The closure of most gyms at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic meant many of us were cut off from our favorite places to work out. While some people adapted their exercise routines to what can be done at home, others hit pause on working out entirely.

Now that gyms have re-opened, it can be tempting to head in and get some long overdue exercise. But rather than jumping right back into your pre-COVID exercise routine and risking an injury, it’s important to ease back into working out. Here are some quick tips:

• Before you begin working out – Start by honestly assessing your present level of fitness to determine how much exercise your body is ready to take on.

• Plan a varied routine to prevent overuse injuries -Once you’ve determined how many days to work out, it’s helpful to plan what you’ll be doing on each of those days before you actually go back into the gym.

• Varying your workouts from day to day – Even if you’re not starting from scratch, varying your workouts from day to day to focus on different muscle groups is important. Example – if you’re doing cardio on day one, switch to strength training or core exercises the next day. This helps you avoid overloading muscle groups through overuse.

While you are exercising:

• Do a dynamic warm-up – prepare your body for the exercise ahead with a 15-20 minute dynamic workout that combines stretching with movement. Some examples include walking lunges or walking toe touches, which loosen up muscles and get blood flowing throughout the body.

• Start slowly – Start with shorter durations and lower intensity. Starting slower helps you avoid injuries and determine what’s comfortable, with the opportunity to gradually increase both intensity and frequency over a period of a few weeks.

• Cool down with static stretches – Hold a stretch in one position for a period of time after your workout. This type of stretch lengthens muscles during the recovery phase and enables longer-term increases in flexibility

Overuse injuries go beyond the oddly pleasant soreness we experience after a productive workout. These injuries, which include stress fractures, shoulder impingement, shin splints and tendonitis, make it painful to do everyday tasks, forcing people to stop exercising until they’ve healed. These cases of overuse injuries will require physical therapy.

In pain after hitting the gym? PT can help! Visit our website here to learn more. Or easily book your appointment online now!