When can I step up exercise

[Barrie62]

2 years post triple CABG I am on statin and 1.25 bisoprolol, I go to the gym working 94bpm to 116 bpm advised by cardiac nurse 4 times a week and play golf..... my question is when can I step up to pushing my heart harder.

[Hidden]

Hi Barrie62, I had AVR and CABG x 2 in January of this year and I am also exercising four times a week. My heart rate is usually around 120 - 130 bpm, but occasionally a bit higher, usually on the cross trainer! I feel comfortable with this. I am also on statins, but my bisoprolol (1.25) has been stopped.

If you feel that you could step things up then maybe you should see your cardiac nurse or GP. I certainly wouldn’t advise changing your routine before seeking medical advice.

[Barrie62 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you

[Hidden in reply to Barrie62]

Forgot to mention that when I attended rehab, I was told that I’d be fine with my heart rate at 75% of maximum - 220 minus age.

All procedures aren’t the same though, and neither are recovery rates.

I was told to ‘listen to my body’!

As I said, best seek advice.

[Barrie62 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks Keith the bisoprolol drops the 75% max heart rate I think depending on dosage

[Chappychap]

It's an interesting question and I'd be interested to hear what others say.

I was told at the cardio rehab classes that I'd be okay up to 80% of the 220 minus your age maximum heart rate. Which in my case works out to a little over 130 bpm. Because of the Bisoprolol that I take 130 bpm is quite demanding, but I do briefly hit it three times a week during High Intensity Interval Training on an elliptical trainer at the gym. My GP has also endorsed the 130bpm figure.

More normally the most I'll ever achieve is 110-120 bpm during particularly steep climbs when I'm walking at a brisk 3.5-4.0 mph pace.

Incidentally, I had a by-pass operation in October of last year.

[Phil-52]

Hi Barrie

I had a quad bypass in April 2016 and left hospital on May day bank holiday. 12 months to the day i completed the Birmingham 10k. The following October I ran the Birmingham half marathon. The advice I had from the cardio rehab team was, don't get too hung up on heart rates but listen to your body. I've had hard runs that took a lot out of me but were slower times and easy(ish) runs that yielded quicker times. I'm just happy to be upright so when I'm running out of steam I'll happily walk and look at the scenery.

Good luck with the recovery

Phil

[sos007]

I had a triple bypass in March 2015 (male aged 52 at time of surgery, 5'10", 195 lbs) followed by 2 angioplasty surgeries in the months that followed that resulted in 4 stents being inserted. I was on both of the medications you noted as well as others.

I started by walking daily and gradually increased my pace and daily distance according to my level of comfort. I bought a Fitbit watch to monitor my steps and heart rate.

Ideally, you should bring your heart rate to over 120 bpm to get a cardio workout, for at least 20 minutes daily.

I worked up to one hour daily, come rain, sleet, snow or freezing cold weather.

By December 2015 the statin caused me extreme shoulder pain and froze my left rotator cuff.

I then radically changed my diet and lifestyle.

I went initially to a plant-based diet, eliminated all simple carbs, sugar and equivalents and processed foods.

I also began going to the gym to do weight training and treadmill walks.

I found the beta-blocker (bisoprolol) was restricting my heart rate and gave me shortness of breath. However as my cardiovascular health improved on my diet and so I gradually increased my workout intensity for both the weights and the treadmill.

From January 2016 to October 2016 I lost 40 lbs and leveled off at 155 lbs.

During this period I gradually weaned off of all the meds and completely stopped. The beta blocker was the worst to stop, it game me severe anxiety. However I persevered and stopped. This allowed me to increase my exercise intensity.

I do something called HIIT (high intensity interval training) on the treadmill 3 days per week. I alternate with weight training on the other days.

I also play ice hockey once per week, and in the summer I golf 2 days per week and walk the course.

I have maintained my diet and exercise since then and am now in the best shape of my life.

At your current point of recovery, just increase your pace and distance gradually as you feel comfortable. The beta-blocker will give you the sensation of shortness of breath. If you did not have a heart attack prior to surgery (I did not) nor have any other cardiac issues such as atrial fibrillation or congestive heart failure (I do not), then you can ask your doctor about weaning off the beta blocker gradually as your health improves.

For the record, I didn't ask permission - my rotator cuff pain was keeping me from sleeping, so I did this all on my own after doing extensive research on the internet. I have read over 200 medical studies and new research on CVD.

The rotator cuff improved as I slowly weaned off of the statin. It is completely back to normal.

You should take CoQ10 while on statins to protect your heart and other muscles as statins attack muscle tissue.

You may find these videos of interest:

youtu.be/eb5SmhY30kw(Not working as expected?)

youtu.be/klnYh7SZRic(Not working as expected?)

youtu.be/ZSpB-j5DL9E(Not working as expected?)

youtu.be/K3ksKkCOgTw(Not working as expected?)

Best of luck!