Viral Risks with Exercise

[iain]

Does anyone on the Forum know the current consensus as to what additional risk there is from high intensity exercise?

As far as I can see from an internet search, low intensity exercise seems to increase resistance to Upper Respiratory Tract Infections (that I assume includes Covid-19), while over training reduces resistance. There is also some support that there is a limited period of increased suceptibility from one high intensity exercise to exhaustion or very long endurance session. However I do not know whether these are widely accepted or what is considered the highest intensity / extent of endurance sessions that will not increase the risk. Any thoughts?

[Dangerscouse]

I've got no idea but I'm reducing it down to one day a week when I'm going to do any tough sessions, maybe followed with a rest day, and the steadier sessions will be steadier. No grey zone training.

[NavigationHazard]

The short answer is that there is no consensus regarding the possible negative effects of exercise on the immune system. It's generally complicated, not least because it's really really difficult to control for things like nutrition and post-workout activity and sleep. Moreover, no one knows enough about covid-19 to have a clue as to how it might factor into what little is known for sure, whether for the general public, for what might be called amateur enthusiasts, or for high-performance/professional athletes.

If you are worried, cut back. If you are not worried, maybe you should cut back as well on some combination of duration, frequency, and/or intensity. IMO it's silly to risk life-threatening complications, particularly when there's so little to go on in the way of guidance.

Here's a link to a current, state-of-the-art article outlining the principal issues in the general debate:

http://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/epr ... %20EIR.pdf

[Gammmmo]

The short answer is that there is no consensus regarding the possible negative effects of exercise on the immune system. It's generally complicated, not least because it's really really difficult to control for things like nutrition and post-workout activity and sleep. Moreover, no one knows enough about covid-19 to have a clue as to how it might factor into what little is known for sure, whether for the general public, for what might be called amateur enthusiasts, or for high-performance/professional athletes.

If you are worried, cut back. If you are not worried, maybe you should cut back as well on some combination of duration, frequency, and/or intensity. IMO it's silly to risk life-threatening complications, particularly when there's so little to go on in the way of guidance.

Here's a link to a current, state-of-the-art article outlining the principal issues in the general debate:

http://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/epr ... %20EIR.pdf

Good post. All you can really do is use a bit of commonsense....this topic isn't an exact science. On the one hand doing a hard HM or Vo2max intervals (or the type of sessions particularly that give one erg/pursuiters cough) when you know you're going to go to the supermarket the same or following day is probably not a great idea. OTOH if you are socially isolating quite well and regularly train hard as per the above or similar, then I don't see a big problem. Just schedule carefully.

EDIT: There probably is some merit in scaling back your training for a period when you think the risk is highest. I think people (including myself) have historically been very OCD about training but the truth is, certainly in my case, that de-training slows quite gradually. I mean, look at my example....I've gone from 60K/week on the erg to 25K/week over the last year and the I've lost about 20s from my 5K. Could I get that back? Course I could if I did a block of training that ramped things back up.

[iain]

Thanks Nav, that was just what I was looking for and broadly supports what I was seeing.

Gammmmo, I don't think that it is always possible to time training to avoid exposure. In addition, there are 2 issues here, the hard training may increase the likelihood of becoming ill after exposure (as immune system fails to stop the virus becoming established to a critical extent) as well as potentially increasing the likelihood of the virus infecting as the result of exposure post exercise.

Personally I am inclined to continue some interval sessions but to not push quite as hard. I know I will reduce exercise if I resort to only doing low intensity sessions as I find it hard to motivate myself for these without some prospect of seeing the impact on more challenging sessions.

What do others think?

[Gammmmo]

Gammmmo, I don't think that it is always possible to time training to avoid exposure.

No, it isn't. That thing called real life gets in the way. However, different people have more on their plate than others and can therefore schedule with more certainty. I live in the country. I do a job which sees me in car on my own delivering stuff and where I have zero contact with others. I have no kids. I am single....kinda. Easier for me, not so much for most.

[left coaster]

In so much as exercise keeps a person within a regular routine, it can only be a good thing. In my region, pretty much everything is shut down. There are a lot of stressed out and soon to be broke people around. Doing an erg session, regardless of how hard, is probably better than the beer for breakfast option that might pop into the mind of some folks while they stare at their TV and watch the debt pile up...

Difficult times, a minority will thrive, most will struggle. It's probably a great time to own a small pizza delivery company, even better if it has a liquor license.

[ampire]

https://www.bbc.com/sport/africa/52010616
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/coronaviru ... urgh-warns

Olympic champion swimmer Cameron van der Burgh said on Sunday that he had contracted COVID-19, offering insight into how coronavirus infection could affect 2020 Olympic hopefuls.
"I have been struggling with Covid-19 for 14 days today," South Africa's van der Burgh wrote on Twitter. "By far the worst virus I have ever endured despite being a healthy individual with strong lungs (no smoking/sport), living a healthy lifestyle and being young (least at risk demographic)."
...
"The loss in body conditioning has been immense and can only feel for the athletes that contract Covid-19 as they will suffer a great loss of current conditioning through the last training cycle. Infection closer to competition being the worst."
...
"Athletes will continue to train as there is no clarification re summer Games and thus are exposing themselves to unnecessary risk - and those that do contract will try rush back to training most likely enhancing/extending the damage/recovery time," he wrote. "Please, look after yourself everyone! Health comes first - COVID-19 is no joke!"