I love lifting heavy weights.Ive gained most of my size from heavy weights(max-ot) when i was younger.But as soon as i hit my mid 20’s everytime i lifted heavy i ended up with a head cold.
So for the past few years ive been training with higher volume and higher reps. eg- 10-15 sets 8-10 reps
But after staying the same size for the past 2-3 years i decided to go back to the heavy weights(max-ot style).Ive tried this 3 times and always end up with a head cold within 4 days of going back to heavy weights.
The strange thing is when i was training with higher volume i did not catch a cold for 3 years.
So Does anybody have any advice? Would my CNS be shot or maybe im just not suited for the heavy weights anymore.
Its frustrating me as i love to lift heavy but getting a head cold every other week by training this way is not worth it.
[quote]Lunarisx718 wrote:
2 weeks ago i did heavy legs and woke up the next day with a sore throat.
Lifting heavy is definitely taxing on your immune system
the only advice would be to take an immune support supp. i take orange triad as my multi because it has an immune complex[/quote]
I also take ZMA at night on an empty stomach before bed and before my protein shake to help with this.
I could substitute “heavy lifting” with “take a red-eye flight”. Anything that taxes your cns is gonna leave you open to a cold or flu.
You can work through a cold…not the flu…so I would say build up your immunity with the heavy lifting and supplementation AND REST…because the other way you could read this data is that for the last 3 1/2 years you haven’t worked yourself to your limit.
Lifting heavy is definitely taxing on your immune system
[/quote]
x2
If i go heavy two days in a row i get the head cold too. I normally go heavy/moderate or heavy/light when i have to go two days in a row now. and just rotate which workout is heavy each time. It’s frustrating sometimes, but less annoying than all that snot.
I was pretty much in the same boat a year ago, i started out light and gradually started bringing in the heavier weights over about a month and i havn’t had a cold yet.
Vitamin D (say 4000 to 6000 IU per day, unless tanning that day in which case it isn’t needed) and a lot of glutamine post workout – for example I use two tablespoons in the post-workout drink – may help.
[quote]Bill Roberts wrote:
Vitamin D (say 4000 to 6000 IU per day, unless tanning that day in which case it isn’t needed) and a lot of glutamine post workout – for example I use two tablespoons in the post-workout drink – may help.[/quote]
Thanks Bill
Normally my post workout shake is some protein powder in lactose free skim milk.Might go buy some glutamine and give that a try.Dont need to worry about the Vitamin D i think? I live in Australia so i get plenty of sunshine.
[quote]King of Kings wrote:
Bill Roberts wrote:
Vitamin D (say 4000 to 6000 IU per day, unless tanning that day in which case it isn’t needed) and a lot of glutamine post workout – for example I use two tablespoons in the post-workout drink – may help.
Thanks Bill
Normally my post workout shake is some protein powder in lactose free skim milk.Might go buy some glutamine and give that a try.Dont need to worry about the Vitamin D i think? I live in Australia so i get plenty of sunshine.[/quote]
If you have a reaonable amount of skin exposed – for example wearing a short sleeve shirt and short pants – and are getting plenty of sunshine, then yes, the supplemental Vitamin D isn’t necessary.
It’s not one of those things that there is a known value to having more than can be provided naturally by the Sun. I don’t know how to quantify it in terms of exposed skin area, sun strength, and time, but reasonable sun exposure readily generates 5000-10,000 IU in a fairl modest period of time. (For a tanned individual, long before coming remotely close to sunburn.)
Rather it’s one of those things that it’s quite beneficial to keep up to levels such as can be generated naturally – but so often are not.
For example, it’s been shown that in Miami, Florida – which potentially allows a person a fair amount of sun – the amount of Vitamin D produced on average among the general population is quite small, corresponding to only a few hundred IU per day. So the average person very easily can have low levels: but it sounds as if you do not.
I started sanitizing my hands with Purell imediately after every workout. I went a full year without catching a cold. I also got out of the habit of rubbing my eyes (at least not until sanitizing hands first).
I’m not sure how this correlates to going heavy, but maybe with the depressed immune system you might especially want to keep germs at bay.
Try something like surge or another high quality PWN supplement. I personally don’t tend to get your problem from lifting heavy, but my volume is fairly low. However, when I played soccer I did get this problem after intense sprint sessions and interval training - and the answer for you may be better peri workout nutrition.
With regard to training, the maintenance of blood glucose levels is important for energy. When blood glucose levels become low; there is an increase in plasma ACTH, cortisol, and growth hormone and a decreased insulin concentration. Although this is essential for continued energy production, many immune-modulating effects occur as blood glucose concentrations are decreased, While many of these findings exist for prolonged endurance activity, similar data regarding strength and power events are not widely available.
Adequate carbohydrate intake should attenuate increases in stress hormones, and thereby diminish changes in immune function as well. In a study involving marathon runners, a 6% carbohydrate fluid given before, during, and after 2.5 hours of running attenuated the rise in both cortisol and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratios. Similar findings have also been noted in both cycling and running Furthermore, post-exercise monocytes and lymphocytes were higher in the placebo conditions, with lymphocytes falling from 1.5 to 3 hours post-exercise Further analysis of these results also show an elevated neutrophil! lymphocyte ratio in the placebo conditions for both modes of exercise as well as an increase in NK cell activity. As it may pertain to strength training, eccentric muscle activity is associated with a higher IL-6 response than concentric exercise B9 As with many factors related to exercise, these responses are related to intensity, volume, and duration of exercise. Thus, carbohydrate intake may affect immune parameters as well.
