Lifting Weights after Surgery

[pellicle]

Hi

but did anyone mention Arnold Schwarzenegger blowing out his aortic valve shortly after a Ross procedure?

if not in this thread, it sure comes up in others ;-)

PS I'm no fan of the Ross.

 

[newarrior]

The thing on the weight restriction is that it takes the muscles and the sternum one year to heal, and that takes time. Not that everyone is different, it takes a year for your body to heal from the surgery. Muscles are in trauma from the cutting and the sternum from the separation of the rib cage during surgery.

I've never heard anything about 1 year. I thought everything is supposed to be pretty much back together in about 3 months? Is there any studies or data that back up this assertion? I thought the wiring of the sternum with titanium really does the job as far as getting your sternum back together but you're correct I don't know about the muscles or the other supporting soft tissue. One year to recover from the surgery? My God that sounds horrible

 

[Timmay]

I've never heard anything about 1 year. I thought everything is supposed to be pretty much back together in about 3 months? Is there any studies or data that back up this assertion? I thought the wiring of the sternum with titanium really does the job as far as getting your sternum back together but you're correct I don't know about the muscles or the other supporting soft tissue. One year to recover from the surgery? My God that sounds horrible

What sounds horrible to me is not getting the surgery or constantly delaying it for various BS reasons … and then dropping dead one day. But hey, maybe I’m unique in those thoughts

 

[carolinemc]

I've never heard anything about 1 year. I thought everything is supposed to be pretty much back together in about 3 months? Is there any studies or data that back up this assertion? I thought the wiring of the sternum with titanium really does the job as far as getting your sternum back together but you're correct I don't know about the muscles or the other supporting soft tissue. One year to recover from the surgery? My God that sounds horrible

I was told when I was getting ready for surgery, the muscles take a year to heal completely, and it is a true fact.

 

[Lisa from LJ]

I've never heard anything about 1 year. I thought everything is supposed to be pretty much back together in about 3 months? Is there any studies or data that back up this assertion? I thought the wiring of the sternum with titanium really does the job as far as getting your sternum back together but you're correct I don't know about the muscles or the other supporting soft tissue. One year to recover from the surgery? My God that sounds horrible

I was told a year before they consider you 100% recovered, but that doesn't mean you can't lead a normal life before then. I had pericarditis beginning 2 months post-surgery (more common with mitral than aortic valves) and it lasted a while because every time they'd take me off prednisone, it would recur. I stayed on a very low dose of prednisone for about 9 months until Vioxx came out and was on that until the pericarditis resolved. I still have occasional recurrences. Even so, I was working and chasing my young children and once the pain lessened, doing moderate exercise, which was more than I had done for 22 years before surgery.

 

[PhillyJohn]

Just adding my experience: I’m 42, valve replacement with onx about 7months ago. I was given no restrictions after the initial 3 month healing process beyond “be careful, and if it feels bad don’t do it”. I’m back to lifting weights exceeding my body weight (deadlift/bench/squat), and everything feels good so far. Sometimes things like pectoral flies that stretch the chest feel a little tight, but not painful.

I started lifting again immediately following the 3 month initial healing period, slowly ramping back up close to where I was pre surgery.

I’ll probably never try to max out deadlifts or squats again, but that’s got more to do with my back than my heart

I do have a long history of heavy weightlifting, so your mileage may vary of course.

 

[Timmay]

Just adding my experience: I’m 42, valve replacement with onx about 7months ago. I was given no restrictions after the initial 3 month healing process beyond “be careful, and if it feels bad don’t do it”. I’m back to lifting weights exceeding my body weight (deadlift/bench/squat), and everything feels good so far. Sometimes things like pectoral flies that stretch the chest feel a little tight, but not painful.

I started lifting again immediately following the 3 month initial healing period, slowly ramping back up close to where I was pre surgery.

I’ll probably never try to max out deadlifts or squats again, but that’s got more to do with my back than my heart

I do have a long history of heavy weightlifting, so your mileage may vary of course.

That’s awesome! FWIW, I also have a long history of heavy weightlifting but things didn’t work out so great for me. At 6 months after surgery I hit my goal of benching 135 super slow, feet off the ground, perfect form (while weighing 165lbs). Prior to surgery I could bench 225, no problem. However, within days of reaching that 135lb goal everything fell apart and I haven’t been the same since. Now, over 2 years later, I’m relegated to benching only 105-115 . Huge change.

Just be careful.

 

[ncw3642]

That’s awesome! FWIW, I also have a long history of heavy weightlifting but things didn’t work out so great for me. At 6 months after surgery I hit my goal of benching 135 super slow, feet off the ground, perfect form (while weighing 165lbs). Prior to surgery I could bench 225, no problem. However, within days of reaching that 135lb goal everything fell apart and I haven’t been the same since. Now, over 2 years later, I’m relegated to benching only 105-115 . Huge change.

Just be careful.

Hi!
As someone who was an experienced lifter before surgery (and is only ~5 weeks out) can you elaborate a bit more on what happened when things "fell apart?" I feel confident in my ability to work my weight back up eventually (way down the line) but want to avoid any setbacks.

 

[Timmay]

Hi!
As someone who was an experienced lifter before surgery (and is only ~5 weeks out) can you elaborate a bit more on what happened when things "fell apart?" I feel confident in my ability to work my weight back up eventually (way down the line) but want to avoid any setbacks.

If you want to avoid setbacks, IMHO, don’t try to lift much at all in the first year … no matter your experience and self-belief. I am experienced, confident, and know my body. I did the right things by going to cardiac rehab and getting approval from doctors. I waited the required 4 months before beginning again. AND I started slooow. I started off with benching the bar (45lb) which is nothing to someone who has benched heavy for ~35 years. I raised my bench 10lb a week until I was at the ol standard of a 45 on each side (135). Cool.

However, shortly after reaching that goal, I just can’t lift anything like that anymore. I can walk for miles. I never get out of breath. I can do all of the normal human activities … but lifting weights like I previously did is now impossible. If I go past a certain point of “strenuous”, even though it feels GREAT while working out, I go downhill over the next 24h and take about 1-2 weeks to recover. The downhill is a feeling of exhaustion, a thumping heart (like after surgery), PVCs, a higher heart rate, and slightly higher blood pressure. When I hit that point it really sucks. No pain - just complete exhaustion for what appears to be no apparent reason. And it takes awhile to recover.

Docs have done a CT study with contrast, echoes, X-rays, stress test, blood test. They can’t find anything. But it’s there.

I chalk it up to me pushing too hard during months 4-6 to reach a “goal”. The goal seemed completely realistic - especially given my experience. But, alas, it was not meant to be for me. Although I started slow - I shouldn’t have increased my weight like that (even though it seemed slow and easy). Along with starting off slow, I should have just stuck to maybe no more than 40% of my previous weights and just stuck there for a year without any increases.

JMHO.

I’ve also told my closest friends who are also bigtime weight lifters that if they ever have OHS that they have to do what I just recommended. There’s too much at stake and an extra 8 months of lifting light weight is well worth it.

 

[d333gs]

I got an On-X 23mm aortic valve last Sep 14th, 2023. I returned to serious weightlifting in January, 2024, which was 4 months after surgery.

I had been exercising seriously, including weightlifting, until 2 days before my surgery. I understand weightlifting, and I understand my own body. However, I was very weak by January, 2024 when I started weightlifting again. I had to be patient and careful as I increased my activity. I feel that I am now at 90% of my pre-surgery strength and endurance. Good luck!

Don,

Be careful. I had my aortic valve replaced in May 2022. I had a goal of bench pressing 135 for 10 slow reps with perfect form at six months after surgery. I accomplished this. However, I believe that this *may* have contributed to issues that I currently experience to this day. Up until that six month goal. I felt awesome and was doing great. It wasn’t until directly after achieving this goal that I started experiencing issues. From that point forward, any strenuous activity could lead to premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) and a general feeling of total exhaustion that would take a week or so to recover from. Granted, my workout routine was relatively fast paced and tough. But, it wasn’t anything new to me as I was doing the exact routine for years prior to surgery (10 sets of 10 reps in back to back succession. 1 minute break. Repeat two more times. 300 reps in about 25 minutes or so).

If I could do things all over again, I would not lift weights at all for an entire year after surgery. If I felt compelled to lift some thing in terms of weights, I would keep the weight ridiculously low. I would focus more on walking and walking and walking and walking. I would then switch over to some light, jogging, and/or cardio.

I absolutely love working out with weights. I have done it for 35 years ever since I was in high school. However, I can no longer lift weights as aggressively as I once did. That makes me kind of sad. But, the thankfulness and happiness of being given this second chance at life with this mechanical valve far outweighs any of that. I am blessed.

I think a lot of what individuals need to do for recovery depends on their age. I was 50 when my valve was replaced. I shouldn’t have expected to recover like the 20 or 30 year olds on this forum. I should have given myself much more time to recover and allow my heart to remodel.

"(10 sets of 10 reps in back to back succession. 1 minute break. Repeat two more times. 300 reps in about 25 minutes or so)." Thats wild! Sort of wights and cardio combined . Was this with medium weights?

 

[Timmay]

"(10 sets of 10 reps in back to back succession. 1 minute break. Repeat two more times. 300 reps in about 25 minutes or so)." Thats wild! Sort of wights and cardio combined . Was this with medium weights?

I don’t think it’s that crazy. Instead of working out 6 days a week (3 upper body and 3 lower body), we reduce that to only 3 days a week. And it’s not 10 sets of the same thing … but it’s 10 sets of different exercises; different muscle groups. So, you get a full body workout. You’re doing at least 10-12 reps per set. Do your 10 different exercises back to back. Take a break. Then repeat. Take a break. Then repeat. Done.

This workout can be completed in 1/2hr. So, instead of working out 5-6 days a week for an hour each … you just have 3 days a week at 30min. It was a great workout. But, I can’t do that anymore.

 

[pellicle]

but it’s 10 sets of different exercises; different muscle groups. So, you get a full body workout. You’re doing at least 10-12 reps per set. Do your 10 different exercises back to back. Take a break. Then repeat. Take a break. Then repeat. Done.

any farmer or field worker knows humans have long since developed standards on what to expect from "tough fit young men". We know we can work for 2 hours, then need a break. Typically that's been every two to three hours and then at least half an hour break.

From Wikipedia: (my bold)

During a bicycle race, an elite cyclist can produce close to 400 watts of mechanical power over an hour and in short bursts over double that—1000 to 1100 watts; modern racing bicycles have greater than 95% mechanical efficiency. An adult of good fitness is more likely to average between 50 and 150 watts for an hour of vigorous exercise.[clarification needed] Over an 8-hour work shift, an average, healthy, well-fed and motivated manual laborer may sustain an output of around 75 watts of power.[2] However, the potential yield of human electric power is decreased by the inefficiency of any generator device, since all real generators incur losses during the energy conversion process.[3][4]​

Some units

Watts are defined as 1 Watt = 1 Joule per second (1W = 1 J/s)​

​

A joule is the amount of energy needed to exert a force of one newton through one meter. For example, if you lift a one-kilogram weight one meter, then the energy you must expend is: E = Fd = (ma)d = mgd = (1 kg)(9.8m/s2)(1 m) = 9.8 kg m2/s2 = 9.8 joules.​

​

PS: living out here I know many farmers. I know how much work they do and how the nature and execution of that changes over time. Some die younger, some have ruined backs an knees by 50.

an excellent example done of work over time

https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/aa-battery-to-lift-1000kg-up-1meter.440541/

Gym is very controlled circumstances work, but it is still work. Think about the above and ask yourself:

• how old you are
• how old do you wish to be
• why are you exerszing
• are the old guys you see forming a "survivor bias" situation (because you don't see the ones who fell by the way-side)

 

[skier]

Docs have done a CT study with contrast, echoes, X-rays, stress test, blood test. They can’t find anything. But it’s there.

Don't stop looking! Your story sounds like there is something wrong. It is very different from my experience returning to exercise after two surgeries and my experience with a mechanical valve.

Keep pushing your docs. Get a cardiac MRI and nuclear exercise stress test or VO2 max test. Find a doctor who wants to figure it out, and keep testing.

I think there's a good chance your issues are coincident with your weightlifting, not because of it.

 

[skier]

I've never heard anything about 1 year. I thought everything is supposed to be pretty much back together in about 3 months? Is there any studies or data that back up this assertion? I thought the wiring of the sternum with titanium really does the job as far as getting your sternum back together but you're correct I don't know about the muscles or the other supporting soft tissue. One year to recover from the surgery? My God that sounds horrible

I've been through this twice. For me, the one year was to get back to full strength with no pain.

It went like this: I lifted nothing heavier than a gallon of milk for three months, followed by three months of slowly increasing strength, starting with two-pound weights and increasing weight very slowly. I was cleared to lift anything after six months. It took another six months to regain full strength, slowly progressing to lifting the same weight as before without feeling discomfort.

I think some folks do it much faster. I took a cautious approach.

 

[pellicle]

I've been through this twice. For me, the one year was to get back to full strength with no pain.

agreed ... "fools rush in where Angels fear to tread"

Ask Arnie how he feels about this topic.

Its not just the bone that needs to heal.

 

[NorthVanJosh]

Bit late to this thread but I was wondering the same thing. When I asked my surgeon when he came by my bedside he advised to wait 6 months post surgery before trying to lift weights and to keep it very light when I eventually do go back to the gym. Obviously he (and everyone else) advised to focus on walking/cardio for the initial 6 months.

I'm 32 btw so the advise for older people on the form maybe be a longer recovery period before going back to the gym.

 

[d333gs]

For me, I dont think the issue was the heart , it was more the healing of the rib cage. I had a simple AV change. I was otherwise healthy. At 3 months I started biking ,light weights, working outside , cutting wood etc and there were some 'twings and twangs' that were bit scarry.
Your imagination can go wild wondering if you snapped something. By six months I was performing well and felt confident. For me, the 3 to 6 month period was an important time to test everything and get my footing back .