Reinvent Your Life

Smart Training: Safely Rebuilding Fitness After a Break

September 12, 2024

Words: Chuck Wilson, YC&AC Personal Trainer

Historically, the key to improving physical capacity in any sport was simply to practice more. However, this approach often led to increased injury rates, as it assumed that a gradual, consistent increase in training intensity would naturally occur. In reality, the body doesn’t always adapt so smoothly.

Resistance training emerged as a solution, offering a controlled and gradual adaptation to the demands of the sport. It also provided a proactive method to prevent sport-specific injuries.

With the rise of science-based athletic training, terms like “specificity,” “range of motion,” “intensity,” and “contractile capacity” have become essential in the pursuit of effective, efficient, and safe fitness practices—not just for competitive athletes, but for anyone aiming to improve their health.

As summer fades and the cooler autumn months approach, many who postponed athletic activities due to the heat are now returning to their fitness routines. However, a word of caution: start slowly.

Physiologically, it takes just five days of inactivity for the body to begin deconditioning. If you’ve taken a month off from the fitness center, you’re essentially starting from scratch. While you’ll regain your previous fitness levels quickly due to “muscle memory”—a remarkable recuperative ability of the body—jumping straight back into your previous intensity is a recipe for injury.

A safe guideline is to gradually increase your activity over the same period as your time off, allowing your body to adapt and recover efficiently.