When Sick, Train or No? Simple Rule of Thumb - Q&A #2

Happy Holidays everyone!

And since we're in the middle of sickness season, thought this subject fitting. Enjoy~

Q: No idea what the hell is going on, but I'm sick again. Do you still train when same? Tried today but couldn't come close to my latest numbers.

A: First, define sick. If you have a light cold and simply runny nose, you're good to go. Might not hit any new PRs, but better than sitting on your ass all day watching Netflix.

If anything actually hurts - sore throat, joints - think twice. A sign your body is more than a little inflamed and needs rest, not stress. It's just not worth it.

The sickest I've ever been was after doing HIIT with a sore throat. Bedridden for 3 weeks, more or less. That was in my late teens when I didn't know any better than to push my luck.

But it taught me a valuable rule of thumb I've adhered to since: if anything hurts, stay away. Nuances, of course. If your throat's a bit sore and barely felt, you'll probably be OK. But if you can barely swallow, don't go. And if you're running a fever, definitely no.

Lastly, be mindful of when returning to the gym after sickness. Know how you act and feel a certain way when you're sick? That's part of an evolved response called sickness behaviour which promotes recovery and protects your immune system from further threats. One way is to make you feel tired, hurting and anti-social.

Another way is to make you weaker by down regulating the activity of your central nervous system. Cytokines do this, resulting in that weak and pathetic feeling we get with the flu. All for a good cause, self-preservation in a sense, but not much consolation when you're down in the dumps.

Nevertheless, cytokines have a latent effect on the central nervous system. The practical implication is that you may find yourself a lot weaker than normal upon returning to the gym after being sick. Even though you technically aren't sick anymore, the cytokine-mediated effect on the CNS lingers. So keep in mind and don't freak out - your strength will soon be back.

That's all for today folks. Did you like? Helpful? Let me know in the poll. Thanks to everyone who voted last time. 74.5% loved the previous Q&A so it's a subject I'll be revisiting.

P.S. Q&A might take a break next week, but will be back the week after.