How to Come Back to the Gym After Quarantine
Disclaimer: This photo was taken pre-COVID.
We know you’re itching to pick up some barbells and get back to heavy lifting, but before you come back into the gym, proceed with a reasonable amount of caution. You’ve likely been doing mostly metcons for a while, and reintroducing weightlifting is a new stress on your body. We can’t start off with the intensity or loads we were at before the quarantine and frankly, taking some time to focus on tempo, mechanics and structural imbalances at lighter loads will do wonders for all of us and our longevity.
We also have to consider what it will feel like to work out in a mask and take that into consideration when doing the daily WOD. With this is mind, our programming in the gym will be more strength-based than normal when we’re back, but with loads in the range of 50-70% at higher volumes or greater time under tension in order to allow us to develop good movement patterns and build back up safely. Here’s our plan:
1. Greater time under tension
Greater time under tension can look like: 4 Sets of 5 Back Squats at 4411 Tempo.
This means that we have greater control on the eccentric portion, holding tension in the bottom of the squat, then coming back up with control and at a faster tempo with one breath at top. With this, we’re under tension for about 10 seconds per rep, so 50 seconds per set. This is the same as doing 12 reps at a normal tempo where each rep takes 3-4 seconds. By slowing down the movement, we’re better able to work on form and mechanics, working on certain portions of the lift throughout.
2. Olympic lifting practice
It’s been some time since we’ve really thoughtfully practiced olympic lifting in a class setting, so we will focus on retooling our mechanics, work on pauses and do some position work to dial things back in and make sure we move proficiently before adding a lot of load or volume.
3. More grinder-style conditioning work
Conditioning pieces will be longer grinders, intended to keep you at around 70-75% effort. You will need time to learn to breathe with a mask on, and starting back slowly will help you gauge your effort level better. We can build that intensity up over the course of 3-4 weeks as you get fitter again, feel better and more proficient with the movements. For those of you that want more heavy breathing, we will continue posting home WODs, as well as hosting outdoor* WODs that will allow you to get your heart rate up a little more.
We look forward to seeing all your friendly faces again back in the gym! It’ll be fun to get back to the grindstone and get to work. This is a great time to take a step back, adjust how we all approach our training, and work on building back up the correct way. Slow down, work on mechanics, focus on developing a strong foundation, and you’ll be able to speed things back up and be better than ever in a couple months.
*Note: Outdoor WODs will still require masks unless you’re at a significant distance away from the main group