Should I proceed as planned

[Hlanderr]

I was just very sick, where I ate maybe 150 calories of whole food daily for about 4 days. I dropped around 7 pounds, and on my bench day today I'm down 40 pounds to my bench... 185 for 7 times... really disgusted me but I was expecting something like that.

What I have been planning to do for the next two months is to build up my cardiovascular strength and endurance and strip some fat. I bought some fat burners as well, Melting Point and Basic Cuts. Both have had good reviews and Nutraplanet has a sale for both of them when bought together (47 dollars).

Should I continue, despite just getting over being sick, with the fat burners? I've already lost a lot of muscle, and I know it's very possible to lose more when on these types of supplements. Do you think I should bulk for a week or two? Or is it safe to jump right back into a 4lift/3run cardio split? I do NOT want to lapse myself back into that flu like cold.... it was terrible... havn't been that sick in over four years.

Any suggestions? Hold off the fat burners? Or does it really not affect it...

 

[Trouble]

You were only sick for four days (the killer flu I've been hearing about, I suppose). Yeah, the one nobody says much about. Pretty high fever, chills and aches, sucks all your energy so just about all your do is sleep. Starts as a seeming cold with sinus congestion, runny nose, and seems to settle into the body zapper flu, short duration, 2-4 days, but intense illness. Fiend of mine commented on another board about this flu. I agree, its more viscious than many milder influenza viruses.

So let's think about this a bit..

You are energy depleted from your rapid but intense illness, so it makes sense to go slow for a few days, make sure you get your rest, eat right, and let yourself recover fullly. I'm a big believer in antioxidants, especially vitamin C. Take your vitamins. Rehydrate yourself.

Instead of jumping right back into gym cardio split, give yousrself a few days of brisk walks, enough to speed up your heart without taxing your energy depleted remaining reserves.

Once you recoup, you should ease back into your routine, and work back up to the resistance loads you were using previous to your illness.

Can you take your fat cutting supps? Sure, but give your body a few days to get its metabolic house in order, storing glycogen, while you get your rest, with the exception of walking. The cortisol, recovery taxing lifting routines should wait just a day a or two, because you got your butt kicked pretty good and the stress of launching right back into your rourtine before you're fully recovered doesn't make much sense, does it?

You might take a look at your program and ask yourself if you have enough rest days built into your long term program. One a month, take a few days off, instead of one or two. Every six months, take a week off. That doesn't mean stop and vegetate on the couch. It means you take brisk walks, hikes, bike rides, walk the dog, play a little little sports, too. Its a break from the heavy anerobic exercise that you want. Gives the CNS a rest and revives enthusiasm for strength training workouts.

Hope this answers your questions.

 

[Hlanderr]

Hey man, I really appreciate this valuable info.

First of all, yeah that flu is something else... if it indeed was a flu.. couple of my buds came down with it too. Really wrecking its way through a campus!

Cool, I will ease my way into the work of things. One of the last things I want right now is to slip back into that same illness.... it's been almost a half decade since I was that sick...................

I'm not sure how I came down with it, but it must have been from one of my friends. I barely lifted last week, when I was on spring break, due to a lack of a membership at my local gym... third day back (two consecutive lifting days) back from spring break I pretty much collapse into my bed...

The rest intervals absolutely make sense, and I fully intend to implement them in different ways every other month, and take a solid week off every 6 for CNS recovery... thank you for you time man