Recommendations for restarting exercise after time off

Getting back to exercising and training after a long break can be a daunting task. If you stop training and rest for a long time, you often feel overwhelmed and overwhelmed. This is especially true if you've had a major injury or illness and had to stop.

If you feel like you've fallen a lot, then you should know that you're not alone. Everyone experienced a similar feeling when they recovered and returned to training.

Remember, physical performance alone is not enough if you want to make a comeback. Yes, how you repair your training physically is important, but how you prepare mentally for the process is just as important.

In this article, I'll discuss how to properly resume exercising after an illness has healed, and highlight several key nutrients to support your recovery.

Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor and everyone's return to training will be slightly different based on their personal experience and physical condition. If you are unable to train due to a serious illness, consult a medical professional to see if you are ready to train again. When you get back to training, go into the process slowly and use the information below as advice - not by following those hard and fast rules.

How to restart training
If you wish to resume training after a period of hiatus, you need to understand and internalize these three key aspects:

1. Your comeback will be extremely personal
First, you have to understand that no one's comeback is exactly like yours. It may take you longer to recover to normal training levels than your peers who may be suspended for similar things. Acknowledging this fact early can help lower expectations and avoid disappointment or re-injury from over-tasking too soon.

How much stamina, strength, and cardiovascular capacity you lose when you're suspended depends largely on individual factors such as training age, training history, genetics, length of suspension, degree of injury or illness, and more Multivariate.

Instead of comparing your success to others, you can simply acknowledge your personal circumstances; it saves yourself a lot of stress and frustration. Give yourself space and space to come back in a proper way.

2. Don't rush
Second, there's no need to rush back in time and think you're picking up where you left off. In general, physical strength, strength, and cardiac output begin to decline significantly after three weeks of cessation of training. If you stop training for a few weeks, it is unreasonable to expect your body to recover to where it was before you stopped training.

When weightlifters return to competition after an illness or injury, they often fall into a trap; it usually goes something like this:

Conventional thinking: "I stopped training for four weeks. But I did these exercises before the break, and I feel good now, so I'm going to pick up where I left off."
What actually happened: They resumed their previous exercise program at the same intensity and intensity as before they stopped training.
Reality blow: After a few days, they suffered a lot of pain and fatigue. Then, they have to stop training again and take a short break.
Sound familiar right? I believe that every athlete encounters this cycle at least once in their career. I have indeed done this before. To avoid this, it's important to establish a reasonable schedule for restarting training.

3. Use the "half time" rule
The "half time" rule is an easy way to scale up your training after a long rest. Remember, you still need to take your personal circumstances into account when enforcing the "half the time" rule.

According to this rule, you need to halve the total time you stop training due to illness, injury, or other reasons to better understand when you can reasonably expect to return to the healthy baseline level before the training interruption.

For example, if you stop training for a full two months, it will take you a month to recover to your original fitness level.

I recommend following the "half time" rule because this rule:

Universal Applicability: This rule applies to almost all personnel with any form of continuous training background.
Ease of Enforcement: The "half the time" rule is simple, but gives a clear, reasonable estimate of how long it will take to recover to basic health.
Research-Based: It is based on research and observed best coaching practice and can be modified on a case-by-case basis.
Using the "half the time" rule can help control an over-eager mindset to prevent injury and establish realistic expectations.

"Half the time" rule - study finds
As mentioned above, the "half the time" rule is the product of a combination of research and experience to create basic guidelines. Multiple studies have looked at the timelines for training, stopping training (or losing fitness due to lack of training), and retraining, leading to the "half time" rule.

In a small 2019 study, older men and women trained for 12 weeks and then stopped for 16 weeks. After 8 weeks of restorative training, they regained their post-training strength levels. 1

In 2008, another small study in older men and women assessed changes in muscle strength after 24 weeks of continuous training, 24 weeks of stopping training, and 12 weeks of retraining. 2 After 12 weeks of restorative training, participants regained most (but not all) of the strength lost during the cessation of training.

These findings may suggest that the "half time" rule may not accurately predict real-world repair times as the time to stop training increases. If you've been out of training for an extended period of time, it may take more than half of your time to restore your multi-faceted fitness level.

Limitations of the rules
The "half the time" rule gives you a rough guide on when you can restore your pre-ill health — but it also has its limitations.

The first notable limitation is that you cannot apply the "half time" rule if you take a break from training for more than a year. Why? If your training breaks for more than a year, the loss of muscle, strength, cardiovascular fitness, and other performance factors can vary widely between individuals.

A 2017 study looked at the effects of longer training, stopping and retraining in older adults. 3 Participants followed a 12-month training regimen, then stopped training for 12 months, followed by a 9-month retraining schedule. The researchers measured various measures of functional fitness performance during retraining after 3, 6 and 9 months.

They found that in terms of flexibility, 3 months was enough to recover to the level achieved before training. However, it took them nine months to recover to previous levels in parameters such as stamina, balance and strength.

This useful information underscores that longer periods of cessation of training require longer retraining periods to fully recover to pre-cessation fitness levels.

That being said, if you stop training for an extended period of time due to illness or injury and then resume training, it's a good idea to set a recovery timeline that is longer than you think it will take. To achieve excellent results and avoid re-injury, it is also necessary to slowly adjust the volume and intensity according to what your body is showing.

Support you in restoring health
Whether or not you stopped training because of an illness or injury, when you start training again, your body may need extra support to restore strength, strength, and cardiovascular fitness. Be sure to eat nutritious foods that provide the nutrients your body needs to repair.

Consider eating foods or supplements rich in these nutrients, which are especially important for restoring health:

Protein: Sickness, injury, and long periods of inactivity can lead to muscle wasting. Protein is important for building muscle, so making sure you're getting enough can help you rebuild lost muscle. If you can't get enough protein from food, you can try protein shakes, whey protein, or amino acid powders.
Vitamin C: Vitamin C is important for the growth, development, and repair of all tissues in the body. In addition, it plays a role in the synthesis of collagen, which is important for muscles and tendons.
Zinc: Your body needs enough zinc to promote wound healing and tissue growth.
Calcium: Calcium is not only important for bone health, it also helps regulate muscle contractions.
Vitamin D: Vitamin D is involved in many body processes and helps your body absorb calcium. Low levels of vitamin D may slow your recovery from a viral illness.
Creatine: Creatine is naturally produced in the body and can help build stronger muscles and increase muscle mass.
Glucosamine: Studies have shown that glucosamine supplementation can significantly optimize flexibility after soft tissue injury. 4
Hydration: Hydration promotes everything, including muscle repair and growth. Hydration is also very important when recovering from disease. To make sure you're getting enough water, consider carrying a reusable water bottle full of water with you.
In addition to important restorative nutrients, be sure to include other self-care measures in the process of restoring health. Research shows that massage after training can help with muscle repair and relieve soreness. Using a cream with chamomile blue can also help relieve sore muscles.

PLUS:
Remember, healing after an illness or injury is your own individual matter - no one's healing will be exactly like yours. Use the "half time" rule to estimate a realistic schedule for your workouts and pay attention to how your body responds. When you start training again, fatigue and pain can help you gauge how hard and how hard you should be training.

Most importantly, enjoy the process. Be confident that you'll get back to your normal fitness and training levels in time - but don't be too eager to get there. A strategic, slow accumulation will be more productive than a sprint to the finish.