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Post COVID fitness woes

1,619 Views | 12 Replies | Last: 3 yr ago by AggieChemE09
SoTheySay
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S
During the time our gym was shut I admit I spent more time drinking than working out. I lost strength and speed and endurance.

Just after the gyms opened back up I went right back in, obviously not as strong or as fast as I was.

Then I caught the Rona. I had a mild case and have been symptom free a couple of weeks now. Went back to working out but I just... it's tough. My heart rate gets pretty high fairly easily and I almost as slow as I was before I ever began running.

I'm concerned about possible permanent damage but I'm also looking for ways to maybe help strengthen my lungs. Is that even a thing?

Anyone else struggling post Rona too?
culdeus
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AG
You aren't alone. Starting to come out that even asymptomatic people have activity trouble.

I don't think anyone has any idea what to do.
htxag09
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AG
Not rona, but a few years ago i was in the icu with pneumonia for 6 days. When i went back to working out I was run/walking 2 miles. Before I was sick, I was running 20 miles prepping for a marathon. Taking 2 weeks off alone is tough, add a respiratory sickness and things will only be worse. Slow down, rebuild. It'll take time, but quicker than if you were just starting from scratch.
Capitol Ag
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AG
Think about it this way. You get a bad cold. How many times do you have the cough, sore throat and feel exhausted more often for almost a month? I can have those times. Just train through it and respect some of the limitations but you do not need to accept them per say. It will most likely go away and even if it doesn't, you'll have to adapt to the "new normal" to a point where you will be at a higher level then before you got sick. Either way, the net result is the same. If it won't go away, train it away.

Plus, you already admitted that you took the 8-10 weeks of Covid closure off. That takes a while to adjust to anyway. Bear in mind that the muscle nuclei that formed during your time you trained are still there. They will return. Personally I would look at this as a time to focus more on your weaknesses that you may have avoided during your training. We all have them. The crap we hate to do. Like core work as an example. Also, this might be a good time to look at alternatives forms of training. What is your base strength like? Have you thought of trying a linear progression model of training? I cannot sell that method enough. I used to think I worked out hard before I did that, than I added 20 lbs of muscle and only 2 % body fat doing a LP while still throwing in my "bro" lifts. It was a massive game changer for me. Since studies seem to indicate that more muscle mass leads to better recovery of any long term or serious illness, adding muscle to what you already have cannot hurt.
SoTheySay
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S
Thank you all. I probably needed to hear that and be put in my place a little.
TurboVelo
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AG
There have been a lot of reports about lingering damage due to this virus. It should improve for the majority of people.

There are a lot of breathing exercises you can do. Search Pulmonary Rehabilitation.

Personally, I find that even just holding my breath periodically (obviously not while exercising) helps me, but I have seen no study proving or disproving this.
Kool
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AG
I think your experience is shared by a lot of people who have had COVID-19, and for good reason. As you alluded to, you had been slacking off of exercising before getting sick. But when your body is infected with a virus, the immune system goes into overdrive and a lot of your metabolism is shifted to fighting it off. Hence the fatigue. There also seems to be a few things about the coronavirus which can help explain some of the longer term issues that people are experiencing. ACE receptors are in all of your blood vessels, and in your heart and in your lungs. Those tissues take a direct hit from the virus. It really isn't yet known how well people will eventually recover from the damage that the virus did to those tissues.

Anecdotal evidence is not really evidence, but here is one:

I have a neighbor who got COVID-19 in mid-March. This guy is mid-50s and I would describe him as being in very excellent shape. He worked out a ton, did not smoke, and did not drink. He was intubated and spent a total of about two weeks in the hospital. After he got home, it was probably over a month before he could even walk down to the street. He pretty much just spent his days on the front porch. His wife said he was even having difficulty remembering very simple things. Very much like a stroke patient, although his head CT showed no evidence of such. It has taken him three months to get back to close to where he was pre-COVID. Thank God he seems to be recovering completely, but some of that might be a tribute to the excellent shape he was in prior to getting sick.

It will take time. Go slowly. If you are not seeing slow but steady gains in your exercise capacity, consider getting a cardiac and/or pulmonary evaluation. All the best.
Cheers, and congrats on beating COVID.
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TommyGun
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AG
Heck man it took me like 4 months to get back to normal after having mono back in high school. Don't feel bad about trying to bounce back after something as serious covid.
SoTheySay
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S
Quick update - I'm back up to an average of 5 workouts a week and I still feel like I cannot get my speed and endurance back.

In January I ran a 7:27 mile. Last week it was 8:44 and I felt like I nearly died. My current sprint is a smidge above what my jog used to be.

It's officially been 4 months since my diagnosis and it was a pretty mild case. Not giving up yet but this is discouraging.
CoolaidWade
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AG
Everyone here will recover and get right back on track.

One day at a time! This is why we push it so hard. To beat crap like this.
wcb
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AG
How old are you? Add a week of recovery for every year over 35.

At 46 it takes me forever to bounce back from the smallest things.
SoTheySay
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S
I'm 33
TRM
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AG
I'm new to a marathon training group, but one of the guys in it got corona. He started training again after 3 weeks. He started off easy try to stay in zone 1, then eventually zones 2, 3, etc, but he's also doing like 3 workouts a day. He runs about a 7:30/mile marathon pace and 2 months later he's back to running 6:30 mile repeats.

If you think something is wrong, follow Kool's advice and get a work up.
AggieChemE09
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AG
Here is how my COVID went



Symptoms of CV started on Monday Sep 21st.

Fever was gone by that Friday.

Another weak of just feeling off, and weak.

The next week I picked up the pace.

I'm back to full speed ahead now
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