How to Ruin Your First Week Back in the Gym
I recently restarted in the gym. Again.
And I’ve managed to do pretty much everything I tell people not to do when they’re getting back into training. I’d like to say this is unusual. It’s not. I do this every time.
For context, when I’m training properly, I’m used to about five gym sessions a week. I run as well. I train rugby twice a week, and sometimes I’ll run to training, so that ends up being two sessions in one day. (yes I’m weird I know)
So when I go back, that’s what I go back to. Not gradually.
Just straight into it.
It’s not coming from laziness either. Any time I’ve stopped recently, it’s been because life got in the way. So in my head, I’m not starting again, I’m just picking back up where I left off.
That’s where it starts to go wrong.
I’ll ease back the weight a bit in the gym, but I don’t touch the overall volume. I still expect myself to handle the same number of sessions, the same level of training, the same routine.
What I ignore is how much more everything costs when you haven’t been doing it. You’re not just weaker. You’re sorer. Recovery takes longer. It all adds up quickly. (despite taking so damn long to get to that point in the first place)
I know that. I just choose to ignore the fact.
This week was a good example - cos guess who did it again? (if you answered me, you would be correct)
Monday, I wanted to do everything at once. Gym, running, rugby. ( My soul felt like it had left my body by the end of the day)
Tuesday, I went again, even though I was already sore and tired. (Thank you, Lidl energy drink, for getting me through that tough time)
By today, I was wrecked.
Not just legs. Everything. Low energy, stiff, just flat.
I was meant to train after work. Instead, I fell asleep on the couch for two hours. (and what a glorious two hours it was)
At that point it’s not a discipline issue. It’s just your body saying no.
And this is the bit people don’t factor in when they’re motivated at the start. You can get through the first few days on willpower. That’s not the problem. The problem is what happens after that.
If you push too much too early, you don’t build anything stable. You just stack a few heavy days together and then have to pull back whether you want to or not.
I don’t fall off the wagon in the dramatic sense. I don’t quit. I just end up forced to slow down because I’ve emptied the tank too early.
It’s the same pattern every time.
And if you’re someone trying to build consistency, that’s the part that actually matters. Not how hard you go at the start, but whether you can keep showing up once that initial push wears off.
Consistency isn’t perfect weeks. It’s not five sessions every week without fail.
It’s being able to keep going when life gets in the way, or when you’re tired, or when a session doesn’t happen. Not writing the whole week off because one day didn’t go to plan.
Three sessions you actually do will always beat five that only exist in your head.
If I was doing this properly, I’d reduce the number of sessions at the start. I’d leave a bit in the tank. I’d accept that being sore is part of it and plan around that instead of ignoring it.
Will I do that next time?
Definitely not. (I’d be lying to you and myself if I claimed otherwise)
But if you’re getting back into training and you actually want to stay consistent, don’t try to prove anything in week one. It doesn’t pay off the way you think it will.