How To Start Working Out Again, According To Personal Trainers

how to start working out again

Everything featured on The Nessie is independently selected and rigorously tested. We may receive a small commission on purchases made from some of our links. Also, The Nessie is part of the Ness Card ecosystem. Since you’re here, you’d probably be into it.

Our friends at Fyt Personal Training (the largest platform of personal trainers, NBD) connected us with the very best fitness experts for this article. Our parent company, Ness Well, Inc., has also partnered with Fyt to provide an exclusive benefit to users of the Ness Card. You can learn more about the Ness Card here. The Ness Card is issued by The Bank of Missouri, pursuant to a license from Mastercard, and serviced by Ness Well Financial, LLC.

It’s bound to happen at some point. Between work commitments, family emergencies, lapses in motivation, and everything in between, breaks in your fitness routine are normal.

Starting back up can be, too. Whether you’ve been out of the exercise groove for a few weeks or a few years, the best time to return to it is… well, now. We talked to certified personal trainers for actionable, expert-backed tips on how to start working out again—and feel strong to boot.

How Long Does It Take To Get Back Into Shape?

It depends. If it’s been a few weeks or months, you may get back into shape within a month or two. If it’s been a few years, you can expect it to take longer. Either way, take your time and respect your body’s process.

Use Mindfulness To Get Motivated

Greg Rosenke

When you start to feel like you’ve lost momentum, it can be daunting to try and start it back up again. But mindfulness can go a long way to build your body confidence back up. First, take a moment every day to visualize yourself getting stronger and more fit. “Close your eyes and see yourself enjoying your cardio work,” says Kelly Najjar, NBC-HWC, CES. “Watch yourself lift heavier weights. Feel how proud you are of yourself. Enjoy the confidence you’re gaining through this process.”

Next, practice gratitude, which can boost your mindset in and out of the gym. “Start by thanking your body for being stronger each day, thank your mind for being motivated, and thank your heart for being dedicated,” she says. Finally, thank yourself for doing the most challenging part—showing up.

To carry your confidence from one session to the next, Najjar recommends taking stock of all you’ve accomplished at the gym before bed. “At the beginning, it might be tough to see all the good you’re doing, but there is something there,” she says. “Learn to identify what you did well. It can be anything. Maybe you hydrated well or did a really great set of squats. Find at least one thing you can be proud of and meditate on it.”

Double Down on Your Warmups

Gabin Vallet

If you used to devote a couple quick minutes to haphazard warmups, now’s the time to put those dynamic moves in the spotlight. Warming up properly will prevent injury icon-trusted-source BMC Medicine “The effectiveness of neuromuscular warm-up strategies, that require no additional equipment, for preventing lower limb injuries during sports participation: a systematic review” View Source , activate your proprioceptors icon-trusted-source Journal of Anatomy “The role of muscle proprioceptors in human limb position sense: a hypothesis” View Source (sensory receptors that strengthen your mind-body connection), and prime your muscles and joints for physical activity. “A good warmup slowly increases your heart rate and blood flow to the muscles, providing your muscles with the extra oxygen they need,” says Najjar. Luckily, there are several ways to prime the body for safe movement. 

One easy, effective way to get warmed up for any kind of workout, according to Victoria Brady, CPT, is walking on a treadmill for five minutes. Start at 1.5 miles per hour (MPH) and increase your speed every 60 seconds by 0.5 MPH. Your warmup would look something like this:

  • 1 minute at 1.5 MPH
  • 1 minute at 2.0 MPH
  • 1 minute at 2.5 MPH
  • 1 minute at 3.0 MPH
  • 1 minute at 3.5 MPH

For another well-rounded, full-body warmup, Najjar recommends getting on an elliptical for about seven minutes. This activates both the lower and upper body and provides low-impact movement on your joints. Following that, she recommends one minute each of arm circles, shoulder rolls, high knees, butt kicks, and side shuffles. This type of warmup will leave you feeling “energized and ready for the rest of your session.” 

Go Easy on Yourself

Meghan Holmes

One quick way to wind up back where you started—that is, back on the couch letting your gym membership go to waste—is to do too much too soon. “Take it easy, lower your intensity, and meet yourself where you are today,” says Najjar. “Approach this opportunity with a beginner’s mind. Check in with yourself and consider how each exercise feels new and different this time around.” 

Lofty goals are a great way to keep you motivated in the long term. But it’s also necessary to have smaller bite-sized goals to help you feel accomplished every day. Brady recommends something feasible like a daily mile-long walk or a 30-minute workout four days a week. Be sure to incorporate plenty of modifications in your workouts when you need them. This could mean reducing the load of your squat to a lighter dumbbell, going bodyweight-only, or lowering the speed of your walk or run. 

Focus on the Big Five Exercises

Victor Freitas

Feeling a little (or a lot) overwhelmed by the limitless movement patterns you can perform as a born-again gym goer? Don’t complicate things. Whittle down your workout using the five main movement patterns: push, pull, squat, single-leg, and rotation. 

“Focusing on the five movement patterns aids in mastering functional strength and your ability to complete daily activities more efficiently, such as bending down to pick up something you dropped,” says Brady. “Additionally, focusing on these five movements ensures you’re following a complete workout regimen or that you’re working out all parts of the body.” 

Try incorporating these five exercises into your routine to effectively target each major muscle group:

  • Push: Like push-ups. (You can modify on your knees). This works the chest, back and triceps, and can help strengthen bones, improve posture, and help you move against your own bodyweight in activities of daily living.
  • Pull: Like rows, using dumbbells or a TRX. Depending on your exact positioning, this works back muscles like the latissimus dorsi and posterior deltoids. These help you pick things up and strengthen your grip.
  • Squat: Like dumbbell or bodyweight squats. This works your quadriceps and gluteus maximus, and helps your hips, knees, and ankles work through a wide range of motion to assist in various activities of daily living, such as moving heavy loads. Keeping the core engaged and spine aligned during a squat also strengthens the abdominals as it aims to resist rotation. 
  • Single leg: Like bodyweight front and back lunges. These work your quadriceps and glutes, which help provide balance and stability when getting up and down from the floor. 
  • Rotation: Like Russian twists with an optional dumbbell. This works your abdominals and obliques, which can protect your back during rotational movements like putting on a seatbelt or swinging a golf club.

Get Comfortable

Between the shortness of breath, burning muscle sensations, and parched lips, part of working out comes with inherent discomfort. Don’t let your outfit contribute to that feeling. Brady says it’s thus crucial to “wear workout clothes you feel comfortable exercising in.”

At a baseline, this means stretchy, supportive, often-synthetic gear, like leggings, sweat-wicking socks, sports bras, and tops. You probably already have these in your closet, but if your body has changed since you last worked out or you simply want new apparel, focus on what works for you. That could mean eschewing popular trends—like tight cropped tops or tiny bicycle shorts—and finding something that allows you to move through your own proper range of motion.

Plus, getting new workout gear might be a sneaky motivator to get back into your exercise routine. If that means splurging on a new Alo set, so be it.

Remember How It Feels When Something Isn’t Right

Jonathan Borba

When working out after a long break, you may be eager to push through any pain to make up for lost time. This will hurt you—rather than help you—in the long run. Najjar says it’s crucial to determine the difference between “minor aches that go away after a couple of days” (which are unlikely to be anything to worry about) versus “pain that lasts longer than a few days or that comes back,” which may be cause for concern.

Because you’ll just be starting (or restarting), it’ll take a little longer for your muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones to strengthen enough to support your new habit. “If the pain is more than a nagging ache, is accompanied by swelling, or is preventing you from walking you may want to call your doctor to have your pain checked out,” she says. “It’s better to play it safe and address a potential injury quickly.”

Structure Breaks Into Your Workout

Frame Kings

While your motivation for endurance training might be at an all-time high (you’ve had weeks or months to recover, after all!), breaks are still an integral part of your new routine. “Breaks allow you to catch your breath and reset in between circuits or intervals, but more importantly, it helps with building strength or endurance as your muscles repair themselves and build during the rest periods,” says Brady.

But how long should you rest in between sets? “It depends on the type of workout you’re doing,” says Najjar. If you’re performing, say, a standard strength workout, your break should be between two to five minutes between sets. For circuits or HIIT training, breaks are much shorter at around 45 seconds of work followed by 15 seconds of rest.

Remember to work longer breaks—aka rest days—into your routine, too. The amount of rest days you take depends on your preferences (and your schedule). You can aim to have one every third or fourth day, or just when you’re feeling overly sore or fatigued.

Grab a Friend

Meghan Holmes

There’s power in numbers. That’s true for a lot of things—especially getting yourself back into working out after a long break. “Recruiting a workout partner is a great way to keep you accountable, especially if you’re meeting up with them to exercise together,” says Brady. “Having someone who is supportive and keeps you accountable with your goals is encouraging, making you more likely to show up for your workouts.”

What’s more is that a workout buddy provides a change of scenery and change of pace to your workout—which may help you stick to it for good this time around. “[They] help keep things interesting [and] bring their own experience and exercise ideas to the table which can keep things fresh,” says Najjar. “Working out with a friend is fun and brings a social aspect into the experience. A workout goes by quickly when you’re catching up with a friend.” She also notes that a workout buddy provides an element of competition, which can help motivate you to maintain the habit in the long run. 

If you don’t have many fitness people in your life (or you’re just feeling shy about working out around your friends), sign up for a workout class. People tend to emulate the workout intensity of those around them, according to a study published in the Journal of Social Sciences icon-trusted-source Journal of Social Sciences “Effects of Perceived Fitness Level of Exercise Partner on Intensity of Exertion” View Source , so a class may help you rev up. Another option is working with a personal trainer, which ensures that you’ll have expert guidance and one-on-one time with another human.

Leave Room for More Setbacks

Counterintuitive? Perhaps. But while it’s important to embrace a growth mindset and see “challenges as opportunities to grow,” according to Najjar, it’s even more crucial to be gentle with yourself. You might sleep through an early morning yoga class, pause workouts when you’re on vacation, or just decide you don’t want to go to the gym one day—and that’s fine. “Life happens, and when it does, a missed workout is not a failure and is not the end of your journey,” Najjar says. Just pick it back up the next day (or the day after that) and you’ll set yourself up to keep going.

Sources

  1. In one small study from the European Journal of Physiology, young men were able to take three weeks off from exercise before seeing a decline in their strength levels: “Comparison of muscle hypertrophy following 6-month of continuous and periodic strength training.” European Journal of Applied Physiology (October 2012).
  2. For athletes, a study in Sports Medicine shows they were also able to maintain their strength levels for three weeks before seeing a decline in overall performance: “The Development, Retention and Decay Rates of Strength and Power in Elite Rugby Union, Rugby League and American Football.” Sports Medicine (March 2013).
  3. Warming up properly will prevent injury: “The effectiveness of neuromuscular warm-up strategies, that require no additional equipment, for preventing lower limb injuries during sports participation: a systematic review.” BMC Medicine (July 2012).
  4. Warming up properly will activate your proprioceptors (sensory receptors that strengthen your mind-body connection): “The role of muscle proprioceptors in human limb position sense: a hypothesis.” Journal of Anatomy (May 2015).
  5. People tend to emulate the workout intensity of people around them: “Effects of Perceived Fitness Level of Exercise Partner on Intensity of Exertion.” Journal of Social Sciences (2010).

Exploring the health and wellness world is better with a friend.

Wellness recommendations you’ll want—delivered to your inbox twice a week. Subscribe to our (free) newsletter and join our growing community!

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Get Product Reviews In Your Inbox
Sign up for our free bi-weekly newsletter.
In this article
Articles you might like

Want more?

Subscribe to Nessie Sightings. Wellness recommendations you’ll want—delivered to your inbox twice a week. Subscribe to our (free) newsletter and join our growing community!

The emails are free, the finds are priceless.

A dose of wellness for your inbox

Select

Ness will process your data in accordance with our Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.

“This card is such an exciting addition to my wallet and it’s perfect for someone who values health and wellness but hasn’t found a credit card that rewards me for that. I love getting rewarded for wellness practices like sleeping, meditating, and moving my body—plus extra points on purchases at my favorite places like Whole Foods, ClassPass and sweetgreen. The app is easy to use and the card is designed for your definition of health and wellness, which I love. It’s flexible!”

Kira's Favorite Healthy Merchants

“It’s no secret that wellness is such an important part of my everyday life. I spend a lot of money to help fuel my love of running, recovery, nutrition and mindfulness, so the fact that I can now earn rewards for every dollar I spend with the Ness Card is amazing. My health always comes first, and the Ness Card makes that easy to do. It’s a win-win for everyone!”

Andi's Favorite Healthy Merchants

“As a new mum, wellness and self-care is a priority for me—so I can, in turn, be able to take care of my baby. I love the incentives that Ness offers for making healthier choices. And to be rewarded along the way for those purchases is such a plus!

Oh, and getting 5x point rewards on my Erewhon $20+ smoothie makes it a little more justifiable.”

Amrit's Favorite Healthy Merchants

“I made a promise to myself to find my joy again in 2023. For the past few years, I haven’t been taking care of myself mentally and physically because I’ve just been on the go and focusing on the future instead of being present. I realized that part of the reason I wasn’t happy was because I wasn’t taking care of myself. So, now with the Ness Card—which literally rewards you for staying on top of your wellness journey—I’ve easily been able to focus on my mental and physical journey. Using the card is now a part of my weekly routine, whether I’m buying groceries, going to therapy, spending a day at the spa, or treating myself to a delicious yummy meal.”

Candace's Favorite Healthy Merchants

“I love life with the Ness Card! The team behind the scenes work really hard to make it valuable and to create a sense of community, which you feel in every newsletter and hand-crafted partnership. The card itself encourages me to be even more curious about where I’m spending my money. It definitely incentivizes me to spend ‘healthier’, which is really unique. On top of that, getting points for taking more steps? There is seriously nothing like it.

David's Favorite Healthy Merchants

“My favorite thing about the Ness Card is that it rewards you for your healthy habits, and not all of them require spending. Yes, you can earn 5x points when you spend at any of their approved health and wellness merchants (think Erewhon and many of your other favorites) but you also earn points for being active daily! So now your sanity walks are literally paying off :) As someone who not only works in wellness but lives and breathes it, essentially most of my expenses live in that realm and with the Ness Card I can now be rewarded nicely for those purchases.”

Kirsty's Favorite Healthy Merchants

“I love that I have rewards to look forward to when I focus on my health and wellness. As a mom of two and full time photographer/creator, it’s hard to find time to prioritize my health and—as my body ages—I want to make sure that I’m treating it to all the TLC it needs (and deserves)! The Ness Card reminds me to take care of my mental, physical, and emotional health on the daily.”

Valerie's Favorite Healthy Merchants

“It’s refreshing to have a card app that is so easy to use. I can track my spending and rewards at the click of a button. I love getting a notification when I get extra points for getting a full night sleep or getting my steps in, though of course those are optional. I work a lot, and I feel like I get extra rewarded for taking the time to take care of myself – whether it’s therapy or simply cooking at home instead of dining out. The points accumulate really quickly, and I’ve already gotten a $1,000 credit at Erewhon in my first four months. I also go visit family in Europe a lot, and no one takes my card there, so it’s so convenient to be able to use my Ness Card without ever paying a fee.”

Mélanie's Favorite Healthy Merchants

“As someone who spends the majority of her money on wellness, the Ness Card is perfect for me! I love earning 5x points on purchases at healthy businesses that I was already making, anyways. The Ness Card also motivates me to get enough sleep, practice mindfulness and other healthy habits. The app is really user-friendly and I love watching my points add up. I am excited to redeem them for wellness-related items!”

Lauren's Favorite Healthy Merchants

“The Ness Card motivates me to keep up my healthy habits, and has helped me discover new brands and products that are in alignment with my goals. I’m not spending any more with my Ness Card, but the money I am spending on health and wellness is actually earning me rewards, benefits, and even cash back. And because Ness’s definition of a ‘healthy merchant’ is so generous, I’m able to recognize all of the small ways I practice self-care throughout the week. From buying fresh veggies to going to therapy to taking my supplements, the Ness Card is there to cheer me on: ‘Keep being healthy, girl. You deserve 5x points for that.'”

Melissa's Favorite Healthy Merchants

“The Ness Card rewards me when I spend money on health and wellness. Especially because so much of my wellness routine is spent being active, gardening, making food with my husband, getting a massage, or having some me time, it is nice to be rewarded for that with points that are with brands I shop at all the time anyway. It allows my wellness choices to work harder which I love.”

Research Based

This article was rigorously researched and fact checked. We use peer-reviewed journals and reputable medical sources (think: CDC, WHO, NIH, and the like) to back up every claim we make, and also reach out to experts in the field to ensure we’re covering things the right way. We apply these principles to everything we cover—including brands we partner with—and we’ll always disclose sponsorships, ads, and any kind of financial relationship with anything featured on The Nessie. You deserve the best, most straightforward information on health and wellness, and we think this is the right way to do it. You can read more about our testing and review process here.

If something doesn’t seem quite right, let us know at [email protected].