Hard exercise after inactivity lowering my immune system?

[InvisiblePinkUnicorn]

I am 26, weight 230lbs so i know i am pretty badly out of shape. I have a hard time sticking to my workouts, so the pattern I've been on is not doing anything for 3-5 months, and then jumping back into working out 5 days a week.

I noticed that after the first week or two of working out, i get sick. So, i am wondering if hard exercise could be weakening my immune system, thus making it easier for me to contract the cold.

I suspect that it may also be my nutrition, because when i start working out again, i am very careful about what i eat. It's possible that i am cutting back too much, and not getting enough vitamins and other nutrients.

I intend to start keeping a journal about of my workouts and meals, so that if i get sick again, i can go back and look for a pattern.

Has anyone experienced something similar? Do you have any advice for me?

[l2ow/\/\C]

i would say maybe you are starting out too hard. after even 2 weeks off you may need to gradually go back into a sustainable workout program. sustainable is the key word there. I am having a similar problem as workout are getting more intense and more frequent as we get into our spring racing season.

Make sure you are getting enough sleep to give you immune system time to repair it self. also tums (calcium+ vitamin C) is a good way to refuel on Vitamin C

[InvisiblePinkUnicorn]

After i recover from the cold that i have, i will try to either cut back to 15 minutes a day, 5 days a week, or 30 minutes a day 3 days a week.

[Nosmo]

What you describe is very common. If you are really out of shape then you shouldn't be working harder then a brisk walk at first. If your workouts are intense then cut down on the intensity rather then the frequency.

It is not unusual for even very fit athletes to get sick after intense races so too intense workouts are more likely to compromise your immune system then doing 5 workouts per week.

Also lowering your blood sugar level too much can really compromise your immune system. That shouldn't be happening in a half hour workout, but if you haven't been eating enough or at the wrong times then it will.

Knowing how much recovery you need and how hard and long to train so you can recover is one of the trickiest and most important part of being a good athlete.

[InvisiblePinkUnicorn]

OK, how can i figure out my recovery times?

I only recently purchased the concept 2, and last week was the first week i rowed every day, before that i used to use the treadmill at the gym.

When i rowed, i did it for 30 minutes per day and pulled at about a 2:20 split.

I do have the PM4 monitor, so what heart rate should i be aiming for?
I usually get up to 165 pretty fast, and end at around 175 (180 during my final power 20)

[Nosmo]

Unless you know your maximum and resting heart rate then I can't tell you what you should be rowing at. There is too much variation from person to person (even among elite athletes) for any general rule or formula to be meaningful.

Just work out at a pace where you can carry on a conversation without too much difficulty. Do that for a few weeks. Then you can add one more intense workout a week, and eventually two.

Also rather then 30 minutes per day (or whatever you decide), do variable lengths from say 20 to 40 minutes, keeping the weekly total the same. After a few 40 minute rows the 20 and 30 minute days will seem really short.

Slow steady progress is what you want.

[jamesg]

IPU, at your age I only needed to go to the cinema or on a bus to catch a cold. Now I get fewer, presumably having caught all 200 odd of the virus strains that the Common Cold Research Centre in the UK found, before giving up. The ones I do get are probably new and seem to come from grandchildren who go to school. So don't blame yourself, if you get over them your immune system is fine, otherwise you'd be dead already.

As an evolutionist might suspect, they're highly contagious, so the only prevention is to stay away from where they may be rampant (gyms are excellent sources) and to keep your hands clean.

The other major preventive system, not just for the cold of course, is to keep fit. Whatever else you do, make sure you are always fit. The advantages in normal life are enormous, and there is no alternative if you want a life without serious health problems.

I think you should target say 10 minutes warm-up, plus 20-30 minutes a day at a rate that makes you sweat, starting with whatever you can do. Use your legs, they're there for rowing, not just walking, and they're strong already.

A night's sleep is all most of us need to recover; two in emergencies.

[InvisiblePinkUnicorn]

Thanks for all the advice everyone, i really appreciate it

[iain]

You also should concentrate on improving your technique, bad habits are very difficult to shift later. Watch the video that came with your rower or the many good examples on this and the UK forums. The key is a powerful leg drive and a slow recovery, you shouldn't be rating more than 24 SPM or so on 30' rows. Also, look up drag, on a new machine a damper setting of 4 should be plenty. Too high a setting will shift the load to your back and arms.

Hope it goes well.

- Iain

[InvisiblePinkUnicorn]

I rowed in college 5 years ago for about 2.5 years, so i'd like to think that my technique is pretty decent.