I have been doing this for a few weeks now by am not totally convinced it is the right thing for me. It's definitely a harder workout than hospital rehab (Phase 3) but I struggle somewhat with my arthritic hip. At least all the equipment works.
Who has done/is doing Phase 4 and how did/do you find it?
At my best cross country pace in my teens I would have taken about 3h 20m but that is a distant memory! 😎
My maternal grandfather lived there for most of his life. Haven't visited since the wall came down. Must do so some time...
Hi Michael I have done and am still going to the rehab 4 classes provided by my local leisure centre. Some of the trainers have also run the rehab 3 sessions as they are all employed in the same team. I have found it really helpful it has continued to be a focus for me rather than just walking. It just helps with the variety of exercises as well as keeping in touch (albeit remotely) with the rehab team has helped. Maybe they can adapt some of the exercises for you perhaps. It’s also good to get to meet and see other people as well. Anyway for me it’s worth the effort of getting to the gym on the bus even in the winter!
As to a marathon. Does a half marathon in Jamaica count sadly could only manage 3.15! Anyway hope you sort something out. Cheers. Zena
It is neither a competition nor a race! 🤪
Flash parrot 🤪
I've been going to phase 4 for just a year. I go twice a week and hate it but there is no doubt it helps me a lot. I actually feel better and my exercise tolerance has gone up over the year. I walk on the other days of the week. The hip replacement/waiting for replacements people in my group use the equipment reserved for "disabled"- the bikes and upper arm exercise machine - as they appreciate having the back rests. The instructor adapts the group exercise circuit items for individuals. She advises people to work to their own limits. There is always a waiting list for the classes and some people have been doing them for more than five years. Ages range from 32 to 84. It;s a very chatty class and supportive. For me it fills a need and at £3.10 a session dirt cheap. I tried going to a Yoga teacher for one to one sessions too. The breathing techniques she taught me were excellent but didn;t feel the movement was repetitive enough in the hour to really make a difference. Not sure this answers your question but, on balance, I am glad I have the opportunity to do supervised exercise.
I have morphed towards those two bits if kit. Years ago I tried a travelator but my left leg couldn't keep up! 
Like Hotel California then? You can check out but never leave.....
What does Phase 4 Rehab consist of? How does it fit with the NHS guideline of 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week?
I think it probably comes to 60 minutes worth with warm up, warm down and some slower weights.
I finished phase 4 in the middle of March & found it very good. It was for 12 weeks once a week. We all had individual programmes following the last one of the cardiac rehab gym. It took a bit of getting used being in a local authority gym but we were supervised by one of the cardiac team. I then joined my local gym where I used to go before the bypass. They helped me with the right programme of exercises & I am improving slowly. I can walk to the gym which is 20 mins away that is a good warm up & then cool down.
Jean
Been doing phase4 for 5 months. Instructor adapts exercises as needed. One chap has been doing it for 13 years and it's clearly now a part of living. We all do what we can and we all have things we find difficult/tiring. I miss it when I can't go.
Henry
I wanted to carry on group exercising after rehab but couldn't find any sessions that fit in with other commitments. In the end I took up jogging by joining in the local weekly 5km parkrun, although probably not for you if you have hip problems, this has been a fantastic method for me, there is no pressure on you to run or even finish and the whole crowd down there are so supportive. I have now completed 71 runs and even started to extend my running up 15km and recently completed as 10km race raising money for my local rehab.
Read my full story here ... peterjemmett.blogspot.com/
I have been going for over 2 years now and usually go 3 times a week. Others in the group have been going for many, many years. It is far less regimental than the first 3 stages and you don't do anything that causes you problems, a different exercise is found for you to cover that. As long as you have someone who has proper training taking the class you should be able to have your problems addressed. Our group has several locations and different times bsthg.org.uk but it depends on where you live.
I got a marathon down to around five minutes....... but I can do a Mars
Bar in under two😀 (boom boom)
I have a set up to do this at home. I already had a £50 exercise bike and a cheap mat and a giant ball, now added some weights a step and stretchy tubes. Total cost around £100. It’s not much, but bikes are often cheap in charity shops- or ask around friends: lots of people buy them in January, and never use them.
Setting up a mini gym at home means you can listen to the radio, watch tv etc, which makes it work for me.
I generally watch iPlayer documentaries or back editions of the Repair Shop, but I’ve also watched a series of videos teaching me how to use new software.
Never mind what we could do when we were young, now is the problem, some of you with new hips and some like me with two new knees. After my HA, I completed phase 4 but it was pretty boring, funnily enough my knees liked rowing and the walking machine, not keen on the weights and I used the cycles. I don't go anymore,, walk instead.
Hmmm
No idea what phase 4 is.. I finished my hospital based rehab last week and now it’s down to me to keep it up
Phase 4 is ongoing rehab in the community. It might be worth you approaching a few local gyms to see what they offer. You need to be careful as some staff may have sports degrees but little understanding of older people and, those with disabilities and health problems.
I think you`re all very lucky.I was never offered rehab,despite having HF and COPD.Had a pacemaker fitted,sent home next day and no follow up for 12 years until my GP insisted I have another CT scan which revealed lung cancer and calcified mitral valve.I would have liked rehab as I try to keep as fit as poss.Now I just walk my dog and yoga but I would like to get fitter without joining an expensive gym.Did I fall through the net or is it because I live in Cornwall?
Sadly like so much it seems a postcode lottery. I had to chase up for rehab as although I was referred for it (rehab) the responsibility seemed on me to kick it off. Phase 4 (in the community) is within a different health trust - I have come under three whilst at the same address! This is the second one as the first one I approached seemed more into gym bunnies than cardio rehab.
Thank you for replying Michael,I`ve learned a lot since joining the forum.There are 2 small gyms within travel distance.I`ll approach them and see if they can offer anything
Same here. After heart attack I was actually refused rehab and told "You wouldn't be able to do it" because I have severe spinal problems and use a wheelchair. They have no alternatives for anyone disabled.
That`s pretty shocking.A worse case scenario than mine.It`s just not acceptable.You could have benefitted from an adapted regime.
Best wishes Jen x
I agree but rehab is funded by Cardiology and even after getting on to them they just said there is nothing.
I am so sorry,there should be more out there for you.Try to keep positive no matter the odds stacked against us.xx
That's appalling, I would challange that. There was a wheelchair user at our local gym,
Oh believe me I have. There's nothing at all. There is a supposedly disabled accessible exercise class you can pay for but I couldn't find out how well qualified the staff were with heart conditions. It's not connected to the cardio dept or overseen by them or the rehab nurses. I saw my rehab nurse just once, got a lecture on food and smoking and that ws it. 3 more phone calls when I needed medication advice and was told she couldn't do that and just constant reiterations of "You wouldn't be able to do the rehab". My mobility is extremely poor and has got worse since the heart attack but he GPs are not addressing that either. Seeing one in a few minutes and expecting a battle.
I hope the appt goes well for you. Our gym does have a qualified cardio fitness instructor who's had a lot of experience with my husbands condition & with ICD's,do we're very lucky there. Were you not able to see the medical qualifications, I thought they had to be on public display. The only other suggestion I can make is to try You Tube for chair exercises with heart conditions?
Well, appt went ok as I managed to see me own GP but diagnosis wasn't good. I have spinal stenosis and pressure on spinal cord which is damaging the nerves in my legs but as far as heart goes, the atrial flutter I've been getting for several months is, we think, sorted. I even got told I was brilliant for thinking of what I had thought could be causing it. I'd kept a record of the times when it happened and my BP; mostly around 11or 12 am when my BP dropped to around 111/60. I had decided to leave several hours between taking my diuretic and my BP tablet and when I did, the attacks were fewer and much shorter. It looks as if furosemide and candesartan don't like each other very much. SO I'm separating them morning and afternoon and continuing to keep a record.
Well good and not so good news but hopefully you can now do some exercises that may help.
Hi I’m doing phase 4 at our local gym. Referred by the hospital. I have been doing it since December some weeks I think it’s doing me some good and other weeks I wonder why I am bothering I feel so bad. Everything aches. But I’m carrying on.
Hi Michael. I'm stuck on Phase III for reasons too complicated to go into on this post (!), but have sussed out the local Phase IV group. Although they are based in the leisure centre, they use the dance studio, and the only "equipment" is a mat, a chair, and a 1 or 2kg weight. Those of the group that can't manage all of the exercises (because of knees, hips, shoulders, etc!) are asked to do a softer version, so that they're not standing/sitting there doing nothing.
I wasn't a runner, so have never done a marathon, or even a half. I'm a cyclist and until 2 years ago did the 50 mile London Bikeathon for Bloodwise (Leukaemia Research). I cycled 400 yards of the BHF London to Brighton ride yesterday. My Phase III physio banned me from signing up for it, so I rode over to the nearest point on the route to cheer them on!
I did the ride on Sunday - hard work in high winds and heavy rain!
Hope you get back to more cycling soon.
Best wishes
Hi Nathan. Well done! If you passed Mitcham Junction station (approx mile 5) between 8 & 9 am, I might have taken a pic of you. They're on the event page on facebook (2 posts).
If it was on the route then I passed it - I took no shortcuts!
I think I will hAve to wait for the “official” photos.
Haha, I wasn't suggesting that! I was only there between about 8am & 9am so I missed thousands (!) of riders who had early or late start times.
It sounds like your Phase 4 is gym based. In my area we have the choice of gym based or exercise class based Phase 4, which is like a step up from what you probably did in phase 3. That may suit you better and is well worthwhile doing, as you can adjust all the exercises to suit your capability.
You crack me up!! Such a sense of humour!!! xxxxx
Get yourself a couple of walking poles, have a look at nordic walking techniques and get out of the gym into the green stuff, ideally along old railway lines or other gentle gradients. If you have hip problems an electric bike may be worth a try.
Hi MichaelJH
I have also had problems with cardiac rehab due to a dicky hip. I ended up quite discouraged until today when after referral for gym on prescription I saw an instructor who was level 4 trained but had a much more flexible approach and understood my difficulties & agreed that the rehab exercises were not right for me. I am hoping to be able to make better progress with a more individualised programme. I am disappointed in cardiac rehab due to their one size fits all approach & apparent inability to cater for physical problems. In fairness, the equipment at their disposal is limited & the gym has a much bigger range of things to choose from including aquafit which does not stress the joints.
Hello
Bournemouth Heart Club and Poole Heart Support Group provide Phase 4. PHSG offer it in various local sports centres and Church Halls etc .
Rehabilitation & Meds questions. 
Cardio rehabilitation over
Heart Rehabilitation
