My First Steps Back At The Gym
3 WORKOUTS TO TRY THIS WEEK
Hi all, it’s Jelks from Jelks Journeys, sharing with you my first week back in the gym at énergie fitness.
I know how hard it is getting that motivation to go back to the gym. But trust me when I say you’ll feel so much better after it. Even if you only manage 15 minutes, that’s still an achievement and the next day, perhaps try for 20 minutes and build yourself up gradually. Remember there’s no such thing as a ‘bad’ workout, as long as you’ve done something, it really is better than doing nothing at all.
Just in case you couldn’t tell already, I’m not an expert, so please take this as me sharing my experiences with you. If you need expert advice or are struggling with injuries, please consult a professional or personal trainer before training.
“The only 'bad' workout is the one you didn’t do!” - Mick Kremling
I’ll share with you, what I got up to in my first week back at énergie and the 3 sessions I managed, what I found hard and how to ease yourself back in.
Monday’s Workout
Warm Up:
10 minutes on the cross trainer
3 Sets:
10 x Burpees
20 x Squat Press
30 x Dumbbell Swings
All with 4kg dumbbells in each hand.
Cool Down:
Stretch
It felt so good to be back in the gym, seeing other people enjoying themselves and finishing a workout, I felt like I’d achieved something, which feels really good first thing in the morning.
Tuesday came and I was determined to get another workout in, even though my legs were aching I was going to preserve and get another session completed. This time I thought I perhaps would try doing a few more exercises but less reps to again try to ease myself back into doing different kinds of movement.
Tuesday’s Workout
Warm Up:
10 minutes on the cross trainer
3 Sets of:
10 x Lunges (each leg)
10 x Squats
10 x Deadlifts
10 x Press ups
10 x Sit ups with press
10 x Russian twists
All with 3 kg dumbbells in both my hands, although I think for the last set I dropped one of the dumbbells and stuck with just 1 3kg dumbbell for a few of the exercises. I dropped the weight again seen as I was still suffering with a bit of muscle soreness from the day before. A few nice stretches especially on my legs and off home I went.
Thursday’s Workout
Cardio day:
10 mins x cross trainer, I try to vary the resistance and aim to do around 100 calories in 10 minutes as a bit of a guide.
15 mins x treadmill, I did a little bit of interval training up and down with the incline
10 mins x exercise bike, again using that formula of around 10 calories per min as a bit of a guide to keep me going.
20 mins skipping with rope, I’ve never really skipped before but would alternate between using two feet to jump and the one foot at a time. I hope it’s one of those things that if you practice, you’ll get better and better, and soon will be able to do all those fancy moves.
Cool down, stretch and home.
Overall, I felt really good for going this week and knowing that I am on my way to feeling fitter and healthier once again. Although I really did underestimate how much I was going to ache after the first session. The DOMs (delayed onset of muscle soreness, basically, all the aches) the next day were bad, and I continued to ache pretty much the rest of the week, and there was me thinking I was taking it easy to start off with small weights.
Top Tips to aid recovery:
- reduce your weights
- reduce your reps
- make sure your stretch well before and after
- use a foam roller if available
- take a long soak in the bath in the evening
- take a days rest in between workouts to let your body recover.
Hopefully, I’ve made returning to the gym a little less daunting and I’d love to hear if you’re perhaps starting your fitness journey for the first time or just trying to get back into it. The team at énergie fitness are such a friendly bunch and they’ll support you every step of the way. I'll keep you posted on next week’s workouts, and don't forget to use the hashtag #positiveenergie and share any #sweatyselfie of you working out.
Stay safe and speak soon.
Jelks
Blog written by Jelka Ivanovic
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