Does blood donation adversely affect strength training?

[LCN]

And if so can you avoid or minimize this by timing your donation for a particular day if you're doing a MWF SS routine?

[Mark Rippetoe]

I don't donate blood, because I'm usually using it all myself. You are too -- that's why it's all there. You don't have "extra" blood. If you want to donate, you must realize that the loss of a pint takes time to recover from, will be a stressor in addition to that administered by your training, and will have to be allowed for over more than one workout.

[XTrainer]

I've donated blood a couple times, it didn't affect me much. I felt great through the whole process. Some people handle it better than others.

Last time I donated blood, I worked out Friday morning, donated around noon, and hit my first 225 power clean Saturday morning. At the time, I was 18, about 175lbs.

This might very well have been a stupid thing to do. My point is, I don't think donating blood has to be a major hitch in your programming. If you're an Olympic athlete who cannot afford to compromise a single day in his training schedule, understood.

If you're strength training for the purposes of becoming a more useful person in general, I think arranging a couple days in your schedule around a blood donation is a very minor ordeal.

[gman]

Sometimes you have to think about priorities.......donate blood, possibly help save a life, and have 1 or 2 less than optimal workouts every 2-3 months, or don't donate. Choice is yours.

[btech]

maybe you can plan to have it during an off week.

the free nutty butties, popcorn, coke/sprite and other sweet tasting goodies make it all worth it for me.

[Heather]

I bet it depends greatly on body size. I'm a smidge over the weight limit for blood donation, and I don't do it anymore because I can't even function on most any level for the next couple of days.

[JLascek]

Main point with xtrainer is that he was 18.

If you are giving some of your blood, give yourself time to recover.

[franklie]

what I do, is do my workout first then get my blood drawn then take the next day off from exercise.

that way I still hit my lifts and I help out others.

if one doesn't train on the weekends, get the blood drawn on friday afternoon after completing your lifts for the day. you'll have over 2 days to recover.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Sometimes you have to think about priorities.......donate blood, possibly help save a life, and have 1 or 2 less than optimal workouts every 2-3 months, or don't donate. Choice is yours.

How much does the Red Cross charge the hospital/patient for the blood I should donate free? Just out of curiosity...

[XTrainer]

http://www.bloodbook.com/part-4.html

Is it a screwed up system? Yes. Will I be donating blood again? Yes. I despise the corruption and inefficieny of "nonprofits"/government agencies as much as anyone, but we are not going to change that system in the timeframe that people will need blood.