Getting back to the gym after time off

Starting at a gym for the first time is hard. Coming back after a long gap has a problem of its own: you remember what you used to do, and your body has not kept the same record.

Start below where you stopped

The usual mistake is picking up where you left off. The weights you used to handle and the number of days a week you used to manage belong to somebody who had been training steadily. Start well below them and let the first couple of weeks feel almost too easy. Soreness that keeps you away on Thursday costs more than a light Monday ever will.

If you stopped because of an injury or an illness, ask whoever treated you what to avoid before you start again. That is a question for them, not for a gym’s website.

Pick a time you will keep

Turning up regularly does more for the first month back than any particular workout. Choose a time of day you can actually protect. At the Haus that can be any time at all, because members let themselves in around the clock, so a late shift or an early start is not a reason to skip.

Getting through the door again

If you have been a member here before, including when the gym was called Fitness 1440 Mesa, a free pass is not open to you. It is one per person, and former members count. The day pass is the way back in instead. It gets you the whole floor for a visit and starts nothing you would have to cancel, which is a fair way to find out whether you are ready to commit again.

And if you already know you are coming back, skip the day pass and rejoin. Memberships are month to month with no fee to cancel, so coming back does not mean signing up for a year.