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Quick Wits: How to Return to Training After a Break (Illness, Vacation, Holiday) · Wits & Weights | Strength & Fat Loss Over 40

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: A vacation, illness, injury or just time off.
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: We all have situations in our life where we don't train in the gym for a week or two, maybe three.
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: But how do you jump back into your routine without missing a beat?
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: Let's talk about getting back to lifting and why starting where you left off might just be your best strategy.
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: Welcome to the Whits and Weights podcast.
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: I'm your host, phillip Pape, and this twice a week podcast is dedicated to helping you achieve physical self mastery by getting stronger, optimizing your nutrition and upgrading your body composition.
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: We'll uncover science-backed strategies for movement, metabolism, muscle and mindset, with a skeptical eye on the fitness industry, so you can look and feel your absolute best.
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: Let's dive right in.
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: This is the last quick Whits of 2023 and many of you are preparing for the holiday season, for Christmas, for New Year's.
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: Many of you might be taking a week or two off from your training, which is totally okay.
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: Sometimes we need a break, and that's great this time of year, whether it's a much needed vacation or break for the holidays, recovering from an illness, stepping away from your routine is totally normal.
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: But the big question I get all the time is what do I do when I get back?
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: How do I return to strength training, especially if I'm following a program where I'm using progressive overload and something has been going up every session or every week?
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: What do I do when I come back?
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: Have I lost all my strength and gains?
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: Here's my take, and it's very straightforward Know, after a week or two, you haven't lost your strength or gains.
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: When you get back to the gym, start with the last weight you were lifting.
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: Just assume you're going to be able to lift that weight because, remember, normally you would be going up in some way.
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: I'm simply asking you to repeat the last session and test the fact that you've maintained your strength.
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: You might think, but won't that be too hard, or shouldn't I ease back into it?
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: Well, I agree.
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: It's essential always to listen to your body.
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: We don't want to underestimate your body's ability to come right back to adapt.
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: We also don't want to use that as an excuse.
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: Your muscles do have memory, right Neuromuscular adaptation.
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: A week or two off is not going to dramatically reduce your strength, because that's where the strength comes from, and in fact, sometimes a short break and I've experienced this myself can be beneficial.
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: You get this chance to fully recover, to get rid of all the fatigue and come back even stronger.
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: And so I suggest you test that lift and if it feels like you could actually go heavier and push to your next written or planned weight or set and rep scheme, do it.
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: Just go for it Right now.
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: If you were out due to being sick, if you were ill, if you're still not feeling 100%, you know, be sensible, right, assess how you feel, if you're still recovering, then you might scale.
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: Like, if you're going back a little earlier than you thought you would, but you're still a little bit under the weather and you want to give it a shot and kind of give you a boost to your immune system, yeah, jump in, and maybe you do have to scale it back by, say, 10%.
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: But if you're healthy, if you just took a break, trust in your training that you've done so far, that you're going to be able to jump in and continue pushing that progressive overload, all right, it might feel a little tough, but I think you'll be surprised at how quickly your body re-adaps.
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: Remember, consistency is always the thing, it's the key when it comes to strength training and by jumping back in at your last weight, you're maintaining that consistency, you're keeping those muscles engaged and you're staying on that progression with your goals.
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Wits and Weights.
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: If you found value in today's episode and know someone else who's looking to level up their wits or weights, please take a moment to share this episode with them and make sure to hit the follow button in your podcast platform right now to catch the next episode.
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: Until then, stay strong.