Take it slow when returning to the gym

Right now, students throughout campus are declaring the college version of a New Year's resolution. Cushy summer desk jobs, lazy summer days near the pool and cruise vacations have negated all attempts to attain the perfect body.\nYou know who you are: The only six-pack you have is the one in the fridge, yet you deliver your roommates, parents, dogs and food closet the same empty lines. \nYou've heard the guys: "Dude, I'll be benching 320 lbs. by November." \nAnd ladies: "A few pounds are not that hard to lose."\nThe glory of a great body is not an uncommon goal for the college student. They are confined to a competitive atmosphere among peers and surrounded by outstanding fitness centers. While these factors motivate students to live healthier lifestyles, often the motivation leads to obsession and an over-working of the body.\nIf the summer heat led to laziness, or the summer job disrupted your training regimen, a return to any training should be approached with caution and some humility. \nIt is absolutely essential to avoid the "pick up where I left off" syndrome. Just because you led your "class C" co-ed softball high school alumni league to a league championship and were named "most valuable first baseman" does not automatically grant you the power to squat the same weight or run the same distance you did in April.\nOne consequence of over-training after a long fitness drought is soreness. Until teachers begin excusing you from class because your thigh hurts, it's important to understand why soreness occurs and how to avoid it. \nAccording to Geoff Eliason, IU assistant strength coordinator, our body works much like our minds in terms of stress.\n"Our bodies, no matter what the circumstance, whether weight training or academics, adapts to stress," Eliason said. "When we put our bodies under stress we adapt. In the summer we don't have to adapt to stress."\nWhen returning to a workout after a leave of absence, Eliason recommends a general workout rather than training specific muscles. Body weight exercises, such as push-ups and dips, as well as circuit training might be safe ways to begin the semester.\nLet's imagine you refuse to heed the advice of this column, and the love your life, whom you've never met, is on the leg machine next to you and you are determined to win their adoration with your best Lou Ferrigno or Marion Jones impression. There are certain measures which can be taken to improve your bodies recovery time after one such workout. Eliason said adequate sleep, a healthy diet and remaining well-hydrated can enhance the body's ability to adapt to stress.\nEach person's body will react differently when returning to a regular workout routine. Eliason offered his best advice on returning to training.\n"Be conservative, err on the side of caution," he said.\nSafety is most important when returning to the gym. Remember, if you are embarrassed by the guy lifting beside you with bigger arms, or the girl on the treadmill next to you with better legs, it would be even more embarrassing to be seen on the bench with a bar buried to your chest or found face first on the treadmill.