Is anyone aware of any protocols for returning to training post Covid?
I managed to avoid Covid till this July, and am now restarting training. Its 3 weeks since I tested negative and I am still feeling weak. My wife has chronic fatigue so I am aware how debilitating that is and more than anything I want to avoid Long Covid.
My approach is to avoid doing too much too soon (easier said than done for a Type A Triathlete!) but not lose too much fitness. This means low intensity indoor trainer rides only. I have set a heart rate cap of 105 bpm (resting heart rate is about 40 and max heart rate is about 160) and have kept the sessions to under an hour.
It has been interesting seeing how the power output is slowly returning. Prior to Covid I would be able to do about 170W at this heart rate. two weeks ago I was down to 120W and I am now at145W.
My guess is that I should continue with this very easy exercise till my strength returns and only then start including running or any higher intensity sessions. I would be interested to hear if there is research to back this up or whether the research says I should do something different. I have heard recommendations to do no exercise for 6-12 weeks following Covid.
Hi Jeremy,
I’m sorry you got COVID!
In my understanding and how I’m handling it with my athletes with COVID is exactly what you’re doing: Go slow and work with your symptoms. It’s not time to push with intervals right now, and doing easy workouts to maintain - or at least prevent precipitous decline - your fitness.
I have not heard anything about doing no exercise; I’ve only read about not overtaxing your system with hard work!
I hope you feel better soon!
I had Covid in 2022, actually all 5 of us (3 kids under 6) had it at the same time. I was able to train through it with zone 2 training but it wasn’t the right thing to do looking back. I had high general fitness but if I took a few days off I probably would have avoided getting sick in a taper for a B event.
Triathlon isn’t going anywhere. Back it off and listen and pay attention to the warning signs. If you listen your body will tell you exactly what is going on.
I believe an Covid infection is not the same for everyone. To some its just like a normal cold, and some unfortunately get long covid. So not sure there will be a universal protocol for recovering. I also got Covid (for the first rime!) pretty hard in june/july. Intense chest pain and lost my sense of smell etc. Spent a full week mostly in bed. Was able to do low intensity Z2 runs after about 3 weeks, but still needed more time to recover after each run. Kept an eye on my HRV. Was worried about getting sick again. Did my first proper long run and interval session this week. So for me (49) it took about 6 weeks to get back to normal training.
Sorry to hear you got Covid. Hope you are feeling better.
Here’s a return to play protocol I used when I had COVID. It seems quite conservative, but your health is everything. It’s a great guideline on how you can get back to regular training.
Only thing I would add is to do regular strength training to keep those fast twitch muscle fiber engaged and active. Do it with long rest intervals and it will not tax your aerobic engine - work up to heavy 5reps if you have weights or access to gym. Keeping my muscle mass as you recover would be my top priority.
Be well