Training While You Are Sick
I get asked fairly regularly “Should I train when I’m sick.” Especially if the client is making consistent progress. They don’t want to lose all their gains.
I recently went on a trip to Las Vegas (I know it was fun as hell and I’ll be back in September for Olympia if anyone wants to meet up). I did manage to get 2 good workouts in out of the 4 days that I was there.
After late nights, and drinking daily, I’m not feeling so hot getting back to real life. Today I’m running on 2 hours of sleep so not ideal training conditions for my body.
But I try not to let little things stop me so I did go to the gym and got some light rowing in, but paid attention to my energy levels and decided to call it after rowing. Tomorrow I’ll be back to hit some weights.
So should you train if you’re sick?
It depends.
Really it depends on just how sick are you? Do you have a fever? Are you contagious? Have you contracted some unknown disease while exploring the River of Doubt?
If you answered YES to any of the questions above then the answer is no you should not train while you’re sick. You should however probably see a Doctor.
Here’s the thing. I like to go for optimal when and where I can, but when you’re sick it’s optimal for your body not to train.
As far as recovery goes you should wait to train until you’re feeling well rested and good.
Your bodies awesome disease fighting army can fight the good fight while you’re resting, but if you’re training hard then that army is going to have attack multiple fronts at once.
However! If you’re like me you fucking hate missing training, especially for days on end. Obviously if you’re contagious, or hacking up shit stay home.
If you just have a head cold (runny nose, fatigue, sore throat) then I’d go for it. Be a boss and wipe down all your equipment after you use it, and make sure you’re getting in proper nutrition.
EASE yourself back into it, if you’ve been on bedrest for days don’t go all out on your first workout back. If you do you will probably make yourself sick again.
That’s why I listened to my body today, just as I’ll listen to it tomorrow.
When getting over illness is not the time to push yourself to your fullest capabilities. Maybe use that time for a deload week, or a complete rest.
Things you can and should do:
Go for walks
Get your nutrition
Drink a ton of fluids
Light Bodyweight work
*If you’ve been sick check with your Doctor