Many patients have asked how they should return to weight lifting or sports after they have injured themselves or had surgery. Although there is no ‘one size fits all’ program, these guidelines should be very helpful to athletes of any caliber who have been away from training for a while due to any reason.
Conditioning Drills: It is recommended that athletes follow the 50/30/20/10 Rule for the first four weeks. This means that the overall weekly conditioning volume should be reduced by 50% from its typical maximum intensity in week 1. In week 2, the weekly conditioning volume is reduced by 30%, etc., until returning to typical volume in week 5, as long as there are no training problems.
The same principle may be applied to conditioning testing, which should be reduced by 50% if performed in the first week. For example, a normal one mile run test would be cut to half a mile for testing purposes. Strength Training: The F.I.T. Rule uses the Frequency, Intensity and Time of Rest to guide a safe return to weight training. It aims to minimize the chance of severe muscle damage during weight lifting.
• Frequency is defined as the number of training sessions per week for a specific muscle group or movement pattern. It is recommended that the frequency of weight training is limited to 3 days in the first week and a maximum of 4 days in the second week.
• Intensity Relative Volume (IRV) describes the volume of load. Based off of the one repetition maximum (1RM) – meaning the highest weight that can be done for a single
repetition – IRV is calculated by: Sets x Reps x % of 1RM. For example, if an athlete’s 1Rep Max(1RM) on a bench press is 100lbs, and they do 3 sets of 10 reps at 50lbs, IRV is 3 x 10 x 0.5 = 15. For the first two weeks, it is recommended to keep IRV between 11-30 or between 66%-100%- but really closer to 66%.
• The Work-to-Rest ratio (W:R) describes the rest time in between sets of an exercise. In the first week of training, the W:R should be at least 1:4. In the second week of training it should be at least 1:3. Beyond this, W:R may return to the professional judgement of the coach based on the specifics of the exercise and the athletes.
While the specifics of individual sports, environments and athletes must be taken into account, these guidelines may be helpful to formulate the return to sports plan facing many athletes at this time. While everyone is excited to be back training, it is important to gradually increase the intensity and load on the athlete’s body, in order to safely and successfully return to the fun of sports.
