Oooh My friends!! Yes!! Finally I have the time to go back to gym again, I'm so excited! I could use some advice from you, (The Gymaholic) out there. After a long time of non working out at the gym, is there any specific exercises that I need to do or know about before I start my regular training? Thanks in advance for your advices.
It all depends on your goals. Since you are not a complete beginner, you must already have an idea of what to do and what you're trying to achieve. I assume you're going to be into strength training? If so, I would suggest doing compound exercises such as squats, deadlifts, military press and bench press. Compound exercises are so effective in building strength and mass. During your first day, don't hit it hard right away. Just determine how much you can lift for every exercise using proper form. I suggest you go for 3 sets of 5 reps each.
You should try an train all of your body the first few sessions. Doing a circuit, this way you'll get proper recovery for every muscle. Believe me after 2 weeks you'll be at normal, I've been in your position just a few months ago, and after the first 2 weeks I've started making good gains.
I would start with the treadmill, elliptical and upper-body workouts. Start slow and maybe even do some Yoga if it is offered at your gym. I got a two week pass so I'm going to start going to the gym too! Yay!
I need to get back to exercising too, but not at the gym because I don't have the time to drive to such places and lose focus too easily to the ladies there, ahem. Any who, I think making up a through but simple exercise plan in proper weight lifting techniques and a beneficial diet are two of the most important things for starters and returners. For my own research and personal discussion with people I know who go to the gym a lot [my older brother-in-law is my prime personal reference], bad lifting can harm and render you to stop exercising for awhile until you heal, and this can happen in one second. Then comes the proper diet, you can't eat junk food and expect to be healthy - so eating good food and enough good nutrients is a valuable thing to figure out and practice before and after one starts going to the gym or working out. Hope this helps.
I have always been on and off gym. I go in with determination that I would not miss a day, but things come up and I have to give it a miss. It certainly effects my schedule, so I am trying to be a regular over there. I am glad that you are back after a long time. Keep the spirit going my friend.
Start with what you can. Don't make yourself exhausted to the point that you would just be traumatised and you'd feel lazy to head to the gym next time. When you had a long hiatus going to the gym, sure your body might have decreased its intensity on doing exercises. When you just got back again, it's not at the high level as when you left the gym. Don't force yourself to go to that level immediately. Work for it little by little, and eventually, you'd just get back to that level again and even greater. Don't ever make feel weakened and bored. Keep going and strong
Go slow for the first week and see how your body responds cause it's been a while you've been to the gym. It all depends what your long term goals are so start with free hand and gradually re-gain the strength and go all out when you feel the time is right.
Definitely start out slow and work your way back to the level that you were on before- don't expect to be able to do it all at once and not feel poorly later! I would start off with as much full body exercise as you can, building back up to where you were at before, and then go from there in terms of whatever your specific goals are.
