Kyle Schumacher, PT, DPT, LAT
COVID-19 has turned our world upside down. Sadly, it has taken many lives and negatively impacted many others. It prematurely ended the Winter sports season, canceled the Spring sports season, closed down gyms, studios, and weight rooms, and left people scrambling to purchase at-home exercise equipment.
It’s been about five months since our lives were upended, and unfortunately, the virus isn’t going anywhere. Agree or disagree, the state begins to re-open and along with that - gyms, studios, weight rooms, exercise classes, and sports participation. Whether you saw the inches around your waist grow or rushed to purchase every piece of in-home exercise equipment before it vanished, you more than likely are not in the same shape you were months ago. As a healthcare professional, I want to stress that it would not be wise to rush back to the same intensity, sets, reps, and the weight you were doing at the end of February.
Here at APTSM, we want to emphasize a smart, thoughtful, and phased approach to return to exercise and sports participation to decrease the risk of injury and help the body acclimatize to the environment. Planning should include a gradual return taking 6+ weeks. Also, take into account the temperatures have changed drastically since March, and the body needs to accommodate exercising outside of climate-controlled space to avoid heat illness.
Gradual Return (1, 2)
- Start with an activity level around 25-50% of your pre-pandemic level, including your training frequency, volume, and intensity.
- Focus on low to moderate intensity for the first couple of weeks.
- Adjust workload/volume by about 10-20% each week
- Take frequent rest breaks during sessions
- As the body adjusts, add frequency or duration
Environmental Acclimatization (3)
- Allow your body to gradually get used to the heat over 10-14 days
- Avoid 2-days for the first 5 days of outdoor exercise
- Keep practices and workouts to less than 3 hours per day
- Sports using protective equipment should gradually add pads over the 14-day period
- Two-a-days should not begin until day 6. The first practice should not exceed 3 hours and should be followed by a 3-hour break. Total practice time should not exceed 5 hours.
- Complete the full acclimatization period
Hopefully, these recommendations will help guide you in your return to physical activity/exercise and sports. Please do not hesitate to reach out to one of our APTSM locations for further guidance or recommendations. You can also schedule an injury risk assessment with one of our healthcare professionals at the APTSM – Champion Center for a total body screening and assessment and performance training classes.
1. Caterisano, Al, Decker, D., Snyder, B., Feigenbaum, M., Glass, R., House, P., Sharp, C., Waller, M., Witherspoon, Z. “CSCCa and NSCA Joint Consensus Guidelines for Transition Periods.” Strength & Conditioning Journal, June 2019 - Volume 41 - Issue 3 - p 1-23
2. Clarkson, Priscilla M., and Monica J. Hubal. “Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage in Humans.” American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, vol. 81, no. Supplement, Nov. 2002
3. Casa DJ. Csillan D. Pre-season Heat Acclimatization Guidelines for Secondary School Athletics. Journal of Athletic Training. 2009; 44(3):332-333.