Training while sick.

[Barbarian]

I hate being sick.

I have now been doing "proper" strength training for the past six months or so and have been working really hard the whole time, 3-4 days a week but now for the past 3 weeks I have been basically shut down by a bad cold/flu. Sore throat, congested chest and constant coughing that just wont go away.

My question is this, I have been going to the gym still 1 day a week just to hit my last squat/bench/ohp 5 rep pr's to stay at my current level but it has not been easy, obviously feeling like a big ole sack o' crap doesnt help. I have been looking around on the net a bit about the adverse effects of working out while sick and as with everything fitness related I have found 20 articles by 20 different people with 20 very different opinions. So I want to hear from the experienced guys, do you still keep up with your programs or do you just take the few weeks off and wait for your body to fully recover?

[Hocky_Balboa]

Lift if you feel up to it, don't if you don't...

Only you can be the judge.

Taking a week off doesn't hurt, though. Quite the opposite.

[Oblivian]

If I am running a temperature and have body aches, lifting is completely out of the question. If I feel a bit congested and tired, I will lift if I feel up to it. There are so many varying degrees of being sick that it's hard to answer. Obviously there is a risk to lifting when sick, but sometimes I feel it's fairly minimal. It's hard to answer, but don't feel like a slacker for taking time off.

[Snitz]

You've been sick for three months?

Swine flu, bro.

[Rauta]

If you train alot while sick it can prolong your recovery time from the disease. I once got pneumonia while working manual labor. First took three days off because of flu, then went back even though felt like shit. It just got worse and I ended up taking three weeks off from work to recover.

Being sick isn't so bad as long as it's only a few times a year.

[SocraticMethod]

You've been sick for 3 weeks? Rest, man, rest! If you've got a cold or something, yeah, go ahead and lift through it, but if you've been feeling like crap for 3 weeks, you need to rest so you can get better.

[Sohan]

Take the time off. I took almost two weeks off to recover from the flu, and when I came back I pulled an age PR in the DL.

BTW, if you have the flu, you probably have the swine flu. My doc said that more than 90% of the flu cases this fall are swine flu. It's supposed to be less severe than the regular, but MUCH easier to catch.

In any case, rest is your friend.

[DrBdan]

That last time this topic came up someone gave the advice to train if the sickness is above the neck but rest if it's below the neck. In your case congested chest and a constant cough sounds like it's below the neck so I'd rest. The more you rest the faster you will recover which means the sooner you will be able to hit the gym at 100%.

[Ian Coe]

Originally Posted by DrBdan

That last time this topic came up someone gave the advice to train if the sickness is above the neck but rest if it's below the neck. In your case congested chest and a constant cough sounds like it's below the neck so I'd rest. The more you rest the faster you will recover which means the sooner you will be able to hit the gym at 100%.

Yeah that's what I go with.

Last week this time I was off work with illness and had 2 days off, felt ropey for about 3 days before that and still feel crap with a cough.

Unfortunately I have had to pull a few training sessions on the weekends so not 100% still.

I would suggest the OP looks in D&S and find the oil of oregano thread. I've ordered 2 bottles off flea bay in the hope that it bloody helps.

[big_john127]

Not to parrot, but train if you feel you can.

I like being on an ECA stack in the gym when I'm feeling a little congested. Primatine tabs, the most common commercially available ephedrine will open you up, and contains an expectorant. An expectorant might be a good idea for you in any case.