When to Return to Training After Being Sick

When and How to Return to Training After Being Sick

Gym bros might tell you to never take time off from the gym, but that’s not the best way to maintain your health and gains. As a 24/7 gym, we will be here for you when you get better.

I’ve been laid up sick for the last couple of weeks.  This has afforded me plenty of time to think.  What I’ve been thinking about, other than wondering when I’ll be able to get back into the gym, is how and when one should get back to training after an extended layoff due to illness.  Obviously, if you have been ill, you should consult with a health care provider before resuming any exercise routine, and you should not be back in the gym until you are no longer contagious. 

If your layoff has been a couple of weeks or less, you ought to be able to get right back into your program in relatively short order.  This assumes, of course, that you have fully recovered from your illness.  On your first trip back into the gym, have reasonable expectations for yourself, given the toll that the disease may have had on you physically.   Your first trip back to the gym will be a test of your body’s strength after the illness has taken its toll.  Plan to have a shorter workout than you did before you were sick or hurt.  A slower pace is less likely to make you feel worse or cause any symptoms to reappear.  If you begin to feel symptoms reappear during your workout, do not hesitate to cut your workout short or ease off the intensity.  Also, you should plan to take the next day off from the gym to ensure proper recovery. 

One’s cardiorespiratory output takes the most immediate hit during a long bout with illness.  Many experts assert that one’s cardiorespiratory output can decrease by as much as 30 percent in as little as two weeks of being sick.  So you will need to be patient with yourself as you ease back into your normal routines.  A good rule of thumb is to give yourself 2-3 days of reduced exercise intensity for every day you were sick.  So if you were sick for five days, you should take 10 to 15 days to build back up to your previous workout intensity. 

You can start with a low-intensity workout that lasts 30 minutes, then increase the time by 10 minutes a day for the first week.  You can then increase the intensity of each workout.  While paying close attention to the messages, your body is sending you.  Remember that fitness is a marathon and not a sprint.  You don’t want to rush back into full-intensity workouts and risk getting sick again or injuring yourself. 

The main point is to ease your way back into your normal levels of intensity and time.  Being sick takes a toll on your body and you need to respect that.  Return to normal activity levels as quickly as you can safely do so. 

See you in the gym,

Rob Campbell