Training with a heart condition
I’ve been lifting for about 30 years. A week ago my doctor told me I have a enlarged heart from lifting, as well as a dilated aorta. He said to lift lighter for more reps… no more heavy lifting. How can I keep my size and stay strong lifting lighter?
In ‘83 I was hospitalized with severe congestive heart failure… seriously almost died. My heart’s a mess and I was offered a more severe training option… aerobic only. “I don’t think so,” was my response under a few layers of tough skin, AKA madness.
It took three months of walk-and-sit recovery and three months of mickey-mouse weight training before I found my legs. I was checked regularly ‘cuz of the diseased condition by a fine doc who realized I was stubborn. As the months went by and with my continued attentive and intensifying training accompanied by superior eating habits, I improved in health and strength. In a year he admitted my progress exceeded that of any of his other patients and contributed it to the training. In two years I was blasting it and have ever since.
The truth is God and my faith in Him healed me, but I won’t deny the workouts and right eating and traces of humility added to my recovery.
The moral to the story is this: Ease into your training as suggested and build up to a moderate level of output. Training with the new parameters will teach you modified yet effective training approaches. Be confident.
Throw in three or four 20-minute brisk stationary bike rides or neighborhood walks and attend your weight and right eating.
The thing the doctor doesn’t want you to do, I suspect, is long sustained breath-holding reps, one-rep and two-rep max exercises, giant squat and deadlift routines. He’s protecting you and he may be overly protecting himself (malpractice). Which reminds me, don’t listen to a thing I say.
A good idea: Get a check up by a heart specialist — EKG — and get another in six months. See what’s up by comparing results. If he’s sports-hip, tell him of your plan. He might like the challenge.
Oh, yeah… pray!
God’s speed… Dave
Dave Draper - Dave Draper Posted on December 2nd, 2007 in Heart Health by Dave Draper