Getting back into exercise: a six-week plan to restart without getting hurt

Before the first session

A long break changes your starting point, not your right to exercise. The American College of Sports Medicine revised its screening advice in 2015 because the old version sent too many people to the doctor and became a barrier. It now rests on three questions:

1. How active are you today? Someone who walks briskly every day is not in the same place as someone who has been sitting for a year.
2. Do you have signs or symptoms, or a known heart, metabolic or kidney disease? Chest pain, unusual breathlessness, fainting, palpitations, diabetes or kidney disease call for medical advice before starting.
3. How hard do you plan to train? Brisk walking and light strength work carry less risk than intense intervals.

The same review notes that exercise-related heart events are often preceded by warning signs, and that the cardiovascular risks of exercise decrease as people become more active. The PAR-Q+, a free questionnaire, takes you through these points in a few minutes.

Talk to your doctor before getting back into exercise if you have a heart condition, high blood pressure, diabetes, a recent operation, pregnancy or a recent birth, or if you are unsure. During any session, stop immediately and seek medical help if you feel chest pain or pressure, severe breathlessness, dizziness or palpitations.

Start lower than you think

The most common mistake after a break is to restart at the old level. The body has to get used to effort again, and the enthusiasm of the first week easily hides fatigue until it is too late.

Three rules keep the restart safe:

• Begin with what you can repeat tomorrow. A first session that leaves you exhausted for three days is too hard.
• Change one thing at a time: more minutes, or more sessions, or more intensity, never all three in the same week.
• Use the talk test. At moderate intensity, the NHS says you can talk but not sing. For the first weeks, stay there.

A six-week return plan

The plan below combines walking, the most accessible aerobic activity, with short strength sessions. Adapt the walking to cycling or swimming if you prefer.

Weeks 1 and 2

• Brisk walking: 3 sessions of 20 minutes, about 60 minutes a week.
• Strength: 1 session of 20 minutes, 1 or 2 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions of sit-to-stand, wall push-up, glute bridge and supported lunge.

Weeks 3 and 4

• Brisk walking: 4 sessions of 25 minutes, about 100 minutes.
• Strength: 2 sessions, 2 sets of 8 to 12, moving to floor or bench versions when the easy ones feel comfortable.

Weeks 5 and 6

• Brisk walking or other moderate activity: 5 sessions of 30 minutes, 150 minutes, the WHO minimum.
• Strength: 2 sessions, 2 to 3 sets, working all major muscle groups as the NHS recommends.

From week 7, you can add a vigorous element, such as short running intervals or a faster bike ride. The NHS Couch to 5K programme is a good model for runners: it starts with one-minute runs separated by 90 seconds of walking, three times a week, and builds over nine weeks to 30 minutes of continuous running. A more structured strength progression is in our beginner workout plan.

The signals to watch

During the first weeks, keep an eye on three things.

• Muscle soreness a day or two after a session is common after a break and usually fades within a few days. If it stops you moving normally, reduce the next session.
• Joint pain during or after exercise, especially if it increases from one session to the next, is a reason to scale back and seek advice.
• Unusual fatigue that lasts, poor sleep or a rising resting heart rate may suggest the load is growing too fast. See recovery after training.

Warming up for five to ten minutes before each session makes the first minutes easier: see our warm-up before a workout.

Rebuilding the habit

Getting back into exercise is as much about routine as about fitness. Gardner, Lally and Wardle report that a new habit takes about 66 days on average to become automatic, with wide variation between people. In Lally's study, missing a single opportunity did not materially affect the process. Kaushal and Rhodes found that new gym members needed at least four sessions a week for six weeks to establish an exercise habit, and that consistency and simple routines predicted success.

The six-week plan above reaches four or more sessions a week from week 3, counting walks. Fix the days and times in advance, keep the sessions simple, and if one falls through, carry on with the next one rather than starting again from zero. To see where your week stands against the guidelines, read how much exercise per week.

Restart with Never Skip Club

Never Skip Club is designed for people who want to restart and keep going. In one minute the app builds a guided session: choose the body area, the easy level to begin with, 20, 30 or 45 minutes, and train at home, in a hotel or at the gym, with or without equipment. Five or six exercises are shown in animation and you log your sets, so you can see the progress from week 1 to week 6.

A restart is easier with others. Set up a crew of three to seven friends, choose a reasonable rhythm, for example three sessions a week for a month, and let the ranking reward regularity, not performance: doing more earns no extra points, which removes the temptation to overdo it. Create your free account to start week 1, and if you would like a professional to guide your return, book a coach from our network.