Medical advice dictates that if an illness is above the neckline – for example, a stuffy nose or head cold – then exercise can be continued, but anything below such as a chesty cough or a virus should call a temporary halt to your training.

As a coach, however, Gallagher takes it even further, opting to err on the side of caution when it comes to managing an illness in order to give yourself the best chance of a strong recovery. Knowing when to stop is key, he says.

“Of course, for all illnesses it is best checking with a doctor but we also say it’s better to be overly-protective than pushing it slightly,” he said.

“The stage of an illness when it is just coming on – be it a cold, sore throat etc – is critical to whether it’s going to last a week to ten days, or whether you’ll be back within five.

“If you take time off you can then see how it manifests itself, and if come the second day you are better, then you can do a little bit of volume. Or it may be that you realise you’ll need another couple of days off.

“If you can feel the symptoms starting to come, then you can look ahead and write off your next session and then when it comes to the following session you might find you’re feeling much better – whereas if you had done the session then you risk making your recovery more difficult.”

If you are intent on training, you should use your time productively, Gallagher says.