CNS burnout and Virus's?

[armoredvan]

Sooooo, what's the truth here? Does driving oneself into the ground (a few successful powerlifters do this as well as many Olympic weightlifters) to the point where joints ache, no motivation, etc., etc., (what John Broz refers to as "dark times") leave you more suceptable to cold-sore outbreaks if you're prone to them and/or does it leave your ACTUAL immune system in tatters or does it just FEEL like you get sick etc?

Am I making any sense here? I'm basically asking if severe overtraining just makes you FEEL like shit or are you actually getting a virus or actually disrupting your ability to fight off colds/virus's?

I just can't grasp (if it's true) how CNS and adrenal fatigue affects ACTUAL immunity/virus protection.

Thanks for taking the time to read an off-the-wall question!

[mentalflex]

It goes beyond the CNS when referring to performing strenuous physical activity and the effects on the immune system, you have to look at the effects on things like neutrophil respiratory bursts, lymphocyte proliferation, monocyte antigens...which tend to be suppressed after strenuous training.

This research review looks at your question: http://m.jap.physiology.org/content/103/2/693.long

Here is the abstract:
Regular moderate exercise is associated with a reduced incidence of infection compared with a completely sedentary state. However, prolonged bouts of strenuous exercise cause a temporary depression of various aspects of immune function (e.g., neutrophil respiratory burst, lymphocyte proliferation, monocyte antigen presentation) that usually lasts ∼3–24 h after exercise, depending on the intensity and duration of the exercise bout. Postexercise immune function dysfunction is most pronounced when the exercise is continuous, prolonged (>1.5 h), of moderate to high intensity (55–75% maximum O2 uptake), and performed without food intake. Periods of intensified training (overreaching) lasting 1 wk or more may result in longer lasting immune dysfunction. Although elite athletes are not clinically immune deficient, it is possible that the combined effects of small changes in several immune parameters may compromise resistance to common minor illnesses, such as upper respiratory tract infection. However, this may be a small price to pay as the anti-inflammatory effects of exercise mediated through cytokines and/or downregulation of toll-like receptor expression are likely mediators of many of the long-term health benefits of regular exercise.

[Sammich]

If you're talking about herpes (i.e. cold sore), then any kind of intense physical or emotional stress makes breakouts more likely.

[Sammich]

Also: "virii"


:>

[SAHD]

Just remember that for health you should always eat your boogers,

From Wiki:
Eating mucus is the act of extracting nasal mucus with one's finger (rhinotillexis) and the succeeding action of ingesting the mucus from the nose-picking (mucophagy).[1] Nasal mucus is also termed as boogers, snot, bogeys, dried nasal mucus, mucus secretion, and other related terms including comerse los mocos (to eat one's snot).[2]

Booger eating is a common behavior in children occurring from psychological disorders or simply resulting from habit. Some scientists argue that booger eating provides benefits for the human body.[1] Friedrich Bischinger, an Austrian doctor specializing in lungs advocates using fingers to pick and ingesting nasal mucus, states people who do so get "a natural boost to their immune system."[1][3] The mucus contains a "cocktail of antiseptic enzymes that kill or weaken many of the bacteria that become entangled in it," so reintroducing the 'crippled' microorganisms "may afford the immune system an opportunity to produce antibodies in relative safety."

[theroymccoy]

I got shingles when I tried to stretch out my DC blast past the 8 week mark

[mentalflex]

I got shingles when I tried to stretch out my DC blast past the 8 week mark

Seriously?

Damn, sorry about that.....

I was having a lot of digestive issues but it wasn't until I took time off to let my immune system recover and small intestine to build itself back up. Knock on wood... I can't wait to move some heavy slag again!!!!

[theroymccoy]

Yeah...I think I made a thread about it a while back.

[Ken "Skip" Hill]

I tell this to my clients all the time and make them rest and recover after a show for this very reason.

I got shingles after a show in 03 and still have the nerve pain every 20-30 seconds of my life, day or night. Your immune system can go to shit very quickly and I have seen it time and time again during preps, after shows, etc..

Shingles is the chicken pox virus and is in the herpes family.

Skip

[mentalflex]

I tell this to my clients all the time and make them rest and recover after a show for this very reason.

I got shingles after a show in 03 and still have the nerve pain every 20-30 seconds of my life, day or night. Your immune system can go to shit very quickly and I have seen it time and time again during preps, after shows, etc..

Shingles is the chicken pox virus and is in the herpes family.

Skip

I THOUGHT I was "special" and didn't need the time off. I kept assuring Scott I would be fine when he asked if I sure I was fully recovered... needless to say, that was a HUGE contributor to why my digestive system had such a difficult time getting on track. I simply never let it heal after having the bacterial infection and tried to train through it non-stop from right after the show... Lesson learned.

There is a reason why guys like Scott and Skip have the reputation they do and they are not blowing smoke up your ass when they say you need to rest.

[theroymccoy]

After that bout of shingles I'm kinda of redoing my gameplan...

I think I'm going to have to drop quite a few CNS-intensive (if there is such a thing) exercises. Still keep the main ones like deads, squats, heavy presses for chest, but drop things like dips and opt for single-joint movements for example. I think this will make me extend my blast longer.

Now this got me thinking...assuming all other things equal, is it better to a) have majority of exercises be compound movements but have shorter blasts or b) have less compound movements but have longer blasts? Assuming you want more muscle.

Apologies if this has taken a DC turn, hehe.

[TLopez]

:WTF: Bottom line is a lot of guys on this board have HERPES!

leave you more suceptable to cold-sore outbreaks if you're prone to them and/or does it leave your ACTUAL immune system in tatters or does it just FEEL like you get sick etc.

If you're talking about herpes (i.e. cold sore), then any kind of intense physical or emotional stress makes breakouts more likely.

I got shingles when I tried to stretch out my DC blast past the 8 week mark

I got shingles after a show in 03...

Shingles is the chicken pox virus and is in the herpes family.

Skip

[theroymccoy]

It's because we push it to the limit, liiiimiiit, walk along the razor's edge...

[armoredvan]

Wow, just when I thought I had an off-the-wall question! Thanks for the feedback guys! This is interesting (to me) stuff.

I sometimes feel like a pussy backing off or taking extra rest. Looks like a good idea looking at the responses!

And no worries about the DC slant: this IS IM afterall and my question certainly includes this type of training.

[Kidrok (Hop)]

Once after doing like 3 shows in a row, I immediately came down with mono. Another time I got strep throat the very next day after a show that I prepped for 20 weeks. There have been many other illnesses immediately following a show so I am convinced that I beat my immune system into the ground and that is why I become so susceptable to the illnesses.