The common cold, “cold” or “flu” (influenza is caused by the influenza virus), is an acute infectious inflammation of the upper respiratory tract. Symptoms of the disease are sneezing, runny nose (rhinitis), sore throat (laryngitis), difficulty swallowing and sore throat (pharyngitis, tonsillitis), cough with serous, then purulent sputum (tracheitis, bronchitis), muscle pain, fever and worsening general condition. The name of the disease state “cold” arose from the previously accepted ideas that hypothermia is the cause of the disease. Most often, the disease is caused by viruses (rhino-, adenovirus and parainfluenza virus), which are released by patients when sneezing or coughing as an “aerosol”. In ordinary life, a person is exposed to infection with a wide variety of viruses that can affect the lung tissue, bronchi and, most importantly, the cardiovascular system and muscles.

For example, sometimes the flu is almost impossible to distinguish from a mild SARS. If you exercise while you are sick with the flu, even if you feel well and have almost no cold symptoms, you risk serious heart complications, as the flu virus causes inflammation of the myocardium. Physical exercise leads to overload of the myocardium, and the development of irreversible complications is possible!

Any cold (even in a mild form) leads to the suppression of anabolic processes in the muscles and activates the secretion of the catabolic hormone cortisol, which destroys the muscles. Physical activity exacerbates catabolic processes, and in the presence of slow anabolism, you will not get the positive effect of strength training, and on the contrary, training will destroy your muscles.

Conclusion:

It is obvious that colds and sports are incompatible. You will not get positive results from training in the peak phase of the disease. Do not exercise if you have a cold until all symptoms of the disease have disappeared and you begin to feel well. If the disease was severe, then it is necessary to refrain from training for 3-4 additional days, until complete recovery, in order to avoid complications and muscle destruction.