Are you prepared for gyms reopening?
In this guide you will get 4 important things you should have before you head back into the gym, plus 1 bonus technique to use when something unexpected occurs!
At the time of writing, gyms are opening after being closed for about 4 months. In fact out of the last 12 months, they've been closed nearly 10 months!
IF you’re serious about your training, you’ll be going back knowing these things:
1) Your long term goal
2) Your starting point
3) Planned progressions
4) Plan B in case something unexpected happens
Why long term goal?
In short, fitness improvements happen over time with patience and consistency. Habits that drive you to your goal are built during the course of action. Think about it, you don’t get good at the plank by thinking about it or knowing about the physiology behind it, you’ve got to do it correct, do it often and well…do it. Without something tangible to strive towards, you could run the risk of focusing your energy on the wrong things while THINKING you’re on the right track. What’s YOUR long term goal and more importantly, how will you track it?
Why starting point?
So you’ve got your long term goal of running 5k, but if you don’t know where you are starting you cannot put a realistic timeframe on your long term goal. If you have never run before and are a complete beginner, would you have the same timeframe as someone who wants to take 1 minute off their best time? In addition to the structure, this also serves as a constant reminder of progress you are making and how far you have come. Be critical and honest as to what your starting point is, it will serve you in the long run more than you know.
Why plan progression, can’t it just happen naturally?
The way your body progresses is through stress, recovery and then rebuilding stronger. You could just fluke this and think “if I do 7 classes a week surely something will happen” and yes you’ll get results as a by-product sometimes. But are your results just a by-product to you? Plan your progressions as research shows people who write down how and where they will achieve their task are more likely to achieve it. Below is an example of 3 weeks of planned progress for someone who has just had their first session doing the Plank:
Session 1: You were able to do 3 sets of 30 secs with 60 sec rest between sets
Session 2: 3 sets of 30 secs with 60 sec rest between sets again just to get used to it
Session 3: 3 sets 35 seconds with 50 seconds rest between sets
Session 4: 3 sets 35 seconds with 50 seconds between sets
Session 5: 4 sets 40 seconds with 45 seconds between sets
Over 5 sessions you have gone from 30 seconds planks to 40 seconds, showing a 33% increase, while decreasing rest times from 6o seconds to 45 seconds, or by 25% and while adding a set, thus increasing volume by 33%. Not bad for 5 sessions right? Imagine looking back at that after just a few sessions!
What’s the point of a plan B?
Things like class cancellation, availability of equipment, injuries, boredom, lack of results and life in general will get in the way of your fitness programme. Where you cannot prepare for every eventuality, you should have a template mechanism to deal with unexpected things. Here’s your basic outline:
- Label the setback/interruption
- List the worst case scenario of that setback and the best case – the reality will most likely be somewhere in the middle
- Take one course of action towards the right direction, which is your goal
Have a look at the below examples of this in action:
You go to the gym and your class has been cancelled. How you do react?
- Label, the class has been cancelled because of xyz – and you realise xyz was not in your control. You allow your frustration to come out so it can be dealt with. “FFS Karen, I can’t believe Jackie didn’t turn up for class because of traffic and they don’t have a cover Instructor!”
- Worst case – you don’t get to do your class, you were looking forward to it, it’s only once a week and now your whole week is messed up! Best case – Jackie will miraculously appear and the class will still run. In reality you’ll probably go home in a huff or have to do a substitute workout (your plan b).
- Your goal is to lose 4% body fat in 2 months and you know how important these workouts are. You either go home, refer to your planned progressions and see where you can make up for this hiccup OR you realise your goal means you stay in the gym and you get a substitute workout in. Both of these are actions towards your goal. What you don’t do is get frustrated and the do nothing about it or head to the pub!
Your goal is to benchpress a certain weight in 4 months’ time and on this session you’re excited because you’ve been progressing every week, been feeling good and know you will be hitting a pb. You get to the gym and the benchpress is being repaired so can’t be used!
- Label – the bench isn’t available and as much as you were looking forward to wowing your friends on your new strength, it’s not going to happen.
- Worst case – you get angry and go home, or best case the bench has been repaired and you can get onto it immediately. In reality, you’re probably going to have to find an alternative exercise to do, the next best thing.
- Your goal is still to bench that weight in 4 months. Your push muscles get their work in every 4 or 5 days and the bench will take a week to repair (I know, change gyms right?!). You know the bench isn’t available, best case is not likely and worst case won’t get you closer to your goal. Plan b alternative to the benchpress during this phase is the floor press, although not as satisfying as benching your pb on a bench, it still gives you the basic structure of a benchpress – the same bar, similar body position, more tricep usage but hey it’s a good chance for you to work on your lockout, right?
So there you have your basic model of returning to the gym which will keep you moving towards your goals and prepared for eventualities which are most certain to arise. Good luck and keep this guide safe.