Exercise with ckd

[damtag]

I am a 53 year old male with gfr of 55. I am in pretty good health with my other numbers within range. I do a lot of walking and I jog in the winter and ride my bike in the summer as well. I was wondering if it is safe to do some high intensity exercises like circuit training and things like that or moderate weight lifting? Thanks

[orangecity41 NKF Ambassador]

I had found an article on exercise and CKD. It recommends if you do heavy exercise to check with Doctor. It does show that exercise helps CKD patients. I primarily do walking that was approved by my Doctor. My age is 80. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/159...

[Bassetmommer NKF Ambassador]

The answer is something you should get from your doctor. We do not know your medical history. You may have a medical condition, such as a cardiac problem or other issues. But I will give a general answer. Circuit training is good for women to keep their bones strong. Weight baring exercise and strength training provides that. I do interval exercises to get my heart rate up and I also do resistance exercise. Then I switch to more aerobic as well. My physical therapist is the one who developed my program. I however do it a pool so that it helps my screwed-up joints. I have Psoriatic Arthritis. To do this on land would make me bedridden afterwards. The other thing is we went slow, so very slow, in building up the amount and type of exercise I do. Spend the money and work with a trainer, after you talk with your doctor, to build a program that is healthy, and you will enjoy. Most people quit exercise when they hurt themselves or they hate it.

[Sophiebun11]

Hi,

Ask you Dr. like everyone says, because intense exercise will cause an increase in creatinine which will lower you eGFR.

Best wishes

[Marvin8]

The breakdown of muscle raises creatinine levels, as does having more muscular mass. Does having more muscle mass harm kidneys? They don't know. And you should ask your doctor to site the source of the information he provides. It also doesn't hurt to do some research yourself if you have the ability to decipher it.

[spencerk]

This is a question I have. I have a good bit of Muscle mass, if I stop training my kidney score goes up to 70 (age 46), if I don't it hovers at 60 - which is been like that for 8 years. So, does this mean my kidneys are OK, as its training and muscle mass that's lowering my eGFR.

[GeeMoney in reply to spencerk]

Man, that's the million dollar question. I'm in exactly the same boat. I can keep working out and have a GFR of 56 but a relatively higher creatinine level or I can stop working out and lower my creatinine and have a relatively higher GFR. I mean if I can keep both numbers stable does it matter muvh the actual number?? *sigh

[spencerk in reply to GeeMoney]

Damn straight. Mine has been around 60 for 8 years, I cut down on my protein (was on 250g for 5, 6 years - yikes!) and it went up. My creatinine went from 114 down to 104, eGFR went 62 to 70. However, I've been diagnosed as positive for ANCA PR3 Vasculitis (which effects 20/million people), so it's that which could be causing my low eGFR score, even though it went up on my last test. PR3 is a horrible autoimmune disease - basically I have to destroy my immune system before it destroyes me kind of thing.

So, at the moment I don't have a clue what's happening with my kidneys! I'm not stopping the gym though!!!

[GeeMoney in reply to spencerk]

I like your style. I'm with you.

[GeeMoney in reply to spencerk]

One quick question. With your GFR at 60 and your slightly elevated creatinine level because you're working out, does your creatinine level stay fairly consistent at 114 (or close) or does it keep rising with time as you continue to work out?

[barbara55109]

Always check with your Dr. I think the fears of increasing muscle mass and the impact on eGFR are overinflated. The medical articles that warn of this are about intense, daily weight lifters, many who take creatinine and other supplements. If you aren't a major powerlifter or iron man type I don't think it really impacts eGFR. When I asked my vascular surgeon, who is an iron man triathlete, if I could lift hand weights after my fistula surgery he asked how heavy. I said I was at 2 lbs and was hoping to get up to 5 lbs. He laughed at me. I have a parastomal hernia and was told to not carry more than 5 lbs.