I can relate to coming back from a long layoff. I was out pretty much all of last year due to a persistent back tweak. The programs I use taper up the volume over the first 3 or 4 weeks. As I got back into it this year, I just repeated the first week of a program over and over, gradually increasing the weights as my fitness returned.

When I felt like I was stalling, I moved on to the next week, repeating it until the next stall. And so on. This is a pretty conservative approach that makes sure I’m ready for the added volume.

Absolutely. 4 movements in a workout is plenty, IMO. Depending on your rep/set scheme, you may be over doing it if you’re coming back from a long layoff.

Start tapering in some accessory work as you acclimate to your routine.

If you’re feeling completely wiped workout after workout, take a closer look at your volume and intensity. Too much of that can be a problem. Head over to Barbell Medicine and see what they have to say about session RPE (sRPE).

When I had it, my only symptoms were in my nose, too. Not nearly as bad as you, but I constantly felt like I had a bunch of water up my nose… The same feeling you get when you swim on your back underwater. It was a really weird sensation.

Nice work! I’m not an HVAC guy but it looks good to me.