How much exercise is too much?

[sandydee8]

My 47 year old son had congestive heart failure four years ago due to an undiagnosed aortic valve defect. Due to extensive damage to his heart muscle, he had the valve replaced (bovine valve), aortic repair with a dacron graft, and a maze procedure. He is a retired L.A. County Deputy Sheriff and has been extremely physically active his entire life. He now still works out six days a week and has both a cardio workout and a heavy weight program. He LOOKS great, but tells me that his heart always feels "off" and he has had to quit his hobby of surfing due to shortness of breath. He is due for his annual echocardiogram and is scared that he is not long for this world (he is a "glass half empty" guy and I am a "full glass" person). I reach out to anyone out there who may have had any similar experiences and just want to know how you feel physically. My son takes metoprolol and that is the only med he is on. Thank you for any help or info.

 

[tobagotwo]

He has a dacron graft. That means he had an aortic aneurysm. He should not be participating in any type of "heavy weight program." Strain can cause other aneurysms, dissection, or aortic ruptures, if you have the tendency to begin with (he does). Those are deadly consequences.

If he wants to stick with weights, he must use much lighter weights and more reps. However, it should not be the mainstay of his exercise routine.

There are folks here who have become very knowledgeable about weight use with valve-and-aortic-graft surgery. They can help determine what type of program makes sense better than I can.

Best wishes,

 

[jimbo]

Hello. I also work for LASD (22 years) Like your son, I was a fitness fanatic up until two years ago when I had my aorta replaced with a SJ mechanical. I'm back to work but my surgeon and cardio told me to stop lifting heavy. I went from 450 lbs bench to doing a max of 100lbs for reps. I don'y lift heavy objects anymore. If, I do, I'm tired for quite some time. My cardio is much better since the surgery but now I only work out light. Feel free to e-mail me. Jim

 

[Philip B]

Here's a somewhat different perspective...

My aortic valve was replaced with a St. Judes mechanical in 2007. Most of my aorta was replaced with a dacron graft as well. I'd recommend that your son visit with his cardiologist regarding the heavy lifting stuff and appropriate levels of exercise.

The problem with seeking advice pertaining to this subject is that all of us are different and opinions among cardiologists seem to vary. My cardio doc has told me many times that I can engage in any exercise program I feel like doing. I've specifically asked about weight training because of posts I've seen here and he wasn't concerned at all. His advice about weight lifting is to remember to do proper breathing.

Since I'm more involved in activities that require more endurance than muscle bulk, I prefer to do more reps with lighter weights rather than lifting heavy.

Others may certainly disagree, but I think your son would be better advised to discuss the activities he wants to pursue with a cardiologist he trusts. At 47, he's certainly old enough to seek the advice of a professional and make responsible decisions.

-Philip

 

[terodac]

I was told not to lift anything heavy, a bag of 20pnd dog food is about all I will lift anyway. Take care take it easy!

 

[Megan]

shortness of breath upon exertion is something that needs to be looked into. its a classic sign of something cardiac related depending on what your problem is. it can also be just stress or random illness too but the fact that he reports it only durng exercise is something to have checked out. he should be going to the cardio every year to have it all looked at..to make sure the bovine valve isnt calcyfying again sooner than expected... good luck!

 

[MarkU]

I had my aortic valve replaced with a St Jude mechanical nine years ago at age 47. No meds other than Coumadin.
Although I was diagnosed with a bad valve as a child, I was given no restrictions while growing up and led a very active life. I was an active weightlifter/bodybuilder and was benchpressing up to 325lbs. until about a year before my AVR.

After my surgery, my cadiologist asked that I give up heavy lifting and limit myself to light/moderate weights with high reps. For me, with my weightlifting background, that meant dropping down to 125lb bench presses.
With my doctor's encouragement, I also started doing more aerobic exercise (swimming, cycling and running), which eventually led to doing my first triathlon at age 50, three years after my surgery.
I am very careful when exercising and always wear a heart rate monitor to stay within a targeted range.

All that being said, I now definitely need more rest & recovery time than I used to between strenuous workouts. I also take more naps. There are times when I just seem to "run out of gas" and need a day or so to recover. I think a lot of it is due to aging (I'm 56 now), but I would have to assume that some of it is also attributable to my heart.

I have always needed time to "warm-up" prior to strenous exercise, even prior to my surgery. If start out to quickly, I tend to get short of breath and my heart rate will spike. When I run, I usually will start out walking for about a 1/4 mile or to get my heart rate going before trying to actually run.

Mark

 

[deano89]

i have just had a similar discussion with my Doctor as i did heavy weights for best part of 30 years i am 46 now and have had mitral valve repair , my doctor siad in his opinion when i get the all clear to start training again to leave the heavy weights alone permanently as it puts a big strain and load on the heart and may well blow the valve .his advice is still do weights but keep it light high reps .he said to ask my surgeon for a second opinion when i see him, i am meeeting with him thursday for 6 week post checkup.
my thinking on this is there is no doubt lifting heavy weights puts a great deal of load on the heart ,so for me the days of lifting heavy are over .but when i have completed cardiac rehab i will do the light high rep cardio style workout keep fit and toned aproach,lots of walking cycling and some swimming .
just one other thing it was the very slight change when doing weights that got me to the doctors in the first place ,when i went in my exact word were "not sure what but something seems to of changed when i do weights it all feels slightly harder ,not sure wether i am just getting older or something is going on with my prolapsed valve" he then listenend to my heart and that was when i stepped on to theheart valve repair rollercoaster ride. it sounds as though he is saying something similar

 

[RobThatsMe]

Hi Sandydee,

Several have made some good comments to you, and I would like to add some thoughts on this topic as well.

First, as Philip mentioned, everyone is different, and consulting the doctor is always best. People on this site all have different conditions. Some only had Valve replacement, others have had aneurysms and dissections and also had their valve replaced, and still others have various forms of heart disease possibly combined with any of the other conditions mentioned. In each case, treatment and future incident avoidence could be unique to the person and condition.

When I first read your post the mention of "graft" raised a redflag with me. Bob H mentioned that this usually indicates an aneurysm or dissection condition. I also think this could be true.

Im my case, I was a dedicated weight lifter, and worked out 5 days a week for well over 14 years. My health was great... there were no existing conditions that would have indicated I had a problem. As it turns out, I had an emergency ascending aortic dissection, and my aorta tore from my aortic valve all the way down and then onto my left kneecap. They gave me a 3 to 6% chance of surviving the emergency surgery.

My heart surgeon, my vascular surgeon and my cardiologist all told me to stop heavy lifting and not to lift anymore than 50 lbs at any given time. They advised doing high reps with lighter weights if was to continue working out.

That was almost 10 years ago, ohh any by the way, I was almost 50 when this occurred. I still work out, and stay cut and toned, but I have lost some body mass. But hey... I am still here in this world. I am too old to compete, and pushing the limits on this hobby would only jepordize my health and life.

During this time, I have since developed A-fib, and my heart goes out of rhythm from time to time. Since I am already on coumidin, for my heart valve, this medication also helps reduce the risk of a stroke when my heart does go out of rhythm. Is your son on any kind of any kind of anticouagulant? You note mentioned that he was on a Beta Blocker, metoprolol, but if he is also in and out of rhythm, perhaps he needs to consult his doctor about this and ask him about some stoke prevention medication.

You son is 47, and it would seem that his doctors must have provided him with some advice regarding his condition. Does he talk about this with you? Would it be possible for you to accompany him to the doctor during his next checkup? You could then discuss this issue with him present.

I have my "story" posted on this site, perhaps it may help if he reads it.

Hope you can talk with him and get a clearer understanding of his condition and actions. Perhaps he is doing exactly what the doctors advised.

Rob

 

[RalphD]

I am 48 years old and just recently had mitral valve repair robotically. I spent earlier portion of my life bodybuilding, running and surfing. Along with misguided partying, raising two boys and arguing with my ex wife. All of which placed a great stress on my heart. I always thougt working out was only a benefit to your body. Now understand that too much of it could actually have been a detriment and possible cause of my conditions - enlargend heart, mitral valve regurgitation due to torn chordae. Since my surgery I am on the treadmill and stationary bike more than in the weight room. When I do lift, it usually for cardio, one machine or excercise to the nest ,basically curcuit training. I cannot lift the amounts I use too. All that matters to me now if for my heart to keep functioning as efficiently as possible without me damaging it in some ego based way. I have matured past the I have too look good stage to I want to live as long as I can stage. After all we have gone through , why do too much....

Ralph Decena

 

[R&N Brown]

Sandydee, Thank you for bringing this subject up.
Earlier on I spoke about being advised to stick to lower weights with higher reps if I felt lifting was something I wanted to pursue. Man I got the hatchet by a couple of folks here so I did not bother bringing it up again. Very glad to see that you have and that so many are in agreement.

I had my Aortic valve replaced, and like your son, most of my ascending aorta replaced. With the new found energy I continued to find myself in the gym. At first I was being a good boy and stuck to a few body weight exercises and cardio workouts. Felt good but the more I did and the stronger I became, naturally, the more I have attempted.

No more then 40 lbs as many times as I want to lift it has been my Cardio's advice. Any lift. I'll admit that I have done lets just say a shiver more then that on occasion. That was until last Tuesday.

Last Tuesday I had a 16 month check up with my Cardio. I brought up his advice and asked him why only 40 lbs for me? I know I can do more Doc! He flipped through my file and said, "here it is" pulled out a chart that showed my aortic arch is still post surgery 4.5 - 4.8 cm. Also said that in my case they had no good fix for it either. Added that if I were to blow that out fair good chance I'd be dead before I hit the floor.

Today I'm thinking that 20 lbs 50 times instead of 40 lbs 30 times sounds good.
Light lifting, plenty of body weights (do the most for me anyway) and 20-30 minutes of cardio 6 times a week. Not a bad routine for me.

I might mention that I really never pushed it too much and that in less then a year I have lost over 45 lbs of fat and have added noticeable muscle. I always wear a HR Monitor. If I go over 160 BPM my valve does some funky stuff. And like Mark U, I need to listen to my system if it says extra sleep, get extra sleep, you learn that you only think you have a choice.

Cardio has advised me to get all the exercise I feel good doing just be smart about it.
What I want to do and what I can safely do are 2 different things.

ChouDouFu, you should be sure to read these posts.

Dead is dead.

 

[Superbob]

I don't have any expert opinion but I had the aortic valve and root replacement (porcine and dacron graft) at age 63. In cardiac rehab, there was a weight lifting segment with light weights gradually increasing. I do a lot of walking but have never been in a formal weight-lifting program. But I seem to remember being advised to limit lifting to 50 pounds or so -- and in no case should I strain in lifting. Of course, we are all different, and our capacities differ. But I would advise being cautious about the weight-lifting. Seeking medical advice would be a good idea. Exercise itself of course is beneficial.

 

[deano89]

i met with my surgeon thursday while there i asked about doing weights & in particular doing heavy weights ,his reply was that i still had my own valve , i had had reconstructive valve surgery(mitral valve repair) , i am still young and that lifting heavy weights or exercise will not damage my heart or valve , but i should gradually build it up and to go live life to the full .
this was for me not sure if this would be the same for a replacement valve!

 

[67walkon]

This is an interesting question. I think we get so many different opinions from different doctors because very few of them keep up on the latest developments in this field.

I was 57 when I got my bovine valve, dacron hose and maze procedure. The surgeon seemed the most knowlegable. He told me to keep it under 75 or so pounds for my upper body. The local cardiologist said no more than 50 pounds.

The issue is that a BAV is a connective tissue disorder, not just limited to the valve. We are more prone to aneurisms in our brains and abdominal aorta. It is just a fact of life.

They look at my abdominal aorta annually when they do the echo on my heart valve. they can't really look at my brain.

I mostly ride a bike a lot-100 miles or so a week. But I do weights a couple of times a week too. I don't push the weights too hard.

I don't think anyone really knows, but it is safer to be careful.