Should you go back to the gym right now?

Alright, so everyone is getting excited that gyms are slowly starting to open back up. Depending on your province in Canada and state in the US, some gyms are already open and others won’t be opening until maybe June or July.

Make sure you regularly review your gym’s website to determine when your gym is opening up.

There is a lot of controversy as to whether the gyms should be opening back up yet or not and a lot of people keep asking for my opinion. And my opinion is that I don’t really know. I am not a disease expert and can’t comment on whether or not I think that’s wise. And because of that, I think we need to put a little more trust in the authorities when they say it’s safe, as long as common sense practices and protocols are adhered to.

Having said that, you aren’t required to go back to the gym if you don’t feel comfortable. I think there are still certain situations where you should stay home. 

Obviously if you are sick, that goes without saying. But too if you have anyone in your household who is immunocompromised, it makes more sense to continue working out at home, at least until you can give the gyms an adequate amount of time to ensure the protocols and their systems are working. 

If your schedule is too busy and you can’t rely on waiting in lines and scheduling your workout. I do think that that’s going to be the new norm for a while though. 

And lastly, for no reason at all. If you don’t want to get back to the gym yet for no reason at all, there’s nothing wrong with that. Don’t let the excitement pressure you if you aren’t ready. At the end of the day, you have to do what’s going to be best for you.

Today I want to cover a few topics which are whether or not I am going to be going back to the gym? Some friendly gym reminders if you are going back and how to ease back into your program so you can be successful and avoid any injuries

Am I going back to the gyms right now?

I’m getting asked this constantly now that their gyms are opening back up

And I’ve decided to continue working out from home for a little while longer for a few reasons

1. My gym isn’t even open yet

This is my main reason. Yea there are other gyms opening in my area, but I don’t want to go through the hassle of getting a 1-2 month membership

One of the commercial gyms here had to close their doors, so there’s a lot of people without a gym right now. Hopefully some of those people can get a membership at one of the gyms opening up right now

At least I still have a gym to go to. So I’ll wait it out and leave the finite memberships available for someone who actually needs it

2. I’m fortunate that we have a decent set up at home

The gyms that are open can only handle so many people at a time. So I don’t think it’s fair to take that spot from someone else who may not have a squat rack in their living room

3. My mental health is holding up ok

As much as I miss the gym atmosphere, I’m doing pretty decent working out from home. Hoot is getting used to us working out, so I can relax a bit more and actually get lost in a workout

Regardless if you make the decision to go back or not, just be responsible and wash your hands, clean up after yourself and give the other gyms a reason why it’s ok for them to open back up

There’s a lot floating around right now that covid19 is blown out of proportion and so many adopt this black and white mentality. There’s so much that we don’t know right now

There was a good analogy that was quoted on social media this week which was “we are flying a plane while it is being built right now.” So regardless what you see and hear, please continue to take it seriously

Don’t get me wrong, continuing to work out from home right now is less than ideal and I am beyond excited to get back into the gym. But I am trying to make the best out of my situation and remember that we are all in this together.

If you are deciding to go back, that’s great! I am super stoked for you and slightly envious. Having said that though, there are some things you might want to keep in mind

Since we’ve all been out of practice for over 2 months now, I thought I’d remind you all of some gym etiquette

The gym atmosphere is probably going to be different for a while, which might cause some impatience and frustration. But instead of getting worked up about it, let’s talk about some strategies we can all implement to ensure that we can all play in the sandbox in peace and ensure the gyms actually stay open so other gyms (like mine) want to follow suit and open back up sooner than later

So some things to keep in mind:

1. Re-rack your weights

You aren't the only one using the weights, so clean up after yourself

2. Respect others' space

There's nothing worse than someone hoovering in your space if they are waiting for the equipment you are using. Go do something else and ask us how many sets we have left AFTER our set, NOT during

3. Wear deodorant

Pretty self explanatory?

4. LISTEN to your gyms rules

The authorities are going to watching pretty closely to ensure gyms are following protocol. So let the “I’m not following rules” mentality go. Regardless if you agree or not with the rules, just follow them. Otherwise you will ruin it for everyone else

5. Block the DB rack

If you are using the DB's, take a few steps back to perform your exercise versus standing right in front of the rest of the DB's

6. Offer unwanted advice

Unless someone is REALLY going to hurt themselves, let people learn for themselves when it comes to their form and technique. If they wanted a personal trainer, they would hire one

7. Drop weights aggressively

This can be very intimidating, distracting and even dangerous

8. Curl in the squat rack

Just don't!

At the end of the day, everyone deserves the right to be there. So let’s work together so the gym doesn’t feel like it does now going to the grocery store. It’s getting better, but it can be a bit overwhelming at times.

And lastly, I just want to go over the idea of you easing back into your gym routine. 

Now that gyms are starting to open up for people, it can be very easy to get caught up in what you were doing before

But don’t forget... it’s been over 2 months for most of us. Even if you’ve been regularly working out at home, you aren’t going to be able to perform at the same level that you were in March

We all want things to go back to normal and how they used to be. But it’s going to take time. So don't get so caught up in how things used to be

Just focus on moving forward and being the best version of yourself right now!

If you have a great set up at home and you’ve been able to perform at the same level of intensity and volume and it’s like you’ve never left the gym, then you are probably ok to continue moving forward with your program when you head back to the gym.

But if you’ve been relying on resistance bands, laundry detergent, books in backpacks and a bunch of bodyweight exercises, you definitely do not want to jump back into the same gym routine you are performing at prior covid-19.

So what should you do?

1.    Have a plan

I still think it’s very important to have structure and to have a plan when you head back into the gym. I wouldn’t head into the gym without a routine, otherwise you might be like an overstimulated dog and want to do every single exercise and use all the equipment. I know you are excited, but let’s focus on easing back into some new equipment versus using it all at once to reduce soreness and fatigue. 

2.    Schedule a deload week

It might be best to use your first week back as a deload week. The reason for that is because you’ve been restricted for so long that naturally you are going to want to go back to lifting what you were prior to covid19. By implementing a deload week right off the bat it forces you to scale back your weight and focus more on reintroducing your body to these movement patterns again. It also gives you the opportunity to prioritize your form and technique, which is more important right now than how much you are lifting

3.    Progress from your deload week

Going into your next week, I would use your deload week as your new starting point numbers and progress from there. It can be very easy to want to lift what you were lifting before, but to avoid the risk of injury, remembering that this is your new starting point and progressing from there is best for most people right now.

4.    Listen to your body not your ego

You might find that your strength comes back quicker than you think. Whereas for others, it might take some time. So make sure you listen to your body and focus on progress and lifting heavier when you feel like you are ready. Don’t worry about what you were lifting before. That will come back if you are strategic and give it time

5.    Have some fun

If you find that your progress isn’t moving at a rate that you are happy with, because let’s face it… you always want more, just remember to have some fun. You’ve been restricted for over 2 months now. You have been waiting for this moment to head back to the gym every single day for the last 2 months. So don’t forget to be present, take it all in and actually enjoy it!

Hope this was helpful!

Please comment any questions or concerns below

Happy lifting team!

♥ Krysten