Lifting When Ill and Nutrition

I’m keeping this article in mind.

http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=600264&pageNo=0

I have had bronchitis for over a week now and have been lifting. I did squats yesterday and thought it was going to end my life. I’m going to take a break until my meds run out.

My question to all is, what if anything, are you doing to adjust your diets in the non-lifting times during illnesses?

You missed something important from that article:

If your symptoms are below the neck, forget about intense strength training.

Lay off the intense stuff for a bit. Oh, and make sure to eat enough… all I remember from bronchitis is the constant throwing up from any food whatsoever… if you can train I guess it isn’t that bad…

But still… respiratory tract - don’t mess with it. Relax for a bit and treat it like a deload.

Bronchitis is such a bitch. I get it almost every year. Last year I wound up in the ER because I couldn’t find a damn inhaler. You just have to take the week off. It’s not the end of the world.

I kind of depends how you get sick. I am also currently ill and have taken several days off from training. However, I believe I was getting to the point of being over trained and thus my CNS was maxed out and this made me even more likely to catch something which I did.

No one should be afraid of a week off. More often than not it will be a good thing

[quote]Houshin Akai wrote:
You missed something important from that article:

If your symptoms are below the neck, forget about intense strength training.

Lay off the intense stuff for a bit. Oh, and make sure to eat enough… all I remember from bronchitis is the constant throwing up from any food whatsoever… if you can train I guess it isn’t that bad…

But still… respiratory tract - don’t mess with it. Relax for a bit and treat it like a deload.[/quote]

Right. Somet things you can train through, and if you’re serious-especially if you have athletic goals and you train mostly to complement though-you should train through. No one should train through bronchitis. You’ll just be sicker longer and have bad workouts. Training through serious illness can be worse than useless.

That said…I did run in a championship track meet [States] one year right after a bout with pneumonia. I think I’ve also played a big soccer game or two while very ill. But unless you’ve got a team counting on you, take a rest.

I echo the “depends on how bad it is” theory. I typically train through anything, I just adjust my intensity and duration depending on how I feel. Given I’m not a pro or have any athletic necessity to train, I have the luxury of varying to my heart’s content.

Regardless- the last thing you want to do is to start creating a list of excuses not to train. Some are valid, sure, but those are apparent. If you cannot stand up straight without getting dizzy or vomiting- don’t train. If you have a runny nose- train.

[quote]MaloVerde wrote:
I’m keeping this article in mind.

http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=600264&pageNo=0

I have had bronchitis for over a week now and have been lifting. I did squats yesterday and thought it was going to end my life. I’m going to take a break until my meds run out.

My question to all is, what if anything, are you doing to adjust your diets in the non-lifting times during illnesses?[/quote]

I add extra vitamin C (2-3 grams), add in l-glutamine (around 20-40 grams), and take extra whey protein instead of Metabolic Drive. Whey and l-glutmatine are immunity enhancers.

[quote]Houshin Akai wrote:
You missed something important from that article:

If your symptoms are below the neck, forget about intense strength training.[/quote]

I’ve had great workouts when sick, so basing what you do on some article is sort of silly.

I don’t train when sick, however, because I train at a gym. It’s irresponsible and immoral to bring germs and other viruses into a public forum and risk infecting others.

[quote]CaliforniaLaw wrote:
MaloVerde wrote:
I’m keeping this article in mind.

http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=600264&pageNo=0

I have had bronchitis for over a week now and have been lifting. I did squats yesterday and thought it was going to end my life. I’m going to take a break until my meds run out.

My question to all is, what if anything, are you doing to adjust your diets in the non-lifting times during illnesses?

I add extra vitamin C (2-3 grams), add in l-glutamine (around 20-40 grams), and take extra whey protein instead of Metabolic Drive. Whey and l-glutmatine are immunity enhancers.[/quote]

True. Vitamin C usually works for me. I currently have a cold, so im taking 1gram with each meal

[quote]Houshin Akai wrote:
You missed something important from that article:

If your symptoms are below the neck, forget about intense strength training.

Lay off the intense stuff for a bit. Oh, and make sure to eat enough… all I remember from bronchitis is the constant throwing up from any food whatsoever… if you can train I guess it isn’t that bad…

But still… respiratory tract - don’t mess with it. Relax for a bit and treat it like a deload.[/quote]

I searched for the article after I felt like shit from lifting. I haven’t been throwing up, but until I got some Tussen in me, I wasn’t sleeping at all.

[quote]wfifer wrote:
Bronchitis is such a bitch. I get it almost every year. Last year I wound up in the ER because I couldn’t find a damn inhaler. You just have to take the week off. It’s not the end of the world. [/quote]

Bronchitis IS a bitch. I get it almost every year also. It usually starts with a wicked head cold and then works its way down.

Usually I wouldn’t have a problem with taking a week off, but I’m out of town all next week on business. I guess it’ll be a two week restoration period.

Thanks for the responses. I’m sure my immune system is shitty right now due to all the traveling I’ve done this year. (At least once a month and it isn’t slowing down.)

After my last trip I was introduced to “Airborne”. Chock full of vitamen C and other herbs to help boost the immune system when traveling or just feeling like shit.