Coming Back After 2 Years Off

hello all,

i have been a member of this site for a while now and it has been a great help to me for a number of years. i was once pretty serious into lifting, i went to the gym for 2 years straight and never missed a day( a small achievement compared to some i know). during this time i gained 40 pounds of muscle and was in great shape.

at this point i have not been to the gym in 2 years and am going to get back into it. i am a 24 year old healthy male with no injuries and am just looking to build some solid muscle and of course add strength. becasue i was quite experienced previously, i am wondering how to get back into it safely and properly. i am really looking at starting back with an old favortite, blending size and strength 2.0 from this site. would that likely be a safe and appropriate plan to start back on after 2 years off?

thanks for all your help !

I would just pick a simple/effective program and stick to it and eat. Same thing you did last time. Just make sure that since you are getting back into it that you are emphasizing the rest/food part. Right away your work capacity may be low so play things by ear - if you are feeling worn out, just get some more rest/food. After a few months when you start to get bigger/stronger add some more work in if you can.

I know some people say over training is bogus stuff, but it can be easy to run your CNS into the dirt if you aren’t smart about it. Train smart and train hard and you will be just fine.

thanks thats great advice, i searched the site for answers to my question but couldnt really find what i was looking for exactly so i just wanted to make sure i wasnt going about it the wrong way or missing anything important, thanks for the clarity, i cant wait to get back at it !

I wanted to post an article about getting back into training but couldn’t find it.

The jist of the article is to time your rest periods and keep the rest period short at first, ie 30sec in between sets. As you get back into the swing of things and your strength comes back you will need to increase your rest periods since your CNS is being taxed more.

Your progression could be:
Lighter weights, 10-12 reps, lower rest periods (for 4 weeks to get back into things)
moderate wights, 6-8 reps, moderate rest (maybe 2 weeks)
High weight, 3-5 reps, Longer rest
Ultimately ^this^ would lead to working with a 5/3/1 type program (Don’t know much about size and strength 2.0)

right on thats very helpful as well, all of you at t nation never let me down when i have any questions appreciate it