Question
Can I do body-building if I have HIV?
12 August 2010. Related: All topics, Supplements and herbs, Support.
Hello there,
First of all thank you all very for the wonderful work you are doing.
I was a bodybuilder before I got diagnosed HIV positive. It took me some time but somehow with the right amount of support and help I managed to come to terms with the fact.
I noticed life hasn’t changed much, I just am a little bit more concerned about my health, I’m not on treatment yet and was told that it would still take a couple of years before I needed to start.
So I just wanted to know if it would be possible for me to keep on with my weight lifting? Will I be able to gain muscle mass like before or is the fact of being HIV positive limit me in any way in that particular field? I was told it was great to exercise and all that but still, will it be just the same as before or will my body react differently now that I am positive?
Thank you very much for your help and keep the good work going.
Answer
Thank you for your question.
It is good to hear that you have come to terms with your diagnosis.
There is no reason why you shouldn’t continue bodybuilding. Your body should be able to gain muscle in the same way as it has before. Being HIV positive should not limit you at all. Exercising and keeping healthy is very good for your body’s immune system.
If you take any supplements to build muscles such as steroids then you should mention this to your HIV doctor when you begin medication because some HIV treatments interact with steroids and other supplements.
Hello simon,
Please i need your help and advise, my friends who opened my bag and found my hiv pill finally are telling the story to everyone around and the news is spreading rising the discrimination and prejudice against me, i became emotionally and mentally worst than the first week of my diagnose, i have moved forward but this recent incident is bringing fear and depression to me, Please what will i do?
Hi Rapha, thanks for your reply. The discrimination and prejudice against HIV means that we often transfer that to ourselves. This is not good and not healthy. HIV positive people are the same as HIV negative people. We all have sex at some point and good or bad luck meant that some of use ended up positive. It takes a while to become strong enough to overcome these feelings. It is good you are focused on making your health and life as good as it can be.
Thank you Simon for your kindid advise, honestly this is something that has never happened, but my instinct is telling me that they did, but in any case, am still controlling the information to see what will happen, am only being scared due to my image given the fact that i’m a public person and many people really looks upto me, but i think i have disappointed them with this news of being poz, but God knows the best. I’m being serious with my medicines, doing exercise, eating healthy and taking care of myself, am getting better by the day, only that the discrimination that might come out from the gestures of these guys will weigh me down, but i must be strong for myself and family. Thank you once again.
Hi Cabbie, I am sorry that I don’t have an easy answer. Diet and exercise are the only things that have shown reductions in fat accumulations. I know this is very difficult – even when this is a side of treatment. In a similar way, the best way o gain muscle is to get advice for exercise that has this goal. A good gym or training should e able to explain different types of exercise for this.
Hi, I’m 38yrs old, hiv patient on arv treatment, my problem is that I feel treatment is preventing me not to grow muscles as I want,my belly is a big problem, I try to eat rite n gym more harder but is not going away of which I know is one of the side effects ,actually I feel like is getting more bigger, and I feel like is preventing my supplement to help me grow muscles effectively,I’ve got good best programme that I follow daily, even my gym partner is way bigger than me,ist bcs if treatment,my Dr is not helping much,all he says is that is side effects , this make me uncomfortable ,health wise I’m ok, any suggestion maybe that can try?
Hi Rapha, this might be something that never happened. Even though you are aware of this, there is no evidence to show your friends did this. Even if they did, so what? These are medicines for your health and they are important for you. Similarly, it is no-one else’s business. Another option, maybe in the future, is to tell your friends about your HIV status. You will then know id they are really your friends or not. You will also take control of the information. There is no reason to do this though if you do not want to.
Hello Simon, I made a journey yesterday with a group of friends, and as i went to the toilet and come back, i suspected they opened my bag and found my pills, though i removed the label from the container and there was no name on it, but i suspected they knew what it was for, i saw that through their mood and gestures, and right now i’m so ashamed and worried they must have discovered my status, and they are about 7 in numbers, i have tried to investigate if any one will open up and talk to me but it seems abortive.Please what will i do? am so confused and worried about the news been spread by these guys. Thank you.
Hi Rapha, it sounds like your doctor is now doing the right things to see what might be causing any changes. It is unlikely to be HIV and unlike to be the Genvoya. Even if a cause is not found, it might be that resistance (weight bearing) exercise will help. Advice form a trainer or gym will be similar to someone who is HIV negative – depending on which muscles you want to build. Supplements are okay – for example protein shakes etc. One exception is to not use creatine without talking to your doctor – see here:
http://i-base.info/qa/848
Thank you Simon. My doctor has not been able to say much about the changes because i just started the treatment 2 days ago after one month of diagnosis, whereas the muscle loss is present for some weeks now and its getting more serious, meanwhile my doctor has sent me to do skeletal xray as to see more if there is another issue related to that still waiting for the appointment. I’m so scared that my body is changing drastically and that the diagnosis may soon be telling on me should the loss of muscle continues. I eat extremly well but have not been doing exercise, please any one in particular i should start also is there any need for supplement if yes which one could go with my combination of treatment (Genvoya) please. Thank you.
Hi Rapha, the loss of muscle you described has not been reported with the combination you are taking. What does your doctor say about the changes? From the few details here it sounds like an exercise programme and related diet would be the best way to build muscle again.