Exercises gentle on blood pressure

[WelshWarrior]

Hello all,

I'm recovering from surgery and am shortly approaching time to get back in the gym. I have been advised any lifting is okay that doesn't raise my BP too much.

I am presuming this rules out compounds.

It's fairly simple for me to train smaller muscles such as delts/arms etc, but I was hoping for some suggestions from peeps as to how I can hit the larger bodyparts?

[almostgone]

I usually don't discuss this with many people but I have numerous heart problems (cardiomyopathy, left bundle branch block, congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation, mitral valve disorder, coagulopathy, etc.) and my cardiologist told me that lifting was fine as long as I wasn't constantly going for max weight and more importantly...BREATHE. She said that improper breathing when lifting shoots your BP through the roof and throws a terrific strain on your cardiovascular system.
One of the worst things you could do is hold your breath while lifting.
(BTW, my cardiologist is one of the top docs from M-USC and is very exercise oriented with her treatment plans).

Good luck,
AG

[almostgone]

Also, I know some people may think it's lame, but there's not a d@mn thing wrong with taking a sphygmomanometer (bp cuff) to the gym.
The way I see it, if someone with hypertension has the guts to still go and lift, he/she is the one with the dedication/motivation.

AG

[WelshWarrior]

Appreciate taking the time. I need to keep bp low whilst exercising for a few weeks as the wound might start bleeding again.

No problems with bp normally.

[almostgone]

Then listen to your body and remember to breathe. That should help greatly with keeping your BP in an acceptable range until you are completely healed.

AG

[MuscleScience]

Practically any exercise is ok as long as you dont perform a valsalva maneuver will doing that exercise. Here is a helpful link even though its wikipedia its still pretty accurate. I actually did a couple studies of this while in grad school.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valsalva_maneuver

[almostgone]

LOL, there's the 50 cent word that my 2 cent redneck vocabulary couldn't remember. I just remember how it was stressed to breathe and avoid holding the breath. I was told it really loads up the C/V system.
Thanks for a useful link, MuscleSci.

AG

Practically any exercise is ok as long as you dont perform a valsalva maneuver will doing that exercise. Here is a helpful link even though its wikipedia its still pretty accurate. I actually did a couple studies of this while in grad school.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valsalva_maneuver

[WelshWarrior]

Don't worry, I do that valsava thingy whenever I fly (for landing).

I don't think I can do heavy DLs with one hand on my nose, so should be fine, lol!

Only messing, thanks for taking the time both. I think I'll just keep the weights moderate and focus on slow controlled reps to failure. Probably avoid compounds just for a week.

[WelshWarrior]

FWIW just got back from the gym and did moderate incline bb bench amongst other stuff with no probs. I think these posts reminded me to concentrate on breathing smoothly which helped.

Thanks both.

[almostgone]

Glad you had a good session. Have a speedy recovery!

AG