Post-holiday workout

I was on holiday with Wifey, Sonny, Girlie and Mummio for slightly over a week and have stopped working out for almost 2 weeks. During this period, I only ate 3 main meals a day (and not the usual 6-7 times a day) and enjoyed a lot of red wine (I'm on holiday!!! ;-P). I was also off all forms of supplement. No point watching your diet when you're on holiday, eh? *LOL*

When I first returned to the office, my colleagues commented that I've lost weight. Oh no! I think it must have been due to the lack of creatine, water and food.

No worries. I can always get back into my diet and workout routine...But I dread hitting the gym again after a 2 week break :-(

How do you ease yourself back into the gym? For a start, never try lifting the same weight as you last lifted before your holiday. You'll need about 2 weeks to recondition yourself and build up the momentum physically and mentally. Try lifting the same weight as you last lifted and you'll disappoint yourself. Always lift lighter say 75% - 80% of your previous weight to recondition your muscles. If you can maintain the number of reps and sets, good on you. If not, reduce either the number of reps or number of sets.

As an example, let's assume you've previously deadlifted 100kg x 12 reps x 4 sets. You can reduce the weight to around 80kg and try maintaining 12 reps x 4 sets. If you are not able to achieve 12 reps x 4 sets, you may want to try 10 reps x 4 sets or 12 reps x 3 sets. In the second week, increase the intensity- weight, reps or sets. Once you reach the third week, you'll be able to lift the same weight as you last lifted before you holiday. Remember, the idea here is to ease yourself back into the gym and build confidence. This approach is also beneficial to your body as it'll avoid any potential injury from occuring. When you are mentally strong, you'll be able to lift heavier. Working out is as both a mental and physical process.

Time to hit the gym again! :-)