Working out while sick? Your thoughts

**GuanacoJuicer** · 01-27-2018, 07:54 PM

Last two days I felt pretty lethargic from a bad cold I have been battling but still hit the gym. Needless to say my performance suffered during my workouts.

But I figured a bad workout is better than no workout. Do you guys focus on recovering from an illness or just power through?

**MuscleScience** · 01-27-2018, 09:58 PM

Depends on how sick. But think of it this way. A healthy individual only gets sick when their body is ran down and barely keeping up. So why would you add another stressor that runs it down even more?

**Clove1234** · 01-28-2018, 05:21 PM

Agreed with that, just rest

**Tzan** · 01-29-2018, 08:49 PM

Rest 100%. I disagree with a bad workout is better than no workout. The body needs time to rest and this is just amplified when your sick. Rest today and you'll be better tomorrow from it

**ScotchGuard02** · 02-01-2018, 12:55 PM

Just stay at home and rest. I got sick from someone at the gym who came to workout while they were sick. Be courteous to the people at the gym. Don't spread the sickness around.

**AlphaMindz** · 02-02-2018, 12:15 PM

Resistance training puts stress on the immune system so weight training while fighting an infection is going to reduce your body's ability to combat the bacteria of virus in your blood. And ScotchGuard makes a good point as it's quite discourteous to others at the gym to be inthat environment while carrying an active contagion.
But even taking the social implications out of the equation and answering purely based on whether it's a good idea for your overall health, the answer is no.. Lifting while sick will ultimately make it harder for your immune system to recover.
I think a common misconception is that lifting weights strengthens the immune system so training while sick will help you beat the cold/flu. Training does, in fact, strengthen the immune system gradually over time as every time you create am inflammatory response from lifting you create an immune response and over time that process will give you a stronger immune system. However, weakening it more while actively fighting an infection is not a good idea. You may want to go for a walk or do some calisthenics to get some blood in the muscle and get your metabolism going, but I would keep it light and don't push yourself too much.

**BrockBadger** · 02-03-2018, 12:05 AM

Originally Posted by GuanacoJuicer

Last two days I felt pretty lethargic from a bad cold I have been battling but still hit the gym. Needless to say my performance suffered during my workouts.

But I figured a bad workout is better than no workout. Do you guys focus on recovering from an illness or just power through?

for a cold... just power through. Everyone gets sick from a cold no matter how good you take care of yourself. I'm playing coach......suck it up.

**JDToronto** · 02-11-2018, 03:16 PM

Yes, you'll feel guilty for missing a workout while sick, but your body needs to rest when sick and use whatever energy you have to kill the virus. Just take a break, your body is obviously telling you something. Listen to it. And besides, you'll gain more strength from taking break. When I'm sick, I sleep it off and it shortens the duration of the cold etc.

**wellshii** · 02-14-2018, 02:41 PM

Rest. A ton of organic veggies and vitamin C helps. Even though I havn't got sick in years. Due to that really.

**Realgear1226** · 02-24-2018, 10:46 AM

Rest dude. Otherwise you'll end up sicker, longer.

**BuddyGlove1** · 02-24-2018, 10:53 AM

I would rest. No point in putting more stress on the body. Eat good food. Lots of fruits, veggies, lean protein and healthy fats. Maybe some junk foods if you are craving something. Go on a walk if you need to do something and get some sun. Sometimes the body needs rest.

**R2D1** · 03-03-2018, 11:47 AM

Is it ok to continue with cycle even if unable to train for a week or more? I don't get the flu often, but when I do I'm usually out for 2 weeks.

**boredtodeath320** · 03-03-2018, 12:20 PM

Originally Posted by R2D1

Is it ok to continue with cycle even if unable to train for a week or more? I don't get the flu often, but when I do I'm usually out for 2 weeks.

Yeah it should be just fine. I got the flu at the peak of my last cycle so I was stuck at home no gym. I just backed off my test p to about 30mg a day, still roughly 5 times higher than natural, and just slept it off. Was a great cycle overall

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