Forum menu
wanted to follow a training schedule while I have some time off (unemployed- redundant) but then almost immediately came down with a cold. Decided to lay off the bike but this cold is slow to shift!
Desperate to get out but now at last cold is a little better (still plenty of snot being generated).
Do others train with colds and other minor aliments?
I don't consider a cold to be particularly minor for training purposes. I used to train through colds, and in hindsight it was stupid. Invariably they lasted longer and would cause more coughing and phlegm production.
I now really hold back at the initial signs of a cold, and it seems to help - I seem to get over them much quicker now.
there does seem to be a bug doing the rounds at the moment which takes ages to shift - I've had it a couple of weeks now and it wont shift! tother half is on nearly three weeks!
I don't for 2 reasons,
1) I'm a lazy f****er
2) It just prolongs the cold, especialy in winter. Endurance excercises supress the imune system, so cycling in the cold is doubly bad.
Apparently going to the gym and doing weights is less taxing on the immue system, so I just do that instead. Anecdotaly I find a good hard training session (indoors, in the warmth) in the last days of a cold tends to get rid of it quicker.
if you feel its into the final stages go out and take it very easy.
just get some fresh air into your system
youll almost instantly feel better . do maybe 45 minutes or so
going to the gym and breathing other folks germs to multiply with your own - that sounds just great.
This^ - I pretty much stop the second I feel a cold coming on to let my body deal with it as fast as possible. Saying that, the last cold I had was more just a hint of a head cold and I managed fine and still shifted it quickly, which was nice 🙂 So I think the rule about above the shoulders carry on, below stop holds true, but if I was felling crappy from a head cold I'd still rest up.I now really hold back at the initial signs of a cold, and it seems to help - I seem to get over them much quicker now.
The best advice is:
If it's above the neck, then train.
Below the neck, don't train.
The reason being that you put too much strain on your heart. So... sore throat, and headache and sniffles - go for it.
Chest infection or aches - don't bother, get better and train hard when you recover 🙂
The reason being that you put too much strain on your heart. So... sore throat, and headache and sniffles - go for it.
I always find this leads to symptons getting worse anyway, and more likely to be coughing up phlegm.
Ah, but you see - phlegm suggests you have a cough and chest issues 🙂 So no training for you.
I stop straight away too, but colds take we 3 weeks to clear.
A wee spin once you are getting better seems to help clear it.
Trainings about improving your fitness/performance, init ? Training whilst suffering from a virus is pointless because you will not improve more likely the opposite... Have a rest go with the flow.
I'll volunteer to conduct an experiment for you - Mrs P is just getting over a cold & still has a cough & blocked sinusses. Yesterday I started with a sore throat which is a bit worse today & I'm slowly getting a bit of a runny nose, but it's sunny & the trails are dry so I shall bravely push myself out the door for the afternoon to test whether it makes my symptoms worse or not.
i'll go out with a cold - i asked the same question on here before and MTFu was the general response - but hey worked for me
plus you can make a game of getting rid of the phlegm without covering yourself