Being sick sucks. It’s going to happen at some stage—you will be struck down with a cold or flu when you least want it and when you least expect it. At these times you have some decisions to make. Do you push through, do you rest completely, do you get some half-arsed training in? What is the right course of action?
Most CrossFitters will choose to push through. That’s how we’re built, it’s what we do best, it’s what gets us through gnarly WOD after gnarly WOD. But is it ideal behavior when training sick? Nup, not really.
Understanding the Flu Timeline
Most flus will last about two weeks. The first week will be a write-off, and that is the time to rest, rest, rest, not push, push, push. Let’s give you one to two days grace, during which time you’re in denial and still trying to push through your new enemy—the flu.
Once those two days are out of the way and you’ve spread a few germs among your CrossFit family, this is when you realize you’re actually screwed and start bargaining with yourself and the flu.
You decide to cut back your training, still trying to push through another day or two, only to finally realize, in a state of anger, that it’s over. You’re sore all over, your joints ache, you’re coughing up phlegm, your nose is running, and your throat is dry and tickling all night.
The Importance of Complete Rest
You’re sick. It’s time to surrender, sleep, rest, cut your training out completely, and take the time to allow your body’s immune system to do its job.
You can’t rush a flu. You can take all the olive leaf, echinacea, vitamin C, astragalus, or reishi mushrooms you like, but the flu has its own timeframe. The sooner you allow your body to rest, the sooner your immune system can start waging war and overcoming the bug.
Training Again: Week Two
My advice is to get as much rest as possible in that first week. Your first week begins from the moment you realize and accept that you are sick. From that moment, surrender and begin to rest and hydrate.
The second week is when you can begin to train again, keeping on top of your sleep and hydration. At this stage, you’re good to train—but with very low expectations and lower intensity than you’d ideally like. Strength work and lighter aerobic work are ideal here. This is the week to help your immune system by mobilizing your body, blood, and oxygen systems.
It’s not the week to smash yourself back into fitness because you missed a few days last week. In the scheme of things, the period of rest while sick will always serve you well. It will give your body a break, even if it was unwelcome and uninvited.
Respecting Your Body Takes Courage
It honestly takes more courage to rest than it does to push through training sick. I have huge respect for people willing to respect themselves. You are the only person who can protect and look after yourself. Being sick isn’t failure; it’s just part of living in the world.
Personal Experience: 2012 Australia Regional
I was really sick leading into the 2012 Australia Regional. It was scary. I had to have four days of total rest inside two weeks out from competition. I was terrified that I wouldn’t get well, but I did. I wasn’t at my best—the flu took the wind out of my sails and the edge off my performance.
Since that experience, I’ve done everything I can to avoid sickness at peak times in my competition calendar.
My Immune-Boosting Protocol
I take Astragalus and vitamin C all year. At change of season and six weeks out from competitions, I mega-dose with echinacea, olive leaf, mangosteen juice, and reishi mushrooms.
Additionally:
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I make sure never to get cold or chilled post-training.
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I get extra sleep (8–9 hours) and keep stress levels low.
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When traveling overseas, I carry a bag full of immune-boosting liquids and drip-feed myself during flights.
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I drink plenty of herbal teas and water with Vital Greens to stay super hydrated and fortified from unwelcome bugs.
I wage an all-out war to protect myself from sickness. In 2013, it worked perfectly – so many around me got sick, but not me!
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