weight lifting after surgery

[MIKE69]

I am almost 7 weeks out and my cardio has allowed me to start weight training again. Light weights. I have lifted my entire life.
Has anyone weight lifted after surgery and how long after surgery did you begin?
How much weight do you use??
how long do you lift for in one excercise session??
I started today with 20 bs did about 4 excercises about 20 minutes

 

[Bina]

At 7 weeks out, I don't think your sternum is totally solid yet.....easy does it.

 

[ALCapshaw2]

The usual Mantra is "Less Weight, More Reps".

Best to ask your Surgeon (and maybe Cardio) for recommendations on Weight Limits.

FYI, Arnold Schwarzenegger (corrected spelling) "BLEW" his First Valve Replacement by 'overdoing it' with weights. Do a Search (any date) for "Schwarzenegger" on VR.com to find posts on that topic.

'AL Capshaw'

 

[Bina]

Mike, if you want to search out Arnold....his last name is: Schwarzenegger.

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Thanks for correcting my spelling error Bina.

Here's one of the more interesting (of the 51 posts listed under "Schwarzenegger"). Apparently Arnold opted for a Ross Procedure and then proceeded to begin lifting weights while still in the hospital (tell me how one does that?). That's what another post said anyway. He opted for a Tissue Valve after his RP failed.

This was posted my "Mary".

Quote

Dr. Stelzer knows the surgeon who did Arnold's Ross. He told Shine on Syd that Arnold had the connective tissue disorder that goes with BAV, but Arnold's surgeon didn't realize it at the time. The valve didn't hold, and it had to be replaced. (Edit - another reason to find a Surgeon with Experiece doing Surgery of the Aorta for BAV patients)

Stelzer said that many early Ross procedures ran into complications such as that and the surgeons all lived and learned by each others surgical cases. (Edit - The SURGEONS all lived? What about their patients?)

Shine on Syd posted this once before, but I can't find the post offhand.

End Quote

 

[MIKE69]

weight lifting

weight lifting

Dr Stelzer is the surgeon who performed my surgery. He informed me that I would be able to go back to lifting as long as I do not strain.
Is that story about Arnold really true??
I see Dr Stelzer Tuesday I will have to ask

 

[Tom F.]

I was back in the gym exactly 6 weeks to the day of my surgery, but it was all very light weight moving very slowly. I was especially cautious doing any check work. By the way my doc told me that Schwarzenegger is believed to have had a small tear in the area of where the transplanted aortic valve was, and the tear got worse over the few hrs after his first Ross procedure.

 

[deano89]

i met with the surgeon who will be performing my surgery and talked about recovery he said no lifting until the sternum was solid and that will take at least 8 weeks after that light weights and take it very easy for quite a while and he believes in time i wont have any restrictions so i guess take it slowly ..better safe than sorry

 

[David L]

I am almost 7 weeks out and my cardio has allowed me to start weight training again. Light weights. I have lifted my entire life.
Has anyone weight lifted after surgery and how long after surgery did you begin?
How much weight do you use??
how long do you lift for in one excercise session??
I started today with 20 bs did about 4 excercises about 20 minutes

I too am a lifetime lifter. My OHS was in august of 08 for AVR and aortic root replacement using the Medtronics Freestyle valve. What you are doing sounds about right. I started about the same time you did for about a half hour. Then I took the "Senior" aerobics class (I'm 69) for an hour, then walked for a half hour after I got home from the Y.

Your body will tell you when you reach the edge of what you can tolerate. You don't have to push it in the usual lifter mentality. There will be times you try more and have to go back to what you were doing. I am still progressing using that method. For instance I now bench 135# for 10 reps when I know I could do 20 reps. Just remember to not hold your breath when you push or pull. Always exhale when you move the weight.

Good luck!!

 

[MarkU]

I was an avid weightlifter/bodybuilder prior to my AVR, regularly bench pressing over 300lbs. I was back at the gym about 12 weeks post op, doing light weights (for me). Within nine months I was back bench pressing 200lbs, but have not tried to go any heavier. When I started triathlon training four years ago I pretty much stopped lifting, but my cardiologist is now suggesting that I go back to a moderate weight/high rep program.

BTW, I heard from a reliable source that Arnold hurt himself on a stationary bike in the hospital post-op, not lifting weights.

Mark

 

[spartangator]

One big factor you'll likely have to consider before getting back to more rigorous lifting is what your upper body joints will tolerate. You get so twisted around in surgery that it can take a couple of months before your shoulders and back will tolerate lifting (at least, this was consistent among the people I did cardiac therapy with and for me, too). Light lifting can help get these things back in order, of course.

Also, one huge factor my surgeon mentioned was being particularly sure to breathe while working. This is basic advice, of course, but half the guys I see every day are holding their breath during reps. The logic involved something about closing off the breathing passage (the epiglottis specifically, he said) and creating too much pressure in the chest cavity.

 

[David L]

I was an avid weightlifter/bodybuilder prior to my AVR, regularly bench pressing over 300lbs. I was back at the gym about 12 weeks post op, doing light weights (for me). Within nine months I was back bench pressing 200lbs, but have not tried to go any heavier. When I started triathlon training four years ago I pretty much stopped lifting, but my cardiologist is now suggesting that I go back to a moderate weight/high rep program.

BTW, I heard from a reliable source that Arnold hurt himself on a stationary bike in the hospital post-op, not lifting weights.

Mark

Like Arnold, I too had my OHS at Stanford. The nurses there told me not to do what Arnold did. When I asked they said he broke his chest open and he had to re enter the hospital to have it repaired. How he did it I never found out. Maybe the nurses didn't know either!

 

[WilliamJE]

(Edit - The SURGEONS all lived? What about their patients?)

Reminds me of a sarcastic comment I read somewhere. A patient died, but one doctor pointed out something on the fever chart to a colleague of his. "Isn't that a wonderful parabola?"

I read that a long time ago.

 

[JeffM]

Mike,

I started lifting at 6 weeks but I'm talking abouit really light weights. Your sternum isn't fully healed until 12 weeks. It's not about strength; it's about giving bone the time it absolutely needs to heal properly. That's something you DO NOT WANT TO SCREW UP. The time will go by very fast and you'll have plenty of time to to get your strength back. But remember, after the sternum heals, you still need to be aware that lifting heavy weaights really loads up the pressure on your heart. Hopefully, you and your cardiologist are on the same page when each of you thinks of "weight lifting" because there's a very wide range of activities that fall under that expression.

 

[MIKE69]

weight lifting

weight lifting

I always lfted very heavy.
In fact some doctors believe this may have made my Anyrsm progress faster then it should have
it is good to see many people still lifting out there.
It has been a bg part of my life and I was in fear it was over.
I have no issues working light but 20 lbs I believe is not doing me any good.

I have watched all my muscle go since Jan.

 

[MIKE69]

weight lifting

weight lifting

Went to the surgeon today got permisson to lift heavier.
Spoke about Arnold Schwartneger seems like he had a tear in his replaced valve and not due to weight lifting after surgery

 

[ctyguy]

Im 200 lbs and prior to surgery I lifted a few times a week. I never really went much beyond 225 lbs on the bench. I started back at the gym at 6 weeks and chest work wasn't realistic. I could feel even light weights and I was so freaked about it that I just focused on other areas. At 9 or 10 weeks I started back with chest work but kept my bench weight really light, 100lbs doing sets of 20. I also started doing modified pushups on my knees. By 4 months my chest was fully healed and I was putting a 45 lb plate on each side (so 135 lbs) 5 sets 15 or 20 reps.

Im running more now than lifting, doing more core as well. I still lift twice a week but Im focused on sets of 15 - 20 so Im still using less weight than I used to.

 

[METAL VIPER]

I had AVR in January and was told not to lift anything over 150lbs. I did my own research and came to my own conclusions, now I'm back to powerlifting. I've taken it slow on bench progression, but my squat and deadlift are climbing.

 

[laurad37]

20 pounds???? I am 6 weeks out and am still on weight restrictions and carrying a gallon of milk seems heavy to me.

 

[Hot Rod Harry]

Oh to be able to lift again. I once benched 400, squated 600 and deadlifted 550, 1550 total, at 198 lbs..

I'm 43 and I'm not even thinking that I could come close to those kind of weights again. I'd be happy just being able to keep in shape. My cardio told me that I would be able to lift after valve replacement, but just at a much lighter weight.

I'll worry more about that after I survive valve replacement.