How to get your gains back after a training break

So… you’ve been out of action for a couple weeks, maybe even a couple months. You look yourself in the mirror and finally decide to get out of this slump and back into shape. Welcome to the club. As I am returning from a long training break myself, I am personally using the concepts in this blog to ease me back into it. Reintegrating yourself back into fitness after a long training break can be both exciting and challenging. You might be eager to hit the gym hard, but it’s essential to approach this return thoughtfully to prevent injuries and setbacks. This is where the bridge phase comes into play. In this blog, we’ll explore what the bridge phase is and share valuable techniques to help you ease back into the gym safely and effectively.

The Bridge Phase: What Is It?

The bridge phase is a crucial period in your fitness journey when you’re transitioning from a long break back into regular training. It serves as a buffer between your time off and your full-fledged workouts, ensuring a smoother transition. The primary goal of this phase is to reintroduce your body to physical activity while minimizing the risk of injuries and excessive muscle soreness.

The Bridge Phase: Why Do It?

Why bother with the bridge phase, you ask? Well, it’s all about setting yourself up for success while minimizing the risk of injuries. After a break, your body isn’t quite ready to lift like it used to. The bridge phase acts as a buffer, allowing your muscles, joints, and nervous system to reacclimatise gradually.

Compound or Isolation?

In the bridge phase, I would suggest leaning towards compound exercises. These are the big, multi-joint movements that engage several muscle groups at once, like squats, deadlifts, and bench presses. Why? Because they’re efficient! You’re working multiple systems simultaneously, which can help you regain balance and coordination faster. For compound exercises, research shows using 50-60% of you old one rep max is a good gauge, leaving 5 reps in reserve (RIR) every set for 4-6 reps. For example, if your bench press one rep max was 100kg, you could start on 50-60kg for 2 sets of 4-6 reps. Moreover, isolation exercises should not be disregarded. Isolations can help to get the body acclimatised to feeling a pump and is generally not advised to be taken to failure at this point. We can be a little bit stingier with isolation exercises by leaving 2-3 reps in reserve.

Sets and Reps: The Nitty-Gritty Details

Now, let’s talk numbers. There are various ways to approach re-training. One way is to start with extremely light weight and do 1-2 sets of 15-30 reps then gradually decrease reps and increase weight week to week. This will allow for more exercise technique practise and makes sense as a smaller stimulus would still build muscle at this point. The downside to this method is that it may take a longer time to rebuild strength. Another way (my preferred method that I use personally and the one this blog is based on) is to utilise mechanical stress from compound exercises doing 1-2 sets for 4-6 reps in the first week then increases the sets to 2-3 in the second week, if you feel recovered. In my experience, this method allows you to rebuild muscle/strength faster.

Ideal Training Split

For your training split, full-body workouts are the way to go during the bridge phase. This approach ensures that all your muscle systems get some love. Remember, it’s about even distribution of effort to avoid overloading certain areas.

The Relationship Between Recovery and Adaptation

Now, let’s talk about the secret sauce of the bridge phase: the balance between recovery and adaptation.

Recovery: Your body’s way of healing and getting stronger. Prioritize rest, sleep, and nutrition. These are your best friends.

Adaptation: Gradually increasing the intensity and volume of your workouts is where the magic happens. Your body adapts to the new demands, rebuilding strength and muscle over time.

In a nutshell, prioritize adaptation over stimulus during the bridge phase. You’re not here to break records or push yourself to the brink. Slow and steady wins the race. There becomes a problem when the stimulus surpasses the body’s ability to recover. The aim is to find the perfect balance between stimulus and recovery to maximise adaptation.

Conclusion

So, there you have it—the bridge phase simplified. It’s about easing back into the gym, focusing on compound exercises, and giving your body time to adapt. Remember, this isn’t a sprint; it’s a gentle jog to get you back on track. Listen to your body, stay consistent, and soon enough, you’ll be back in the fitness game stronger and wiser than ever. Welcome back to the gym, champ!

Written by: Joshua Iyobhebhe