Recovery From Illness

Expert Discussion Recovery and Regeneration
1

I have just recovered from a bacterial infection which has kept me out from training for the last two and a half weeks. Unfortunatley I was nursing a hammy strain before I got sick which means that I havent done a session in nearly a month. Aside from losing the expected flexibilty and speed, I have also lost about 6kg body weight (from 76/77kg to 70/71kg) though I have started to put some back on )

I am due to go back training this week but with the weight and strength losses I have gone through I am wondering if I should take a step back and maybe go back into the gym first while taking a protein supplement or something else that may help prepare me better for the track.

Before the illness, i was lifting about 2 days a week mainly oly lifts and on the track 3 days for speed/speed end. My only supplementation being a good multi-vit.

Would I gain anything from reverting to pre-season weights taking dropping the weight to lower % of 1rm. My first competition is in 3 weeks, i run 100+200m.

Any comments would be great,
Thanks

2

Back off slightly for the rest of the week. You’ll get the surest progression that way. it’s always better to take a modest gain rather than try two steps forward and end up taking another three steps back.

3

The inclination will be to push yourself a little hard, so take it easy.
Your weight will rise a little naturally with fluids etc. as you recover over the next week so don’t over do it.
The freshness you will bring into the race will be of greater benefit than overtraining in the next 2 weeks.

4

I’m guessing you should do more than 2 track sessions a week, but most of them should be tempo.

5

would a 2 week period of lower intensity lifts and 2 light track sessions a week suffice?? Thanks

6

A short period of gen prep will be required to get back to sprint shape.

7

I didn’t have an illness as bad as Dave, but I missed the last 5 days to a rather nasty cold. This works out to 2 missed track/weight sessions and 2 tempo days. This week was supposed to be the middle of my 3-1-3 max strength cycle anyway, so I guess the loss is less than it could have been.

I’m feeling a bit better today, so my plan is to do some tempo tomorrow and see how I react, then try for a track workout and some lifting on Thursday. Do you think I will have any problems trying to push my intensities to the levels I was at prior to the illness or should I simply keep it easy and light for the rest of the week?

no23, does your advice change since I was only out for less than a week?

xlr8

8

Originally posted by Charlie Francis
Back off slightly for the rest of the week. You’ll get the surest progression that way. it’s always better to take a modest gain rather than try two steps forward and end up taking another three steps back.

I was afraid you were going to say that. I hate it when I can’t go all out but I’ll take it easy through Saturday. “Prudence is the better part of valor.”

Thanks!

xlr8

9

I’m just going on past personal experiences Xlr8 - go with Charlies advice over mine.

I found often that on return from injury one is so geared up that you often push yourself very hard in the false perception that you have lost alot of fitness/strength etc.

In some cases you over-do it and your imune system might not be able handle such stresses for more than a few days.

But what happens in most instances is you work so hard right up to the comp. trying to ‘make up’ for sessions missed, that you have no real freshness or energy for the actual performance itself and often feel drained and mentally tired.

Personally, I treat the onset of colds and a weaker immunity to illness etc as signs of overtraining.

one of the best pieces of advice I ever recieved - was treat any injury as an opportunity to return with a new freshness and energy.

It certainly helps turn a negative into a positive - keeping a good postive mind frame coming back to train/or competition.

10

Originally posted by dave100
I have just recovered from a bacterial infection which has kept me out from training for the last two and a half weeks. Unfortunatley I was nursing a hammy strain before I got sick which means that I havent done a session in nearly a month. Aside from losing the expected flexibilty and speed, I have also lost about 6kg body weight (from 76/77kg to 70/71kg) though I have started to put some back on )

I am due to go back training this week but with the weight and strength losses I have gone through I am wondering if I should take a step back and maybe go back into the gym first while taking a protein supplement or something else that may help prepare me better for the track.

Before the illness, i was lifting about 2 days a week mainly oly lifts and on the track 3 days for speed/speed end. My only supplementation being a good multi-vit.

Would I gain anything from reverting to pre-season weights taking dropping the weight to lower % of 1rm. My first competition is in 3 weeks, i run 100+200m.

Any comments would be great,
Thanks

I had more or less the same illness but during a longer time, so i can share my personal experience:
you’ll have to follow a general preparation, for this i did 10 minutes of jogging with 45sec runs 15sec walk, 45sec runs, etc… 3 or 4 days later, i did 15 minutes, then 20 minutes, 25 and 30. The major problem was that i was near to blackouts some times due to the loss of body weight during illness. I had to work your flexbility at last 3 cessions a week 1hours-2hours each. This is very important, and you’ll suprised that those stretching exercises will make your muscles more dynamic; but you have to take it easy because your body is weaker than before, for instance: i had ligaments and muscles problems, as well as spine hurts as i didn’t only lost the few fat mass i had, but also muscles! That’s why i avoided lifting for a while, and did muscles development with a physiotherapist, which i suggest you if you have some “bone” pains. In order to avoid knee pains, i recomend to work intensively your gluteus and fascia lata tensor. I had also pains at the arch of the foot, and i don’t know what i can tell you about it, it hurts bad, but it disappeared with general fitness and recovery. All this are consequences of weight loss and immunodeficiency caused by the bacteries.

The best advice is to be patient, because even if you’ll improve in the next weeks your performances at training with a great margin, it will be for a short time, and you’ll be tired very quick any way. Take it easy, and chose to work light and steady if you have long-term goals.

Also, i don’t know what’s the name of you’re illness, but be cautious during the next mounths as it nearly always catch you twice! (some few bacteries stay in your digestive system even if the analysis find nothing, they are “sleeping” and may wake-up during the following year).

Your 100+200 competition comes maybe too early. I predict you’ll have a unusual smooth start, but will be unable to accelerate after then. 200m… if you’re a masochist! :karate:

11

I appreciate the commments guys. I’m going for my first tempo back today so i’ll let you know how I go. As for the races, i’ll see how traninings goin - but pj will be glad to hear that i’m thinkin twice about the 200!

12

went for tempo yesterday:

200m,100m,200m x3
50m walk between reps and 3mins between sets.

Struggled aerobically and slight soreness today. Stretching proved awkward at best.I think the importance of keeping flexible when injured cannot be stressed enough. I know when I get injured/sick i tend to lose motivation and all components of training seem to fall off. I feel if I had kept up my flexibilty while sick/inj I would be making a more speedy return to competition. As it stands I am some way off race fitness but i’ll keep pluggin away!!