I’m in the gym once a week and hit 5x5 deadlift and front squat at 245lb and 155lb respectively. I’d like to be stronger and lift more but I’m pretty happy with the progress and baseline I have been able to maintain over the years. I have a few basic rules I live by, but I am no gym expert. My basic rules are as follows:

-You are only as strong as what you can show up and lift every week. A one rep max means jack if you give yourself a hernia and can’t lift for a year. Remove the ego and focus on form and muscle activation. Focus on mind body connection. Don’t be afraid to bring the weight down so you can bring the intensity and precision up.

-The most important thing you can accomplish when going back to the gym for the first time in a while is to get back in the habit of going to the gym. There’s really not much else you can accomplish and the WORST thing you can do is strain or injure yourself because you’re trying to play catch up. Do something you like! Take it easy! Have fun! Remind yourself why you go to the gym. Think about your fitness goals, and STRETCH! These things can be hard to make time for, but are critically important.

-every day is core and🦵day. The body is a complete dynamic system from the top of your head to the tip of your toe. I am no expert, but from what I have seen, 90% of physical therapy is some variation of: “do these exercises to strengthen your core” the core ESPECIALLY is so critically important to not overlook because it is so unrewarding to exercise unless you’re a pretty low body fat percentage. I am not very lean but I am still able to do those very strenuous, complex movements like squats and deadlifts, without injury, because of core strength. You can lay on a mat and torture yourself for an hour with a timer and Medicine ball and get an extremely good workout. It’s just very mentally difficult because, like many kinds of exercise, it just sucks. Very good for you, but psychologically torturous. I like exercises like dead bugs because they aren’t overly strenuous, they act as a stretch in some ways , and they just help prevent injury overall. The legs are worth working every time imo simply because you’re always bound to get better results and it’s much more practically useful.

-Mental toughness. It’s very different from ignoring pain from injury. Finding that line is part of the practice of lifting or any kind of athletic endeavor. I like running for this, even though it’s definitely not for everyone. It’s easy to just pick up and do as long as you pace yourself. It’s an incredibly shitty experience, especially at first, but if you keep at it, you start to find something exciting about going a little faster and further each time. This is where it becomes critical to pace yourself. But once you are able to find something enjoyable about going for a damn jog, I think every other form of exercise becomes that much more enjoyable. Swimming is a great alternative. Any torturous cardio will do.

I think the mental toughness is especially important, even if it sounds like some meat head shit. Lifting and exercising generally can be very mentally difficult and there’s never a good time for it. It’s easy to plateau and get frustrated. It’s easy to give up because of some small discomfort or inconvenience. I’m always surprised by the excuses I hear myself making in my head when it’s that time of the week again to go pick up the weight. even after all these years.

Depending on the kinda base you’re working with and what you have access to, the cardio might be a good place to start. Hope to hear updates! Best of luck and don’t forget to stretch!