Starting a Workout Program After Injury or a Long Stint of Inactivity

I have been inactive for the last six months due to an appendectomy I had in the summer. The doctors cleared me to workout a while ago but I've been extra cautious to make sure I didn't develop a hernia at the site of my incision. Past experiences have taught me the long term value of caution, and the importance of not doing too much too soon. Preventing injury will allow me to continue a steady workout routine without having to stop and recover. This philosophy is more effective and efficient than the meat-headed "no pain, no gain" way of thinking that will inevitably lead you to injury.

Pushing your body too hard is a risk. Is that last set really worth injury? I prefer to take the healthy road and pull back a bit. I recommend you do the same.

I'm a thinker, a strategist, a tactician. I apply these traits to all aspects of my life. As a personal trainer, I find the application of logic and strategy to be very invaluable. My clients get the most out of their workouts because of the plans I outline for them. There are plenty of swollen, meathead personal trainers that will yell for you to do more, to do it faster, and to do it harder. That is not my philosophy. I believe in the long-term plan. Working yourself too hard will usually result in resentment making you feel like a prisoner just waiting to escape. The same goes for extreme diets.

Let's take a person who works out for two hours every day and diets heavily. This person works hard and battles to keep it up, but let's remember fitness is a life-long commitment so if they see it as a struggle they will eventually come to the conclusion that quitting is an option. Three months in they decide their fitness plan has compromised their happiness and realize they would be happier if they quit. In those three months, they will lose more weight than a logical person that takes it nice and slow making sure to go to the gym every day but also leaving before dread can set in. In the next three months, the logical person who continues an easy exercise routine will be in much better shape than the people who pushed themselves too hard.

If you are honest with yourself upfront, you will know if your routine is something you can stay with or if your routine is going to be too hard for you.

Personally, I appear to get much less done than the other people at the gym but I get results. I will be posting some of my workouts so you can understand what I'm talking about. Links included below.

Workout 1, the second installment to my personal workouts: A Personal Trainer's Secret to Not Getting Tired on the Treadmill or Any Other Aerobic Workout

Workout 2, the third installment to my personal workouts: Are Earbud Headphones Dangerous to Use While at the Gym?