After months of home workouts, local fitness expert Rob Francis warns MK gym goers to "take their time adjusting to their new routines", as gyms are allowed to re-open from Saturday.
With gyms re-opening this Saturday the nations fitness fans are champing at the bit to get back to treadmills, weights and classes. But after months of doing home work outs or jogs and bike rides being the go-to exercises through lock down, people should take time to adjust to their new exercise regime.
Rob Francis, fitness health and well-being expert and owner of energie Fitness Gym in Kiln Farm explains how people should start steady and be prepared to build activity back up gradually to reduce the risk of getting injuries when they go back to their favourite gym.
“Even though some people have kept up a regime of fitness activity through lockdown, the majority of us have reduced what we do and we have significantly slowed down through this time. At the beginning, many people started with home work outs, like the ones we provide for our members and following Joe Wicks in the mornings, but as time went on those initial good intentions began to fade and people have become less and less active. Its not only the work outs that have reduced, our general activity levels have definitely slumped. With many of us home working people just aren’t having to move as much, with just a short step into the kitchen for snacks and no more than a 30 second commute from bedroom to home office."
"So when we go back to the gym we need to be mindful that our bodies are deconditioned. If you were used to lifting weights you need to remember that over a four month period you can lose as much as 20% of your strength, this is especially true if you are over 40 years old. In our 40s we start to lose muscle mass, it’s a natural part of the ageing process. This is why effective resistance training is so important to a healthy older age, as well as great for looking good and improving movement and mobility. Even younger people will be significantly weaker than they were before lock down as they’ve had reduced access to weights and consistent training."
"When you come back to the weights or using items like kettle bells you want to go back to basics. Drop the weight initially. Go light and concentrate on perfecting form to execute the movements as well as possible. This way you will reduce the risk of injury and build good foundations from which to start to see progressive strength improvements. If you’re not sure if you’re doing it right, don’t hesitate to ask a member of the gyms team. After so long away instructors like myself love to help members and to be able to coach and guide people."
"Many clubs like ours have instructor led training programmes and qualified personal trainers. These are the best people to speak with to ensure that you are getting the right kind of strength training that’s tailored to your needs. At this time using a professional and getting support is highly recommended."
"It's not just our muscles that decondition through inactivity. A crucial part to over all fitness, health and well being is our cardio vascular or heart and lung fitness. Have you found that climbing the stairs gets you a little bit out of breath? That’s your cardio vascular fitness level being less good than it was when you were regularly attending classes or using bikes, tread mills or cross trainers. After four months, if you’ve not been doing regular exercise (at least three times a week) that gets you out of breath, hot and sweaty, you could have lost as much as 30% of your cardio vascular conditioning."
"If you were a fan of high intensity classes you would be wise to start a little more gently. Circuits and full body conditioning work outs are perfect for easing yourself back in, as you can lower the intensity for yourself during the class, by slowing reps down or moderating your movements. A good class instructor will be mindful of this and should give members alternative movements and reduced reps where required to accommodate for peoples’ fitness levels being reduced."
"Along with restarting your strength programme and getting back to the classes that you love you must, now more than ever, make sure that you do something for your mobility. Pre work out try foam rolling to help prepare your muscles before you train. Warm up gradually, concentrating on slowly activating and extending your range of movement. Make sure you do something for every single muscle group that you will be using during the work out."
"Immediately after your session spend a good ten minutes doing releases and static stretching. If you do this you will reduce muscle soreness after your first few visits."
"Be prepared for that post work out soreness though! You can expect to ache for as much as two or three days after your first session. The best way to reduce this soreness is to do light exercise- maybe a brisk walk or gentle jog, just to improve the blood flow to the muscles that ache. This will accelerate muscle repair. Make sure the exercise is light because it’s really important that you rest and recover those muscles. When you have warmed those muscles you should repeat some gentle static stretches on those tight areas."
"If you’ve been feeling a bit tighter, stiffer physically or stressed and anxious mentally then you should consider signing up for more relaxing classes like Pilates ad Yoga. Whilst these are great for concentrating your mind and helping to release mental tension, they are brilliant for strengthening and toning and improving flexibility."
"All that remains to be said, is to make sure you book your time at the gym in advance, make sure you’re 100 percent healthy and not feeling under the weather before you go. Make sure you wash your hands regularly and clean down any kit you use with antibacterial wipes or sprays that should be provided for you by the gym. Please understand and be patient if at first clubs have teething problems with technology or adjusting to the new normal. These are very new circumstances we find ourselves in and just like everyone else we are finding our way in the new normal."
"I know I speak for the whole fitness industry when I say that our teams, managers and owners are so excited to be seeing you again soon and we want you to have the most enjoyable, safe and effective experience from our gyms, studios and clubs."
For more information please email Milton.keynes@energiefitness.com or call Rob and the team at Energie Fitness in Kiln Farm on 01908 410760.
