Having been locked out of the gym for three months, you may be eager to rush back and jump into your old workout routine after Gov. Tim Walz's order last week to allow health clubs to reopen.
"After some time away, and doing the best you could with your home-based workouts, you're probably eager to rebuild your strength and muscle," said Tom Nikkola, vice president of nutrition and virtual training at Life Time.
But the last thing you want to do is end up missing even more time because you do too much too soon. While exercising your arms, legs and abs, you also need to exercise a little patience.
"When you're able to return to your workouts at the club, ensure you are doing proper warmup at all times, and include stretching and recovery," he recommended.
Getting cardiovascular workouts has been easier since the Easter snowstorm gave way to warmer weather, enabling folks to get outside to run, walk and bicycle. Plus, many health clubs hosted online exercise classes that members (and sometimes even nonmembers) could follow at home.
As a result, some people actually might be in better shape now than they were in March, speculated Jennifer Menk, senior director of health and well-being for the YMCA of the Greater Twin Cities.
People who focus on strength training, however, haven't had access to the free weights or exercise equipment they often use in their routines. As a result, they need to be more cautious in returning to action.
"If you're jumping back into a strength program, ease into it," Nikkola said. "For your first one to four weeks back, aim to work out three times per week, alternating push workouts with pull workouts. After four weeks, you can add in a fourth workout day and alternate lower-body and upper-body workouts across all four days."
