Flu like symptoms couple of days after working out.

[Workinprogresss]

Hi I hope this is the right place for this.

I recently starting working out again after having a few years off. It was all going fine and I did a beginners workout and made sure I wasn't over training. I made sure I was drinking 3-4 litres of water and about 1.5 litres whilst at the gym during my workout.

The other day I did my regular workout but added 3 more chest exercises (on top of the original 4 and a tricep workout) and a few days after I lost my appetite, started getting chills and have struggled to get a good nights sleep.

I read this may be over training but the majority of people that talk about over training say it has to be over a long period of time and not just one big workout.

Few things I should point out - I did go quite a while without having a meal (had an almond biscuit post workout).

I don't know if this is over training or not but if you know if this is down to that or you have any advice that can help prevent it because I've been making a lot of progress and this is just resetting any progress made.

Any help would be gratefully appreciated.

[Vunhirzen]

Have you though that it might just be your regular flu? This has never happened to me, so I can't come up with any explanation. Perhaps you just pushed it a little too much and that extra stress messed with you body?

[PendlayRow8500]

Maybe you got a mild flu or virus ??

[ArmyWollfff]

if your body isn't accustomed to working out then the first week or weeks will be hard on your body. That's why you hear of beginner gainz, your body isn't used to the work so it recovers to it's fullest. Since it's your first time back, it hit your body extra hard. As your body was trying to repair itself it left you susceptible to germs and such. That's most likely why you've gotten sick.

[ErikTheElectric]

You're not training hard enough or long enough to be "over-trained". If your sick, then rest up and get over it.

[Brenjam]

How long have you been feeling unwell for?

Your body probably just isn't used to working out again, it'll get better with time.

[Workinprogresss]

Thank you for all the responses. I should have mentioned that I had a virus about 4/5 weeks a go, which is why I didn't think it'd be that. Your probably all right, I'm just reading too much into it and I probably just caught another one.

[deapee]

You don't get into a state of over training by doing what you mentioned once in a while. It's not a sudden, acute onset of flu-like symptoms. Sure, over training can lower your body's immune response, but training generally improves your body's immune response. Over training is a state where the CNS is entirely taxed. Think slowly entering a state of chronic fatigue, etc.

You may push it pretty hard every now and then, and need an extra day or two off, but the body is pretty smart and adaptive. For the most part, your body is going to force you to take a nap or you're going to feel that fatigue coming on. You're going to get some extra rest, and never enter that dreaded state of full on fatigue / lowered immune response.

Drink plenty of water, take some vitamin C, and rest up. Go lighter at the gym, if doing cardio, keep the heart rate at under 120 or so, and you'll get better, and shouldn't lose much. On the other hand, if you have a fever, a cough, pains in the chest, skip the gym and rest up completely. As a general rule, symptoms above the throat, head congestion, sinus pressure, headache, ok to train. Symptoms below the throat (including the throat), cough, sore throat, fever, chest pains, normally merit some extra rest and skipping the gym entirely.