Should You Train When Sick? (A Scientific Perspective)

In this video I outline what the scientific literature has to say about training when sick.

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Scientific References:

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This video was edited by Jeff Nippard using Final Cut Pro X

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I'm 5'5, 173 lbs

[jacktownend]

Anyone else in bed with a blocked nose and coughing watching this?

[ervinb]

Yes, eliminate the competition, biological warfare

[fakiefanboy]

Today is deadlift day, but I'm suffering from chronic diahrea. Should I go for it? Thanks Jeff. Also, loving the editing.

[DastardlyInfallible]

I am in remission from cancer which took a massive toll on my immune system. I ended up cancelling my gym membership because I was getting sick so frequently from people who just didn't want to miss a day because they were ill. I loved the common courtesy bit! You rock Jeff

[hungryowl]

Personally I don't want my body distracted with repairing muscle when it needs to be focused on an invader. I want it's energy focused on the most important task at any given time.

[Retardino]

Been sick for a week, no energy and no strength. I want to get back at the gym ASAP cause I was making big progress lately. (Edit: after this comment I recovered quickly, we back grinding boisss)

[trumantwitchell]

this made me feel a lot better, being sick on christmas and being away from the gym really can suck, appreciate the help🤝thanks jeff

[DevramAbyss]

Currently dealing with a cold so this was perfect timing. Thanks, Jeff!

[RyanH]

How many times did Jeff have to hit the fake plant. Was it because it wasn’t natural?

[Mjustice]

This was the absolute perfect video man. It is good to find out the scientific results . I was sick for almost a month .. finally better, but definitely with the information provided. Personally for me health for me is number one . I been working out since I was 10 and 31 now so i think I am good . Lol I actually did train while sick a while ago, and I actually got worst. It definitely played apart in my decision to not train when being sick as well . Also not only did I get worst, but I couldn’t give my all in my workout due to me being sick which affects your workout. Food also plays a key part . I mean all I was consuming was tea and soup.. and of course your not getting your full macros needed. In my opinion, I say focus on getting better before training . The weights will be waiting for you when you are better .

[matti]

Important and informative video. If you have a runny nose or feel slightly under the weather, sure you can train but you should really feel out how intense you want to train and how you feel. When having a fever or a proper cold you should never train in my opinion and in my experience. I learned from my own mistake training when having a cold, which caused a minor myocarditis (that being said I did train with high intensity stupidly enough). This is purely anecdotal as well - my mom who is a nurse told me several stories of young men who had come in to the emergency room due to training hard while being sick and in some of the cases the individual actually died. It's definitely no joke and you should always be really careful. If you're proper sick working out will also just prolong the recovery period in most cases.

[yunfeishao]

I once trained when I was sick, it got even worse.

[artoffalconry]

I look at it this way. I get tired bad when I’m sick. Tired makes me have bad form. I take a week off to recover vs seriously injuring myself and being out for months or more. Relax and spend time doing something else and come back hard.

[KingPrawn]

I've had days where I didn't feel great but once I got in the gym I had an absolutely amazing workout...sometimes it instantly made me feel better too.

[makupaku]

Hi Jeff. Great fan of you're work. Informative and well presented. Would you care to ever talk about exercises dedicated to injury prevention for joints like shoulders, and knees? I know it probably won't be as popular as videos that help ppl get dem gainz. But maybe a topic to consider for your future videos.

[a.chanuser]

Jeff Nippard it’s awesome that you hit this topic I am not much the kind to comment on your videos. I love your content. I have trained under plenty of sicknesses that you have mentioned in the course of 9 months it didn’t completely shake off my illnesses but it gave me an edge to subduing the sickness temporarily. When you feel ill at the gym just honestly bare the sickness for about 30 mins you’ll soon see that it was your mind who was tricking you into believing you are ill. You would have completed your workout knowing it was just mentally manipulating you into reasoning with your symptoms to justify your sickness. It doesn’t particularly sound healthy but it’s a slight improvement by about 30% just feeling better. I still agree with you everyone should play it safe but if you really want to discuss this I would be more than gladly to explain my experiences.

[stanthebamafan]

For years I used to usually push through any illness that wasn’t a fever or vomiting, but these days I’m more likely to take a couple days off. I’m less scared now about losing all my gains if I miss 1 or 2 workouts, and I feel like I usually recover from the illness faster if I rest and don’t put additional stresses on my body. Of course, if it’s something really mild that won’t affect my workout negatively, I still usually work out.

[GuiyaMichung]

Thank you so much for this video. Its helped me make a good decision. Unfortunately, I'm sick above and below the neck... so... this really sucks for me. I only just started training like a month ago and I am actually upset that I have to miss out at the gym. I really do love going.

[goukigod]

The timing of this video couldn’t be any better. So sick now :(

[koroshiyashinigami]

Thanks for this video man! I was sick an I have recovered now, will be keeping this in mind from now and practice these "judgement calls" in my regimen in the future if I get sick.