Recovering from sickness, what to do?

[Nate K]

I had strep throat; got a shot and started feeling better. Before I recovered I caught a cold and am just now getting over it. I worked out today after a week off from being sick.
Pre sick Power chest day - 4x3- 2x205, 1x200, 1x195

TODAY - 4x3 - 1x195, 1x190, 1x185

I have lost some strength

I was on a cut before I got sick so I guess it helped speed the fat loss in a bad way. I want to continue cutting for about 10 more days....but I'm not sure if I should. Since I have been off creatine for a while and I was thinking about buying some today to help boost the strength while staying on the cut.
I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO.

 

[Hlanderr]

dont worry about it
when you are sick, the workouts are dramatically down.... happens

youll be back to benching the same weight you were doing in your next session..... and if not that one then definetly the next one...

 

[Nate K]

NICE. I don't normally get sick but luckily I recoverd quickly thanks the bodybuilding habits. Being sick got me depressed but it really make you appreciate a sense of wellness.

 

[rgrmike74]

good thread im in the same situation ..

 

[Nate K]

Yeah, I agree. Everyone who has good input should respond to the genius thread.

 

[CowPimp]

Setbacks are a part of all training careers. A week of sickness and 10-15 pounds off your bench are minor. You will regain that lost strength in a couple of weeks most likely.

 

[Hlanderr]

im sure your taking vitamins to make sure it clears as quickly as possible...

also maybe throw in a small stimulant if you feel that you are still being bogged down a bit.... maybe a small cup of coffee (if you like that stuff) or something to help bring back the normal lifts

regarding your creatine though.... dont jump back onto it ONLY because of this.... after you get your strength back reconsider it cause a week off isn't that big of a deal to switch supplements.... but of course its your call
and also, as you probably know already, to get the ethyl ester creatine to prevent bloat (not a big deal but it could be to you since you are leaning out)

 

[Nate K]

RIght on.
I recently got some Opti-men multivitamins, I'm know their better than the Centrum Performance crap I was taking before.
I have a supp. with caffine that will helps with intensity.
Hopefully I'll be back to normal strength soon.

 

[Emma-Leigh]

Firstly - DO NOT diet when you are sick. It is stupid and will only serve to worsen your illness and prolong your recovery...

Secondly - you should also be very careful working out when sick. Especially when you have strep throat! Sure, if it is a mild runny nose then you should be fine to do a light session (and it can actually be helpful to do a mild workout such as moderate cardio) but anything serious (especially anything bacterial) or anything where you have 'symptoms below the throat' (eg: coughing) means you should not be working out! There are concequences that can be pretty nasty as a result of desemination of the bacteria into your blood.


But yes, your strength will be down because you were sick - 1 week of not eating, loss of glycogen and exhaustion from your body fighting off the infection will all contribute to less strength.

If I were you, I would come back up and eat at maintainece for ~1 week to allow yourself to recover fully. It will not only allow your immune system to fight off the remainder of the problem, but it will also restore your glycogen levels a little (which will help boost your strength back up).

Things that you can take to assist in your recovery are Vit C and Zinc (both of these, although they do not stop you from getting a cold, will help your immune system to fight it off, so the decrease the length and severity of it) as well as high doses of glutamine (this is one of the rare incidences where glutamine is actually useful).

I would also not recommend creatine. It is not going to be useful in aiding recovery, but it is also not all that useful when cutting (although some people use it to try to keep their strength up, in the face of lower carbs and a calorie deficiency it is not all that useful)... plus it can actually hinder fat loss (what it does is it shifts cellular energy use away from fats and towards carbs, so at any given time your body has less 'fat burning' occuring and more glucose burning occuring).

 

[Hlanderr]

its amazing how much you know emma! bravo....

 

[Nate K]

I did not work out while I was sick, I got a shot for the strep and it went away, then i got a cold. I feel good today.

 

[Nate K]

Thank you the good info. on creatine, and reccomendations

 

[Nick+]

Thank you the good info. on creatine, and reccomendations

Stay off the creatine for a while.......(My opinion)
I don't know for how long maybe a month.......

My opinion,

Nick

 

[Hlanderr]

my opinion - eat food, fuck bitches, drink beer
nuf said

 

[Hlanderr]

hahahaha