How To Start Working Out After Injury or Time Off

11 Nov 2025 · 1 min

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In this concise fitness guide, Eric Roberts outlines a step‑by‑step protocol for safely returning to resistance training after an injury or a prolonged break. He advises starting with roughly half of the previous load, cutting the number of sets to one or two for the first two weeks, and then after two to three weeks resuming full workouts while increasing weight only in small 2.5–5 lb increments. Roberts emphasizes that occasional setbacks don’t erase prior progress and encourages viewers to follow for more practical fitness tips.

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If you're someone getting back to working out from an injury or taking some time off, here's exactly what you should do. First, do not try to lift the same amount of weight you were lifting before. Start lighter for the first couple of weeks. I would say about half of what you were doing before. Second, don't try to do the same amount of sets that you were doing before. So if you were doing 3 sets for an exercise, I would only do 1 to 2 sets for the first couple of weeks. Third, once you're 2 to 3 full weeks in, you can get back to doing a full workout and trying to push yourself with weight again and getting stronger, but don't add weight too fast. This is how most people injure themselves and start back from square one. So only add 2.5 or 5 pounds to the bar, or only go up by 2.5 or 5-pound increments with your dumbbells. And trust me, we all get injured or take time off sometimes, so you didn't ruin any progress. I hope this helped, and you can follow for more simple fitness tips.