For whatever reason you have taken a hiatus from lifting. Whether it’s because you have been injured, other obligations outside of lifting have taken priority, or you’ve simply lost your fire, you have taken some time away from the barbell and you’re ready to reignite it.
You’re not alone. This is more common than you think. Despite what we see on the internet, not everyone is in love with lifting all the time. There are good days and bad days, and remember, we typically only see the good days highlighted on social media.
Even I wasn’t immune to this. In 2019, I really struggled in my relationship with lifting and the gym. I would have good days and weeks, followed by really crappy days and weeks. I felt like I was fighting with myself more than I was enjoying what I was doing, and it really took a toll on my mental and physical health. For about 5 months I was on and off with lifting. I just didn’t love it, and I didn’t know how to love it without being extremely critical of myself and the lack of progress I was making. In short, it sucked.
But recently I have found my groove again. I’m starting to love training again, I look forward to my gym time, and I’m making a better commitment to myself by actually going to the gym when I have planned to go to the gym. I started by writing myself a program (which you can check out HERE) and really focusing my time on what I loved about training. Yes, I’m going to get back into doing things I’m not good at, but to get started, it’s important to do things you love.
Some Tips for Getting Back Into Lifting
Be easy on yourself.
- You might have lost more strength than you realize, and hitting 90% on day one might actually kill you. Back off a little bit. Try to hit lower percentages, or just start adding weight until the weight is challenging enough. The goal isn’t to kill you, it’s just to start.
Start slow.
- I do not recommend you going from nothing to a 6 days/week training program. Set a less intense goal. Last week you couldn’t convince yourself to show up…what makes you think you’ve created enough momentum this week to get yourself to the gym 6 times this week? Don’t set yourself up for failure. Choose 3 days to go to the gym, and call it good.
Get your body moving!
- & yes, by this I mean, literally get your body moving. Walk for 10 minutes, get on the row machine, bike for 10 minutes…something! Bring a book or Dinsey+ and commit to 10 minutes of cardio each session (to begin with…we will ease you out of this).
Get your nutrition in check.
- If you’ve fallen off the lifting wagon, you probably dove off the nutrition wagon too. So now that you’re committing to getting back to lifting, it’s time to prioritize your nutrition to get strong! All these tips are part of a process, but nutrition is an important step. You will feel a lot better once you start fueling your body again.
Be patient with yourself as you rebuild.
- Are you going to be able to hit old maxes in the near future? Probably not, but that’s okay!! You are falling back in love with lifting! Seriously what’s the point of hitting old PRs if you don’t love what you’re doing? Right
If you’re ready to get yourself back into the gym, and back to training, check out REIGNITE, our latest ebook/program designed to help you fall back in love with lifting.
Want more? Listen to Episode 114 of Empowered by Iron about falling back in love with lifting.
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