I realise this will mostly be relevant to folk on here who are training relatively hard, but it’s interesting, potentially very useful stuff from a recent UCI newsletter. I’ve cut and pasted the most relevant bit here, but there’s a full link at the bottom.

If you’re wondering about reducing intensity, fuelling, impacts on the immune system etc, it’s quite handy. The bit about fuelling during training for example, is something you may not have considered in this context. Anyway, hope it’s useful for some:

Physical training while minimising the susceptibility to infection

The effectiveness of the immune system against viruses is significantly affected after high intensity training sessions, in comparison to a normal training programme.

The training programme should be revised downwards, with a reduction in the workload of approximately 10-15%. As the workload depends on the intensity and duration of the exercises, the main emphasis will be on reducing the duration of the sessions, keeping the same intensity (above all without increasing it). For more specific, intense and relatively short sessions (HIIT – High Intensity Interval Training), the intensity of each exercise will be reduced by 10-15%.

In this period of emergency services overload in hospitals, and the risk of infection in healthcare facilities, prevention of the risk of crash is fundamental. Therefore in countries where confinement is not compulsory or for riders who are not self-isolated, training at home is highly recommended.

Appropriate nutrition to maintain an effective immune system

The composition of the diet and timing of food intake may also help provide protection against infections. The most effective nutritional strategies to maintain robust immune function during physical training are to ingest carbohydrate during exercise, protein after training sessions, and avoid deficiencies of essential micronutrients.

Carbohydrate ingestion (~30-60 g/h) during prolonged training sessions reduces the impact of metabolic stress on several aspects of immune function. During periods at risk of infection, training sessions performed in a fasting or with low-glycogen stores and without carbohydrate ingestion during exercise should be avoided.

Regular protein ingestion in meals throughout the day (~1.2-1.6 g/kg.day) and adequate protein intake soon after training sessions (~20-30 g) is required to attenuate some aspects of post-exercise immune depression and maintain normal immune function.
Given the potential role of vitamin D in regulating immune responses, monitoring the vitamin D status is important for athletes.

Consider including a variety of fruits and vegetables in your regular diet. Red fruits and vegetables (tomatoes, strawberries, cherries, pink grapefruit, etc.), greens (broccoli, cabbage, etc.), purple and blue fruits and vegetables (grapes, blackcurrants, plums, eggplants, etc.), yellow fruits and vegetables (apricots, pineapple, mango, grapefruit, peppers, etc.) are excellent vectors of antioxidant micronutrients such as vitamins A, C and E.

Does sportswear help spread the virus?

The risk of transmitting the new coronavirus from surfaces like clothing is a matter of debate. There is no direct measure of the stability of the new coronavirus on clothing. However, it seems that enveloped viruses, like the new coronavirus, are less stable on porous surfaces like cloth than on non-porous surfaces like plastic, paper and metals.

However, it is advisable to disinfect the clothes used during training, wash them in hot water and use a tumble dryer at high temperature.

Prevent the risk of viral myocarditis

Elite athletes may have an increased risk for viral infection and subsequent myocarditis. In athletes affected by myocarditis, the systemic inflammatory response is associated with an increased risk of sudden cardiac death.

The first step in preventing the risk of viral myocarditis in athlete is to abstain from intense training sessions in the event of fever, or within 8 days following a flu (fever, chills, myalgia, rhinitis, etc.). In the event of any suspected clinical sign of Covid-19 (i.e. fever, fatigue, dry cough), rest is absolutely imperative, and any intense physical exercise is strictly discouraged.

https://mailchi.mp/uci/uci-newsletter-special-edition-coronavirus-2-march-2020-ja61fseeyi

Carbohydrate ingestion (~30-60 g/h) during prolonged training sessions reduces the impact of metabolic stress on several aspects of immune function. During periods at risk of infection, training sessions performed in a fasting or with low-glycogen stores and without carbohydrate ingestion during exercise should be avoided.

Rats. I wasn’t seriously training (still in rehab post-surgery) but was doing lots of Z2 just to get strength back up. Short (1hr) rides most mornings mainly. I’d stopped trying to lose weight to regain my pre-injury weight, as going around half-starved didn’t really seem like a sensible plan right now!

Was still riding fasted though, just because I like to get out early-early and having breakfast + waiting to digest was a pain. Maybe a wee orange or banana with my coffee wouldn’t hurt.

Maybe a wee orange

I’ve heard of a blood orange… 🤔

Makes a lot of sense. I don’t “train” by any stretch, but I’ve kept rides shorter and easier, both to reduce risk of crashing and also any stress on my cardiovascular system, seems daft to reduce my body’s ability to fight bugs at this time

I liked it because it put some level of objectivity on things like reducing intensity and fuelling. Bear in mind it’s primarily aimed at elite athletes, but will equally be relevant to anyone who’s training hard in a structured sort of way.

Anyway, hopefully it’ll be useful for some on here, which is a bit of a UCI first 😉

How does this translate to punters like me? Is it basically saying a) don’t go out on an empty stomach and b) if you have a HR monitor then keep yourself at <85%? i.e, stay out of zone 5?

@crimsondynamo – pretty much. I wouldn’t even go into Z4 HR. Generally ride at a level that you can hold a conversation.

I have been riding fasted, mainly because I’ve been setting off around 6.30am and don’t like eating before riding. Might have to get up a bit earlier and have a small breakfast before heading out.

I wouldn’t even go into Z4 HR

i could have done with reading that before the STW group ride on Zwift this morning – spent most of it clinging on at Z5 😉

Since my original post, I’ve seen the short paper behind the UCI advice. I’m not going to cut and paste the whole thing, but there were a couple of interesting extra points regarding training / exercise and the immune system:

In particular:

‘There is now a large body of evidence to suggest that regular bouts of short-lasting (i.e. up to 45 minutes) moderate intensity exercises are ‘immunoenhancing’, whereas repeated bouts of long-lasting (>2 h) arduous intensity exercises can be ‘immunosuppressive’

It also includes the advice on fuelling during rides being important to maintain the immune system response.

I’m not a sports scientist and I can’t vouch for the validity of the sources the UCI have used, but you’d hope they’d have some idea of what they’re talking about and it is extensively referenced.

I guess I could copy and paste the whole thing if people are interested, but the bit above is the stand-out take-away which jumped out at me and probably what’s likely to be most useful I think.

Hope that’s of use to some folk on here.

Interesting that BWD.

I’m in the midst of a Trainerroad plan but feeling a bit under the weather ATM (common or garden sniffles) so have pushed this week’s workouts back to next week. The plan originally had me doing a VO2max workout so I was going to do one of their steady state endurance workouts instead but I will now have a look at a shorter threshold interval one instead.

Given the amount of multilaterally opinionated and pious bollocks on the other thread, I think this place could probably use a sticky thread (closed to posters outside the STW team) quoting the bit that basically says “under an hour of moderate exercise is good for the immune system whereas a load of intensive training probably isn’t, because facts”, along with any other stuff that’s both relevant and factual.

Glad you posted this BWD, I have just come off the zwift 12 week build me up plan and was considering doing it again with my new FTP, but it was quite tiring at times (especially as I’m 54 years old and don’t recover like I used to) so I think sticking with the 1/2 -1hr sessions and maybe even dropping 1 or two of those off mid-week may be the best plan, until all this blows over.

I think you mentioned this in the Zwift training plan post, plus there is always the ability to drop the bias on the Zwift plan down by 10%.

Looks like ‘Emily and Johns short mix’ Zwift sessions may get some hammer over the next few weeks rather than a full on training plan, especially given you last post.

‘There is now a large body of evidence to suggest that regular bouts of short-lasting (i.e. up to 45 minutes) moderate intensity exercises are ‘immunoenhancing’, whereas repeated bouts of long-lasting (>2 h) arduous intensity exercises can be ‘immunosuppressive’

Wasn’t there a study that debunked the whole exercise knackers your immune system… I’ll try my Google-fu to see if I can find it.

Edit …

Here we go

https://www.bath.ac.uk/announcements/research-debunks-myth-that-strenuous-exercise-suppresses-the-immune-system/

https://researchportal.bath.ac.uk/en/publications/debunking-the-myth-of-exercise-induced-immune-suppression-redefin

The way academic research and sports science in particular is, there’s usually an article arguing anything you want to argue. It’s part of the way UK academia seems to work. I’m not saying this is definitely correct or saying that people should / must / ought to believe it, but it from the UCI and at least worth considering.

If anyone wants to see the detailed doc, feel free to drop me a message with your e-mail address and I’ll bang it over. I’m not a sports scientist, I just happen to have the odd contact in the pro cycling world, one of whom thought it could have wider relevance. I’m not sure this adds a huge amount to the mail-out I linked to above, but it’s more detailed and references its sources too.

Edit: I think the gist of it is not that endurance sport per se weakens the immune system, but that the specific impact depends on intensity, duration, fuelling and other factors, so it can both weaken or strengthen it depending on specifics. I’ve seen a study referenced a few times suggesting that regular cyclists in their 50s have an immune system equivalent to a much younger person, though I’ve not see the original work.

regular cyclists in their 50s have an immune system equivalent to a much younger person,

I bloody hope so (fingers crossed)

Slightly different take on the role of exercise , this time in improving the outcome from contracting the virus .

People should prepare to fight coronavirus like they would prepare for surgery by staying fit and healthy, say medics.

Experts at the Centre for Perioperative Care (CPOC) say a healthy diet will reduce the risk of becoming severely ill with the virus.

They say people should exercise, have alcohol-free days and quit smoking.

Such measures could make it less likely they’d be admitted to intensive care, says CPOC.

Its deputy director Scarlett McNally, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon, said there has been “a lot of very important advice” on how to cut the risk of becoming infected.

But there was “little on the importance of preparing in case the virus is contracted”, she added.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52076856

I bloody hope so (fingers crossed)

It’s interesting. We don’t really seem to know much about how the virus plays with fit people / regular exercisers and what we do is extrapolated from more general stuff about immunity and viruses. What’s quite interesting is that quite a few keen cyclists/athletes are likely to have data that might potentially be useful. Also you wonder if lung efficiency could be important given how COVID-19 works. Fingers also crossed 🙂

This from the above link:

Experts in China, where the virus originated, “found less fit people with medical conditions were five times more likely to have a worse outcome from Covid-19; and smokers three times more likely to have this result”, she added.

I also read somewthing that around 70% of people admitted to hospital with COVID in the UK fell into the overweight / obese / clinically obese category. Then again that’s in proportion to the UK population as a whole. I’ll see if I can find the article / source.