Do you work out when you are sick?

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2

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  • nordlead2005
    nordlead2005 Posts: 1,303 Member
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    For the flu, do not go to the gym. You are just going to get everyone else sick. In general if you are sick you should avoid the gym and workout at home instead.

    As for me, I exercise at home, so I will work out unless I'm really sick. If I feel week, I'd take time off, if I just have a stuffy nose, lift away.
  • ragenhay1
    ragenhay1 Posts: 158 Member
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    I had the same question last week but mine is just a cold. I felt it coming on Thursday night. Went to my class Friday morning but it sucked and I could not keep up. I usually take the weekends off and now I have taken Monday and Tuesday off. I will go back when I'm better. No point in prolonging illness for a half energy workout
  • jessiefrancine
    jessiefrancine Posts: 271 Member
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    Came down with a really crappy cold over the weekend - terrible sleep, congested, sore throat, lungs feel icky and soooo exhausted. But I had planned to lift on Sunday, and because I think I'm a badass I decided to tough it out and do it anyway. Bad move. I got to the end of my first set of squats and got stuck at the bottom of the last rep. I could not lift myself back up. So there I was, trying to extricate myself from over 100 pounds of metal alone in my basement without injuring myself in the process.

    Lesson learned. I'll be resting until I'm better.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
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    If you must, exercise at home or outside. Nobody at the gym wants to share your cold.
  • gaelicstorm26
    gaelicstorm26 Posts: 589 Member
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    If you have the flu you are most likely not capable of exercising. The flu usually comes with fever, aches, and significant URI symptoms. You need rest.

    If I have a cold or something I still workout, but I hit the streets for a walk/run rather than hitting the gym.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    when you're sick, rest is kind of important to getting over whatever is ailing you...your body is already working overtime to fix you...why would you go put additional stress on your body when it's already working overtime?

    a little common sense goes a long way here...a little case of the sniffles is one thing...but seriously, the flu?
  • giantrobot_powerlifting
    giantrobot_powerlifting Posts: 2,598 Member
    edited October 2015
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    Last time I was sick enough to stay in bed I trained squats that day.

    Bad news: I puked 3 times.
    Good news: It was a PR.
  • Fitwarrior7_Round_2
    Fitwarrior7_Round_2 Posts: 453 Member
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    Usually I try to workout to avoid getting sick. But yes, I also workout while sick. I find the sauna especially helpful to try and sweat colds out.
  • _Bropollo_
    _Bropollo_ Posts: 168 Member
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    Depends on what I am sick with, but if I do I take it easy and deload my lifts and cut my training volume. Goal is just not to backslide too hard but also not make the illness worse.
  • kuroshii
    kuroshii Posts: 168 Member
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    The rule of thumb I've heard (which I use) is if your symptoms are all "above the neck" then it's OK, but if you have symptoms below the neck i.e. chest congestion or fever then don't do anything strenuous.
    Not to mention that if you have a fever you may be contagious so DON'T go to the gym! I know if there was a sneezy person at the machine next to me I'd get upset, I don't want their germs.
  • hamlet1222
    hamlet1222 Posts: 459 Member
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    Got a cold myself now, I didn't feel quite right in Sunday but went ahead and did my full body weights routine anyway - I'm wondering now if it's what pushed me over the edge - would my immune system have brushed it off if I hadn't done that workout? Impossible to know, but I definitely won't do weights again unless I feel 100%. As for exercising when sick - I don't think there's anything to gain from it, but lots to lose. Take the time you need to recover
  • kwitherspoon19
    kwitherspoon19 Posts: 68 Member
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    cdudley628 wrote: »
    ToM to me isn't being "sick." Sure you might not feel well, but exercise usually helps relieve my cramps and take my mind off of being miserable.

    Definitely agree on this, I feel awful if I don't exercise during ToM
  • RobynLB83
    RobynLB83 Posts: 626 Member
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    Yes... And apparently I've had pneumonia for over a month now...
  • MarlyIc1
    MarlyIc1 Posts: 39 Member
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    No way, putting extra stress on your already fragile immune system won't do you good. Your body won't be able to utilise your workout properly because it is fighting and focusing to get you better, so its like torturing yourself for nothing. Same goes when you have alcohol in your system, your body works overtime to get the toxins out, workout benefits during this time would be minimal if any.
  • WingardiumLeviosa91
    WingardiumLeviosa91 Posts: 296 Member
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    Thanks everybody. I was way too weak to workout anyway, couldn't leave bed for 4 days. I also missed a quiz because I couldn't even go to school. I shouldn't feel guilty then for not working out for some time.
  • kuroshii
    kuroshii Posts: 168 Member
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    Yikes! Yeah, your body did a good enough job of telling you NO WORKOUT TODAY there while it fought whatever it is. Hope you're at least on the mend now. Also hope you can make up that quiz somehow. Feel better soon!
  • GETU1N
    GETU1N Posts: 1,811 Member
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    Every Damn Day!!!
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
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    mccindy72 wrote: »
    Any time you have a respiratory illness, you must not exercise. It is too taxing on your body to try to provide enough oxygen for you when your respiratory system is compromised, and to ask it to do more is dangerous.

    This!

    OP, take care of yourself and toss the guilt.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
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    I work out on time of month and through exhaustion and feeling terrible because I have a chronic illness and hardly ever feel well. Wouldn't go to the gym with a contagious illness or anything like that. I hope you don't as i am on 2 immunosuppressants for an autoimmune disorder and can pick up bugs very easily and become very ill.
  • eboniivoried
    eboniivoried Posts: 34 Member
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    For light colds and congestion, I'd still work out even though my workout will be affected (better to do something than nothing!). However, I'd take it easy if I had the flu or something else really nasty.

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