Returning to riding after an illness can be tough for the best of us. But returning to training after an illness can be even harder. Should you be getting back to where you were as fast as possible or just work through it slowly? How do you go about planning your workouts in order to get the most out of them? What can you do to avoid getting sick again?
On this episode of the Tailwind Coaching Podcast, I'll tell you how to get back in the saddle and start your cycling training again after you've been down and out sick for a while. Click through the jump to listen and get a few helpful tips and tricks on how to get your fitness back fast.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 31:40 — 23.9MB)
Should I Train Through an Illness?
The first question we have to answer is whether you should just train through your illness. How bad an illness requires you to take some time off? Here are a few things to determine how much, if any, time you need to take off.
Where are your symptoms and how long have they gone on?
I like to use a guideline of “over the neck, ride through, under the neck, shut it down.” Why do we look at it like this? It's simple, really, and it has to do with the severity of the illness and the necessities of cycling.
If you've got a head cold, most of the misery from a head cold comes from blocked nose and sinus pressure. The illness itself doesn't affect your ability to breathe or generally risk any worse infection. In fact, you might even find your nose clearing out with the increase in blood flow that comes with more intense training.
If you've got a chest cold or some other chest infection, hang up those wheels for a while. You don't want to force that crud deeper into your lungs by trying to suck in big lungfuls of air. Nor do you want to exacerbate any coughing or sneezing or other symptoms, so sit out for a little while. Physiologically, those higher intensity intervals will only add significant stress to your body, so back off them.
The severity of an illness obviously has a lot to do with your decision to train or not. If you've got a little case of the sniffles, you'll be fine to jump in the saddle and knock out an easy ride. On the contrary, if you're dealing with bronchitis, you'll probably want to sit out for a few days until you're ready to roll. Remember, the more severe the illness, the more potential there is to make it worse by hopping on the saddle.
Let's say you've picked up something that made its way into your lungs and will probably keep you off the bike for a couple of weeks. How do you go about getting back to your training again?
Getting Back on the Bike After Illness
If you've been laid up for a while and you're looking at getting back to your regular cycling training, you need to make sure you follow a few simple points. They probably seem obvious, but I see a lot of people making the same mistakes.
Start slow
If you've been off the bike and not riding for a while, this one should be obvious. Start back slow. I see a lot of riders try to immediately get back to where they were before illness, and that doesn't work. Since our anaerobic fitness degrades the fastest, you'll probably have lost some of your top end kick. Your aerobic engine will likely still be intact though, so start with that.
Trying to push your body to handle high intensity work too soon can lead to running your body back into the ground. It takes time to recover from an illness, and your body is probably used to doing nothing but healing. So spend time getting your reserves back and start with some easier training. That means going aerobic for a while.
Start easy
Just getting on the bike and pedaling for half an hour might seem like nothing, but it's a sure fire way to get back into riding after being sick. Try some sweetspot work, some aerobic spinning or some pedal stroke work to get your legs back under you. Once your body is used to actually riding a bike again, you can start adding some more intensity.
Don't be surprised if your anaerobic power has disappeared though, and don't push to get it back. Start with these easy workouts and keep it on the slow side until you get used to being in the saddle again. Then you can add some additional intensity. The key with adding intensity after returning to training post illness is to be smart about it. Keep it short and sweet, and you'll realize more gains than if you push it.
Start short
Skip those four-hour workouts and be really, REALLY focused on short sessions. Those half hour blocks, even if they're harder HIIT blocks, will allow for increased recovery and keep you from getting sick again. This will be the key to getting that fitness back. Those short, more frequent workouts will allow you to recover properly and keep your body from relapsing.
Conversely, if you're keeping the intensity down, you can easily add more volume to your workouts and still be safe. The basic point of getting back on the bike should be to gradually increase your training stress volume and keep your fitness climbing. And that should be done while keeping your recovery time a priority.
Watch your nutrition
Recovery from illness requires a lot of nutritional considerations. Your body is probably running a calorie, vitamin and mineral deficit, along with being dehydrated. Make sure your fluids are topped up and you are doing everything to feed your body what it needs to recover properly.
Getting back on the bike after an illness can feel like a daunting task. Trust me, I know it. But the more careful you are and the more measured you are, the faster your fitness will return and the better you will feel during the rebuilding process.
