does not mean better.

It will take a long time before you can achieve truly visible and tangible results. Just stick to your chosen training program and try to complete at least most of it.

Conclusion: Drink enough fluids, eat balanced meals, warm up before and cool down after, listen to your body and learn to love yourself.

How to stay motivated

So, that's a start, but to stay motivated and make exercise a habit, try to approach your workouts with ease and positivity and really enjoy the process. This approach will relieve you of anxious thoughts and fears that often arise in people who decide to start training from scratch.

You can adjust and change any program for yourself and depending on your preferences and desires.

If you are not a home person, then go to Gym, join a fitness group (yoga or pilates), hire personal trainer, take up a team sport or choose your favorite sport. These are just a few options that will help increase your motivation and gainsatisfaction from playing sports.

If you train with a group or a friend, it will push you to work at a good pace, due to indirect competition, increase your motivation for a longer period and help you become confident in your abilities.

Keeping track of your progress, such as recording the weight you lift or the time you run, will also keep you motivated, as you'll want to beat your personal best.

Conclusion

This article is devoted to only one question: where and how to start playing sports correctly?

Deciding to play sports can sometimes be difficult. However, clearly defined goals will help you stick to your training program over the long term.

There is a large number various types exercise and you can do whatever you want. Choose what's right for you, and change and vary the types and amounts of exercise as you like.

Start small, gradually improve your fitness level and give your body rest from time to time to avoid injury. Listen to your body, it will tell you when is the best time to exercise.

Joining a fitness group or tracking your achievements can help you stay motivated and reach your goals. It is also important not to forget about a balanced diet and sufficient fluid intake.

What are you waiting for? Make the only one right choice in favor healthy image life: start training today!