Hey guys, I'd like to the opinions on training when you are sick with a common virus. I know I really am stupid when it comes to martial arts so cut me some slack if it sounds dumb. Should I just suck it up and train? Will this make it worse? Should I stop training completely for a few days? Sorry if this topic has come up already but I couldn't find it on the web site.
In some cases it's alright to train when you're sick, but not under the following conditions: 1) No classes where you can make others sick. 2) Not if you're vomitting. That might not work out well. 3) Not if the illness has gone to your lungs. You'll get out of breath faster, and just make it worse. I've had a nasty little cold for the last week or so, but I've kept training. I haven't noticed either thing affecting the other, so it worked ok for me. All depends on how sick you are, your symptoms, and where you're training.
Bad, bad, bad, antisocial idea. All the styles I have ever done inevitably involve swapping sweat and occasionally snot or blood. Your dojo mates, especially those whom you get sick, will resent you. Stay home, drink lots of fluids, and get lots of sleep so you can get back to healthy practicing as quickly as possible.
^^^ Especially considering that you may not know who among them has a compromised immune system. (not necessarily from a contagious cause, either).
Yeah, you don't want to go spreading that round. You'll probably be fine if you trained, but flu can be very nasty for someone with asthma or similar if someone in your class had it.
eh, any training while sick is bad. when you put your body through stress, whether its cardio, weights, etc. actually kills white blood cells! thats one reason why people who overtrain are more prone to sickness. now, if i were you i'd just completely lay off for a few days. also, what happens with me when i try to do stuff while sick, is i get exhausted quickly, which leads to sloppy form, and most of my stuff is in the weightroom, so sloppy form=possible serious injury. and if its anything thats in your nose or sinuses, i'd say def not until you get it cleared up cuz if its in there you won't be gettin as much oxygen to your muscles, heart, or brain, which can be bad. but considering this is like 2 weeks after the post, you should be good to go!
Rest and recover dude,you could only make yourelf worse,use the time to read up on your martial art technique,history etc
Everyone has the right idea here but what is the reality in your place of training? Most of us train with colds/flu etc. and I guess having trained with this group of people for a while it is no excuse not to train. In fact the guys I know will just shrug when I apologise before I train with a cold, they're all quite happy that their immune system can take it. If am particularly contagious I'll do solo training and not change up the frequency or intensity of my workouts. Yes, I've been called stupid.
all of us have trained sick. i've gone through heavy workouts with a flu or cold. it was tough, but alot of people don't stop going through life when they are sick, and for most here, training is life...i know thats how i was when i used to do weight training. i've since gotten smarter about training. its still life, but i don't overtrain or train when i'm sick like i've used to.
Being sick has been said to be a way of cleansing, of burning up old toxins. Why not take some time to explore the yin aspects of yang training methods: meditation, and self reflection? All things need time to grow through different phases of life. Consider the possibility that the training you have done so far may need some time to take root and is busy clearing a new path for you. Even God took a day off to enjoy what had been accomplished; why not you?
If it is not safe to do intensive training, the you should strech alot (not randomly, perhaps only the upper body), drink fluids etc depending on the disease.
I don't get sick very often. 1 or 2 times a year. When I do get sick, I get SICK, and I couldn't train if I wanted to, which I don't, because I feel like a big glass of ass pudding.
Good advice couldnt agree with you more!, Well i still believe in keeping fit spiritually/physically, Exercise/sport/martial art mostly has a positive and considerable impact on health which is great. I have been running alot lately and felt a bit sick in the gut, still went for a hard-run and when i finished and got back home i felt less-sick and better mind/body. I'm a firm believer in the spirituallity and power of the mind before the physical stuff :
I never got sick, yea right... well probably because I were sick but ignored it sub-consciously... But I could imagine myself still go for a bike ride or something solo.
I agree.. any kind of outside stress to the body while ill is a bad idea. The body is already under a lot of stress from the illness itself. It'll just take longer to fully recover if you don't rest. Strangely enough, the same question came up in my class a few months ago. My instructor said when he gets sick or injured he "babies" himself and makes getting well his top priority. He rarely gets ill, but when he does he recouperates pretty quickly. Just my four cents
Firstly, I don't agree with sparing when you're ill. This is a tough question and its relevant to everyone. Theres a lot of factors that need to be taken into consideration, for example .how important is training to you right now? (have you got a tournament or fight coming) .how do your muscles feel? (if at all) .does your cardio feel heavy? .and most importantly, state of mind. If you force yourself to work out when your body cant, or when you're not concentrating, you'll end up hurting yourself, or prolonging the sickness. The best thing iv found to do is just take it very slow. I find i can't make the same gains from training when I'm ill so i just concentrate on preservation. I usually manage a jog or some light bag work that keeps deterioration to a minimum. But i think the most important thing is to experiment so as not to jump into a workout you cant handle. This is all just my opinion though.
Like everyone else that's replied don't train as you can cause yourself problems if you get injured. Remember if you are spreading germs then it won't be good business sense for the instructor to have you in class, even though he might be having your money. He'll only get his own back once your fit again as you might be making others ill and you don't want to do that do you lol. Instructors can come up with some really bad ideas for revenge, if you know what I mean lol. lisa
