OK - someone out there please give me some quality advice. You see I’ve come down with a cold, some chest conjestion - the typical cold.
Is it best not to train or just get in the gym and suck it up and bang it out? I want to do what is best for my goals : stay lean, train hard, enjoy training and reap all benefits.
Train, it can’t hurt to train unless you are so sick you can’t get up. It can also make you feel better, it will clear up your conjestion, and help your immune system.
I have to disagree. The general rule, as I understand it, is if it is in your head it is okay to train, if it is in your chest, lay off for a while. I have read that working out with a chest cold actually weakens the immune system which could lead to worsening of your illness and a longer recovery time.
I believe the old saying goes “If the cold is in the head, then get in the gym, but if it is in the chest, stay out and get some rest!”
Probably not a good idea to work out if you’re suffering from any respiratory issues.
I agree. Training while sick will only lower your resistance and may prolong your recovery. Besides the gym is not the cleanest place in teh world and you could possibly give someone else your cold. I say stay home and tank up on fluids and protein.
Never, ever train when ill. End of story. Jeff’s right in saying that training when ill will tax the immune system. It can put such a strain on it that you may take significantly to get better. This is known as post-viral fatigue syndrome and it’s a real fucker to shake off. I train hard and always used to train through colds/coughts etc, but then I got this post-viral fatigue syndrome and I was literally knackered for MONTHS. Not funny. Of course everyone has different levels of immunity and tolerance, but severe fatigue is a significant possibility. Just my 0.02
No fever, no aches and pains, no sore throat—Go For It. Anything resembling the aforementioned rest.
I agree JRR whenever I’ve “toughed it out” with aches and pains and/or fever I’ve made the condition worse. However, I’ve had sore throats with no achiness and felt much better after weight training. I doubt I’d run with a sore throat though.
I’ve always trained with a cold and have found it actually be helpful…take some TheraFlu and work out, that’s just my personal experience. Of course, you have to think about others, will you be spreading your cold to the other people that workout at your gym? I train at home when I’m sick…