Returning to the gym post Cardioversion. First Post.

[Billiam54]

Good Morning Everybody,

How do you do? I'm Bill, 64 years of age, pretty fit and I'm the proud owner of Atrial Fibrillation. The condition was discovered during a shoulder op in April 2017. I underwent a successful Cardioversion procedure on Tuesday and I was hopeful that once in NSR I would stay there, but having read numerous posts on the website this now seems unlikely which has called for the resetting of expectations.

I have always trained hard in the gym, both CV and strength and I am eager to recommence training as soon as possible, but at the same time evoking a modicum of common sense in order to avoid an assisted return to AF. I would be keen to hear from anybody who has had either positive or negative experiences when returning to exercise post Cardioversion. All advice gratefully received. Cheers

[Hidden]

There always tends to be a divergence of opinion regarding extreme exercise and AF but the best advice I think is listen to your body and always err on the side of common sense......long may your NSR continue!

[Billiam54 in reply to Hidden]

Hi Flapjack and Bob D,

Thanks very much for your rapid replies, they are most appreciated.

When in AF I experienced a drop off in performance capability and my times on the cardio machines increased, but this may also be due to the ageing process. Whilst exercising I always feel good and by its nature although exercise is tiring, for me it rarely laboured. Since discovering that I had AF I have never felt any different during exercise to how I have felt during the preceding years, so it is difficult for me to listen to my body, as I don't hear anything. Drawing on your experiences, are there any indicators that I should be looking for whilst in the gym.

Message received regarding halving the intensity of my workouts.

Thanks again.

Bill

[Hidden in reply to Billiam54]

Appreciate your reply Bill, but I’m not best placed to advise. Although reasonably fit and well, I’m a good bit older than your good self and my exercise comprises of daily brisk walks in excess of 3 miles or so! Others here are better placed to advise, but it sounds to me as if you know what you are doing! Good luck! john

[BobD Volunteer]

As Flapjack says listen to your body. Cardioversion is never a cure for AF, merely demonstrates that you can be put back into NSR so you need to learn what you can do or you will soon be back in AF . I love single malt whisky but that proved not to be a great idea with AF so I had to stop. I'm not saying stop exercise, just knock back the intensity by 50% and see how you feel.

[Hidden]

as others have said - listen to your body. start slowly and build up as you see fit and within the limits of ability. after my (still successful) cardioversion back in March, I have been back swimming, biking and running and noticing that I am now stronger aerobically - which I'd be surprised if I hadn't been given the previous AF - and am gradually working my way back to a good level of fitness. not pushing over hard yet, but starting to see better endurance and strength return. at 65 I'm not expecting to be as fit as I was in younger years but maintain a good level and maybe return to competitive triathlon!

on my last discussion with my cardiologist, I asked him how hard I could push myself in training - his sage words were "just go on how you feel". bang on imho.

good luck

[Billiam54 in reply to Hidden]

Hi,

Thanks for the reply. Looks like "building up slowly" is the answer.

Bill

[Kaz747]

I had a cardioversion on 10 April for Atrial Flutter and my meds were upped. I was back at work and going to the gym and pool, trying to lead a ‘normal’ life (no extreme exercise) and then on 18 June was taken to hospital by ambulance with AFib so that cardioversion lasted 10 weeks. Hopefully the ablations I’m having next month will keep me AFib/Flutter/MAT free for a while 🤞🏻

[Billiam54 in reply to Kaz747]

Hi,

Thanks for the reply, sorry to hear about the reoccurrence of Afib. Good luck with the ablation procedure.

Keep fitters, just want to continue keeping fit.

[Hidden in reply to Billiam54]

"Keep fitters, just want to continue keeping fit" part of our lifestyles for most I guess. I played competitive rugby till 40, then took up climbing and mountain biking for a few years (still do some MTB), then marathons and triathlon when I hit 50 - still doing them until a couple of years ago, but now more triathlon refereeing (at International level - off to Denmark next week). but still want to keep fit as much as possible

[Billiam54 in reply to Hidden]

I agree, it is part of our lifestyle and we get cheesed off when we can't do it. Like you I've trained all of my life and I really want to keep it going. So fingers crossed that I hit the right balance. Cheers.

[IanMK]

If you listen to your body but can’t hear anything then it’s likely that either your body’s not complaining or you’re not listening 😉. Just throttle back a little - you’re not 30 and invincible any more - and be ready to stop if something doesn’t seem normal for you. We’re all different so our recommendations are likely to be more subjective.

[Billiam54 in reply to IanMK]

Hi Ian,

Thanks for your comments and thoughts, they are appreciated. As you suggest and as I know, I must take my foot off the gas if I am to have any chance of remaining in NSR.

Cheers.

[jondeanp]

I guess it depends what your trigger may be for going into Afib?

When i have been in Afib i had to change my exercise regime (HIIT sessions were ok for me, but running was a no no)

When in NSR i revert back to normal. Only trouble is trying to regain the running fitness

[Billiam54 in reply to jondeanp]

I had persistent AF before my I underwent my CV on Tuesday, I think that I was in that condition for approximately 18 months but I have no way of knowing the exact time scale. I also have no way of knowing what triggered the AF. I'm in NSR now so it a case of taking it easy and trial and error. Whilst I was in AF out of all of the cardio exercises it was running on the treadmill that increased my heart rate the most, so I'll probably steer clear of that for a while and stick to the bike, elliptical and ergo as I'm still keen to maintain cardiovascular fitness. Have you tried resistance/strength training at all?

[jondeanp in reply to Billiam54]

I do body weight exercises (push ups, pull ups etc) and I do use some 10Kg dumbells for a variety of moves also. I don't have any issues with this even when in AF

[Billiam54 in reply to jondeanp]

OK, thanks very much. I appreciate that you have taken the time to answer.

[jondeanp]

By the way, when i said "it depends what your trigger is", i wasn't expecting you to know the answer. Sorry!

I still don't know what mine could be, but i believe i have seen some people saying exercise causes there AF. But on the flip side i have seen comments from people that do exercise to self cardiovert!!!

[Billiam54 in reply to jondeanp]

No worries. It would be great if I could self cardiovert through intense exercise, it would give me something to train towards. Cheers.

[stodge]

I'd be interested to find out 3 months on how you have got on with increasing your exercise. I'm 2 weeks post cardioversion, but their advise has been "light exercise only, nothing more than a brisk walk" until my follow up appointments (as they also suspect cardiomyopathy). I've never been a fitness freak but am keen to start doing something, at least some core work and squats etc as I need to get ski fit for February!

[Billiam54 in reply to stodge]

Hi Stodge,

I had a discussion with the cardiology nurse, (who really knows her stuff) following my cardio version and it was decided between the two of us that after a couple of weeks of rest that I could return to the gym. It was also decided that I would not exceed a heart rate of 130 bpm when training. I stuck to this guideline until I my follow up consultation two months post cardio version when I was given a maximum BPM of 150 and I've adhered to that ever since. I do a fair amount of cardio vascular exercise, static biking, indoor rowing, elliptical training and road cycling and as soon as my heart rate approaches 149 BPM I ease off. I am still in NSR, touch wood.

Things worthy of note:

1. I am a "Fitness Freak" and have trained hard all my life and as such was pretty fit before I had the cardio version. My resting heart rate is considered very low.

2. We are all different and what is right for me may not necessarily suit you.

3. From reading articles posted on this forum and around the web it would appear that cardiologists and EP's have differing views when it comes to exercise post CV.

4. As yet, I do not have any other heart complications. Touch wood again.

5. Although only a rule of thumb my calculated max heart rate is 156 BPM (220 - My age) so at a HR of 150 I am not exceeding max.

6. I have a Polar chest strap which enables me to monitor my heart rate accurately during exercise. The wrist monitors are pretty inaccurate, particularly when rowing.

7. As has been mentioned by several contributors in this string, try and listen to your body and ease off when it is telling you to.

I hope that this helps.

Good Luck.

Bill