Heart problems with older guy lifting heavy

[Robert Parrish]

Just got out of hospital. Short of breath, big-time, for 3-4 week period, and got so bad went to doc. EKG showed Atrial Fibrillation with rapid heartbeat (at-rest heart rate of 170). Right to hospital. Meds brought down heart rate, and heart shocked back into normal rhythm. Cardio doc said week of rest and 30 days of meds should bring me back to 100%. (Nice to be here!) Anyway, doc also said my lifting heavy ain't a good thing at my age (58). Said heart muscle gets stronger/bigger as well, and such can contribute to atrial fib. Recommended *tone* lifting only; less weight, higher reps if I was gonna do anything at all.

 

[Robert Parrish]

Oh, also, during the 3-4 week period of shortness of breath, I thought the cardio machines at the gym were screwy; no way my heart rate was 160+ after just a 5-minute warm-up. (What a maroon)

 

[hypo_glycemic]

Just got out of hospital. Short of breath, big-time, for 3-4 week period, and got so bad went to doc. EKG showed Atrial Fibrillation with rapid heartbeat (at-rest heart rate of 170). Right to hospital. Meds brought down heart rate, and heart shocked back into normal rhythm. Cardio doc said week of rest and 30 days of meds should bring me back to 100%. (Nice to be here!) Anyway, doc also said my lifting heavy ain't a good thing at my age (58). Said heart muscle gets stronger/bigger as well, and such can contribute to atrial fib. Recommended *tone* lifting only; less weight, higher reps if I was gonna do anything at all.

I just went through the same thing in Aug..seeing a cardiologist and liver specialist. How long have you been using AAS and what amounts? I was over 170 at resting due to high blood pressure during a contest prep. Can you give a little more info regarding what and how long you were using AAS --or is this a hereditary type thing?

BTW...things just don't "go back to normal".. It's a life long commitment of being proactive with vitamins exercise and diet with comprehension of what brought you to this! Stress on the body and heart are deadly. I've been using AAS--sometimes heavy for 25 years. This isn't (train light for 30 days with high reps).. It's MUCH more than that!

What was your creatinine levels of your liver and did you fail the stress test? More info would maybe help the community? I was going to start a thread regarding my issues that brought me to this point. Glad you're okay and here!

 

[morphias]

I had similar problems one and a half years ago. The atrial fibrillation became bad enough that the cardiologist had to go in my groin arteries and perform a cardiac ablation. They zapped one of the atrials that was not functioning correctly, they killed it! I have ben tested every six months in case any other problem may develop. August of last year (2013) they found a aortic aneurysm . I am tested every three months now and when It gets large enough they will have to go into my chest and cut out a section of the arch of my aorta and replace it with a graft of material. My cardiologist said I could keep lifting but lighter weights and more reps. I can no longer do squats ,leg presses ,etc. because it compresses the chest. I still do my cardio.I am also walking outside up and down hills trying to strengthen my heart for the surgery. Please pay attention to your blood pressure and heart rate. I would have never known about the aneurysm until it burst if I had not been undergoing test. Sorry about the long post . Just thought I should warn others.

 

[Dr.G]

^^^ to all above: long term use of steroids while lifting heavy causes hypertrophy in the heart muscles and all sorts of problems in arteries. while natural lifting even heavy lifting will not cause any harm and is probably good for the heart. heavy lifting causes high peaks in blood pressure and more strain on the heart and is not recommended if you already have heart problems. all cardiac problems caused by heavy lifting while on steroids are reversible once you stop steroids ...only if you have not caused any permanent damage.
Robert: do not rely on cardio machines to give you a proper heart rate reading, there are any sources of errors due to interferences and/or due to poor electronic design..sk me i design things like that and i can explain in details all types of errors that can occur if you want.