You just had a longer Pause from Training and want to get back into it? Here are 7 Tips, that I always follow, when I get back into Training!

Tip 1: Ask yourself why you paused/stopped.

Was it because injury? You didn’t enjoy training anymore? Life just happened?
After you reflected on this question, make sure to structure your physical practice so it will be enjoyable for longer, minimize risk for Injury and let room for life – allow your structure to be loose from time to time.

Tip 2: Start slow.

An obvious one, but still: too many people just throw theirselves in there after not having been doing anything. This often results in injury, overuse or simply too much stress for the body.
Starting slow could mean anything from reducing the volume (reps, sets, days per week), the intensity (max heart rate, weight, speed) or even the focus of your session. Instead of going straight back to your normal elements – whichever they are – start with super simple exercises so your body has time to adapt to physical activity.
Of course, if you have been training for a long time, the initial adaptation phase will get shorter and you’ll find it easier to get back on track. But also if you are very advanced: take it slow.

Tip 3: MINIMIZE

When starting out training/physical activity again, try to minimize your training at first.
That means, instead of fallowing a super long and varied training schedule, reduce your program to the bare minimum: less exercises, less equipment, reduced sets/reps, fewer complicated exercises.
While I would normally advise you to play with many different moves and vary your training quite a bit, I think there is huge value in having a reduced schedule for the sake of simplicity.
After not training for a long time, your body simply needs time to adapt, therefore don’t bombardize it with too many stimuli. On the other hand, you also have to adapt to making training a habit again. Too much variables make it very hard to build habits in the first place. Therefore reduce your Training, make it easier and minimize at first.

Tip 4: CONSISTENCY IS KEY

Over time, when you are being consistent with something it will turn into a habit. Brushing teeth won’t have any effects if you just do it once. Only when you consistently brush your teeth it is actually long lasting and helpful. Also, what at first might me a pain in the ass (the first cold showers you take) will turn out being just normal or even super fun. The power of habits it is.
So if you’re restarting your training, make sure to take little actions each and every day. Whatever it is, even just some push-ups, do it, build habits and work consistently. On the other hand, don’t Stress out when you need to skip a session, no worries at all. One burger won’t make you fat, one salad won’t make you healthy.

Tip 5: Surround yourself with people that are on the same road as you.

Training alone certainly has some benefits. You are very independent, can train whenever you like and need to build more discipline in order to push when it’s not fun anymore.
On the other hand, if you train/move/play with a buddy you both can have an eye on each other, detect when it’s time to rest or push when it’s needed.
It’s no secret that your performance will go way up when you’re training with company. More so, when you train with someone who is on the same road as you are with a similar level. Or even better: surround yourself with people that are better than you – they will pull you to other spheres. But then also surround yourself with people whom you can help and show the way, much to learn here, too.

Tip 6: Set yourself realistic goals

Setting realistic goals will help you to track your progress, see whether your training gave you the results you wanted and help motivate you.
First, set short term goals like „achieving a 60 second hang in 2 weeks“. This goal can easily be tackled – it’s clear and there is a specific task. Short term goals will be the stepping stones toward your big goal.
Medium term goals like „Super slow negative pull-up in one month from now“ will basically be – like short term goals stepping stones that will track your progress and show you where you are and how fare you’ve come until now. Also, depending if you reach your short and midterm goals, setting new long term goals may or may not make sense.
Long term goals like „3 pull-ups by end of March“ should be set realistically, very specific and time dependent.

Tip 7: ASK FOR HELP / GUIDANCE

If you are looking for guidance after a longer pause, simply ask a coach7teacher that you resonate with. Different coaches work in different ways, surely there is no right or wrong, so choose one who you intuitively trust.

Here are a few exercises which I like to use when getting back on track. The moves aim to mobilize and strengthen the body in great and diverse ranges.