Return to training after 1st and 2nd doses of COVID-19 vaccines

Got my Pfizer-BioNTech shot after my training session this Monday. Feeling quite fine, apart from two things: I’m possibly slightly more sleepy, but I’ve not been sleeping well in the past few weeks so it might be that, AND my deltoid muscle (the one where I got stabbed) is hurting a bit - sort of like DOMS.

My next session is tomorrow, so I’m wondering if I should go, and if so, if I should continue with my progression, just take it down a notch or see how I feel tomorrow and base it on that (but still embrace the grind). Also, if the arm hurts, do I still do bench and DL where I would feel it more, or refrain from that? Should I change my workout to something else entirely, to still do something but not overwork myself?

The doctors who stabbed me (which I think were actually medical students) told me to go after it if I feel absolutely fine, but otherwise just not overwork myself and allow my body to recover.

The reason I’m asking here is, well, they gave me general guidelines that are not specific to (relatively) heavy lifting. So I wanted a second opinion from someone who knows more about that.

About my progress, well I’m still not hitting my pre-COVID PRs, this is my 6th session after a 4-month layoff - when I had 6 sessions before the gyms closed - and that was after 9-month layoff when I was at my best, pre-pandemic (though I was still on the beginner program).

As I’m bound to get a stronger immune response to the 2nd dose in 3 weeks (I’ve heard it’s horrific for a couple of days), I’m wondering if there are some guidelines for return to training after that. I’ll definitely ask more in detail when I receive it and feel the effects. Until then, can I train immediately after getting the 2nd dose if I’m feeling ok? Or should I not train for a couple of days prior to receiving the 2nd dose?

Grateful for your help. Love the fact I’ve actually found a place on the interballs where I can actually ask such a thing, and that it’s not Reddit.

You can train.

If the symptoms are significantly limiting, you can adjust the workloads and/or exercises as needed. This is the same approach I’d take for the period after your second dose - and it is by no means “horrific” or is it guaranteed that you will have a major reaction to the second dose, either. I felt nothing other than a sore arm after the first, and only had a minor headache after the second. A relative of mine had a headache and sore arm after the first, and nothing after the second.

Finally, remember that you will (hopefully) be training for the rest of your life, and the minor decisions you make during a session or two after vaccination will have no real impact on things in the long run.

Thank you for your response.

For anyone interested in the side-effects, here’s a link to a CDC article: Pfizer and BioNTech Confirm High Efficacy and No Serious Safety Concerns Through Up to Six Months Following Second Dose in Updated Topline Analysis of Landmark COVID-19 Vaccine Study | Pfizer

So you may be right on that.

Trained today, nothing worse than a workout where I’m slightly tired. No missed rep, weights went up without an issue.