Bodybuilding after heart bypass surgery

[josh jr]

Hi guys:
I am soon to undergo heart bypass surgery and I was wondering if you older guys,(like myself) have ran into any bodybuilders that have gotten back into good shape after the surgery.

I know that Danny Padilla and Boyer Coe have had the surgery but I can't find anything telling me if they were able to continue lifting after the surgery.

If any of you have read anything or just have some advice please point me towards it..

thanks

[TrishB]

Josh....it takes a 8-12 months for healing to be complete after bypass surgery. So don't plan on real heavy upper body lifting for awhile.

You'll gradually be able to start lifting after 8 weeks....but you will be starting with 10lbs and working from there.

I hope your surgery goes well.

[vol]

I’ve heard of a guy that had an aortic valve replacement and still works out. It wasn’t a CABG, but he still had his chest cracked and was on the pump.

Arnold's his name I think :-)

[Ireland]

When you say older how old ? My uncle had a heart operation at 54 .He never lifted before started to later .He lifted lite and walked daily .He was in better shape couple of years after his operation then he had been since he was 18 he told me once .

[josh jr]

When you say older how old ? My uncle had a heart operation at 54 .He never lifted before started to later .He lifted lite and walked daily .He was in better shape couple of years after his operation then he had been since he was 18 he told me once .

I am only 49, but the thought of life without lifting bothers me a lot..I just can't believe that there in nothing being writthen about the benifits of weight lifting for heart health and recovery.

I could see that possibly it would be bad if the people were heart attack candidates, but I am just having a bypass and the heart itself is good. It seems to me that once the new pipes are put in I should be able to go back to heavy lifting once everything is heald..

I have read some posts about mountain bikers and others being able to go back to riding on a regular basis but little else..

If anyone else has any ideas please post them but I probably want reply for awhile becasue I have to get this thing done on Monday..Having it in front of you really plays with your mind if you know what I mean..

[batteryrequired]

The only thing you probably will not be able to do is lift extremly heavy...like pushing the weight that you can only do 3 reps or less. Because of your sternum being split open and now just wired closed its not as strong as it was. I believe that is what Arnold S. was saying after his surgery. He has to lift weights that require 8-12 reps now and staying away from the heavy bench and squats that put tremendous pressure on his chest. Ask your doctor too, they have physical therapists at the heart centers to help people out. Good Luck

[benz0118]

Hi guys:
I am soon to undergo heart bypass surgery and I was wondering if you older guys,(like myself) have ran into any bodybuilders that have gotten back into good shape after the surgery.

I know that Danny Padilla and Boyer Coe have had the surgery but I can't find anything telling me if they were able to continue lifting after the surgery.

If any of you have read anything or just have some advice please point me towards it..

thanks

Heard that Danny was planning to do the 2004 Masters Olympia until it was cancelled. Saw pictures of him in a recent MD and he looked good.

[Stuart Rudolph]

I’ve heard of a guy that had an aortic valve replacement and still works out. It wasn’t a CABG, but he still had his chest cracked and was on the pump.

Arnold's his name I think :-)

Yes, that was me. It was a virus that I received from a cat scratch. It gave me high fevers and attatched itself to my aortic valve, basically dissolving the leaflets that form the valve. Pretty wicked stuff.

I had servere heart palpitations, arrythmia, and a murmur. I was in a state of congestive heart failure. I was told I had only days left. Prognosis open heart surgery.

I was in the hospital for 2 weeks. I went from 202 lbs. to about 168 lbs. At 5'll I was a rail. I was out of work for 6 weeks. I've been lifting on and off since I was 16. My surgery was in May of 2003, and I slowly got back into lifting by August. (Very Slowly) It was like I was 16 again, skinny and weak. Now I've gained all the muscle back and them some. I'm now 222 lbs. with 7% BF.

I have a titanium valve, and I'll be on blood thinners for the rest of my life. Now I have to stay away from caffeine and such. I was told that once ny sternum heals, my chest will actually be stronger from the new bone growth, and the metal wire that held my ribcage together during the healing process. It's still there.

But I'm leary about doing bench presses. Because when I do my behind the head tricep routine, the first few reps the middle of my chest crackles, like when when you pop your knuckles. There's no pain. So I work my chest by doing a ton of push-ups.

So yes, there is a weightlifting life after open heart surgery. Just take it slow. (Very Slow)

God Bless

[TrishB]

Good post Stu!
You never know how one's health can change dramatically in just an instant....no matter how good of shape we are in.
I'm glad you made such a great recovery.

[joed]

Josh Jr.: I had a CABG without a heart attack 9 yrs ago. You can return to resistance training but not for awhile. You'll be facing a long and very difficult recovery; no way to sugar coat it. For me it began when I went home 5 days post-surgery & began walking (hobbling) 1 minute twice a day, then adding a minute every day or two. I won't go into the gruesome details. Persistence is crucial.

If you're interested in what's been written, a good place to start is the Physician and Sportsmedicine website www.physsportsmed.com. There's an article by Michael Cox in Vol 25, #12, Dec 97 that discusses exercise for coronary artery disease. Lots of references there which will lead you to other places. Keep your chin up.

[Stuart Rudolph]

Good post Stu!
You never know how one's health can change dramatically in just an instant....no matter how good of shape we are in.
I'm glad you made such a great recovery.

Yes, it was quite a scare when my doctor told me I had to have surgery. But it was either that, or being 6 foot under in a matter of days. No gray area there!

Because of what I went through, I've become very close to the Lord, and every morning when I open my eyes, I thank Him for another new day. When you come that close to "Kicking The Bucket", you really do have a new revelation on life, and know how fragile life truly is.

[CdnArctic]

Just wanted to give you my best wishes for a full recovery!

[cycle55]

Josh i had a 4x bypass in 2002 at Stony Brook Hospital in NY. Yes, it's a difficult surgery but a full recovery can be made providing the surgery goes well and you are an excellent patient. Let me say that i had an artery removed from my forearm and one from my calve, this was used to replace the clogged arteries, the other 2 came from my chest. I will tell you that if you have a good and caring Doctor as i do they will tell you your cholesterol level needs to be as low as possible so excess red meat, cheese, etc. needs to be eliminated, i am basically a vegan drinking silk milk and eating soy burgers which are HIGH in protein FYI. Yes they do wire your chest back together and will take x rays after the operation, expect to be on many meds. such as plavix, cholesterol lowering meds like lipitor and possibly blood pressure too. Whole eggs should be history most of the time and also sodium is a concern as is caffeine. Regarding working out cardio or aerobic is better for the heart than anaerobic so the treadmill, running, cycling is far better than heavy resistance training and if you use drugs forget it. I do long distance cycling = well over 50 miles which is great for the legs, treadmill work and yes weights too, my arms are 17 inches with some fat on me. I am now nearly 55, I just took my treadmill test at the Hospital and in better shape than 2 years ago, it's known as the bruce protocol test and you will be taking that once a year, i am in the highest level so i go every 2 years, changing your diet and eliminating all that red meat should be a priority for you, take whey and other sources of protein. My total cholesterol is about 130 and my bad cholesterol is 70. I needed an operation when i was only 46 due to high egg consumption and red meat when i was in my 20's, takes years to buildup but when it does it's not a good feeling. Remember to do your cardio 1st. and be serious for at least 20 minutes but more is better, you can check out the bruce protocol info. online, it gives all the specs regarding treadmill incline and speed during the test, i train at the gym using those specs so i am ready when i take it, buy i bike and use it and ride it hard after the Doctor says you can.

It takes time so don't push it but don't be a couch potato either, let your body tell you when you are tired and need a rest.

good luck
Fred

[*STEVE*]

I had a 4x bypass in 2002 at Stony Brook Hospital in NY. Yes, it's a difficult surgery but a full recovery can be made providing the surgery goes well and you are an excellent patient. Let me say that i had an artery removed from my forearm and one from my calve, this was used to replace the clogged arteries, the other 2 came from my chest. I will tell you that if you have a good and caring Doctor as i do they will tell you your cholesterol level needs to be as low as possible so excess red meat, cheese, etc. needs to be eliminated, i am basically a vegan drinking silk milk and eating soy burgers which are HIGH in protein FYI. Yes they do wire your chest back together and will take x rays after the operation, expect to be on many meds. such as plavix, cholesterol lowering meds like lipitor and possibly blood pressure too. Whole eggs should be history most of the time and also sodium is a concern as is caffeine. Regarding working out cardio or aerobic is better for the heart than anaerobic so the treadmill, running, cycling is far better than heavy resistance training and if you use drugs forget it. I do long distance cycling = well over 50 miles which is great for the legs, treadmill work and yes weights too, my arms are 17 inches with some fat on me. I am now nearly 55, I just took my treadmill test at the Hospital and in better shape than 2 years ago, it's known as the bruce protocol test and you will be taking that once a year, i am in the highest level so i go every 2 years, changing your diet and eliminating all that red meat should be a priority for you, take whey and other sources of protein. My total cholesterol is about 130 and my bad cholesterol is 70. I needed an operation when i was only 46 due to high egg consumption and red meat when i was in my 20's, takes years to buildup but when it does it's not a good feeling. Remember to do your cardio 1st. and be serious for at least 20 minutes but more is better, you can check out the bruce protocol info. online, it gives all the specs regarding treadmill incline and speed during the test, i train at the gym using those specs so i am ready when i take it, buy i bike and use it and ride it hard after the Doctor says you can.

It takes time so don't push it but don't be a couch potato either, let your body tell you when you are tired and need a rest.

good luck
Fred

Strong first post.


Strong 5 year thread bump.


As a bonus , OP's banned and hasnt posted since 05.

[Stuart Rudolph]

Yes, that was me. It was a virus that I received from a cat scratch. It gave me high fevers and attatched itself to my aortic valve, basically dissolving the leaflets that form the valve. Pretty wicked stuff.

I had servere heart palpitations, arrythmia, and a murmur. I was in a state of congestive heart failure. I was told I had only days left. Prognosis open heart surgery.

I was in the hospital for 2 weeks. I went from 202 lbs. to about 168 lbs. At 5'll I was a rail. I was out of work for 6 weeks. I've been lifting on and off since I was 16. My surgery was in May of 2003, and I slowly got back into lifting by August. (Very Slowly) It was like I was 16 again, skinny and weak. Now I've gained all the muscle back and them some. I'm now 222 lbs. with 7% BF.

I have a titanium valve, and I'll be on blood thinners for the rest of my life. Now I have to stay away from caffeine and such. I was told that once ny sternum heals, my chest will actually be stronger from the new bone growth, and the metal wire that held my ribcage together during the healing process. It's still there.

But I'm leary about doing bench presses. Because when I do my behind the head tricep routine, the first few reps the middle of my chest crackles, like when when you pop your knuckles. There's no pain. So I work my chest by doing a ton of push-ups.

So yes, there is a weightlifting life after open heart surgery. Just take it slow. (Very Slow)

God Bless

Well here I am almost 6 years after my last post. Still lifting and staying in shape. My titanium valve is still clicking like a Timex. I'm still very thankful every morning I wake up to a new day!

[Corbi]

Well here I am almost 6 years after my last post. Still lifting and staying in shape. My titanium valve is still clicking like a Timex. I'm still very thankful every morning I wake up to a new day!

Good to read/hear.

Had mitral valve surgery in march of 09. Waited a little over a year to start lifting weights & no issues at all.

[john-t-b]

Hi guys:
I am soon to undergo heart bypass surgery and I was wondering if you older guys,(like myself) have ran into any bodybuilders that have gotten back into good shape after the surgery.

I know that Danny Padilla and Boyer Coe have had the surgery but I can't find anything telling me if they were able to continue lifting after the surgery.

If any of you have read anything or just have some advice please point me towards it..

thanks

Personally i had a triple bypass in July of '09. I was back in the gym (doing mainly cardio) by mid September 09'. The biggest problem i had was that I had been told no more powerlifting. Well everyone except my surgeon said that. He just said you know what your body can handle just take it easy for at least 6 months. I did very lite lifting and NO BENCHING (I was too nervous) for a couple months then stopped because i could not handle doing something i did not want to do.

Then March of 2010 i decided i'm doing what i want with my life. By july of 2010 i was benching 315, squatting 405, deadlifting 455.

As long as you take your time (if you can slow yourself down in the beginning you should be fine. The biggest problem i had was getting all my medication straightened out.

You will be extremely tired in the beginning. I would come home from work at 5 eat at 5:30 and fall asleep at 6:30 sometimes. I did this a couple times a week when i first went back to work. I do have a somewhat physical job though (HVAC service tech).

Anything more specific just let me know.

[Dogsoldier]

Big way to go Stu. Congratulations on the recovery. Actually, congrads to all that had their chests cracked and came back swinging!

There are two guys that work out at the same time I do. One has a pig valve in his heart. He says it was from taking steroids hen he was younger. But then he blames everything that has happened to him medically on steroids. The other guy checked out last year while on the treadmill. I wasn't there, the word was the EMT's pulled him back. Later he admitted to having symptoms and just ignored them. So, if you have pains in your neck, chest arms or what ever, go get checked out. This guy was lucky.

Te point is, these guys are back and doing fine. Just more examples of there is weight lifting life after heart surgery.

[joecole1960]

Good to read/hear.

Had mitral valve surgery in march of 09. Waited a little over a year to start lifting weights & no issues at all.

I HAD A PIG VALVE OPERATION DEC24,2008 i WEIGH 260LB 6FT TALL. i LEFT BAR BELLS AND WALK 3 MILES A Day i WANT TO START LIFTING. i AM 51 i AM AFRAID TO START BENCHING. i ALSO HAD BRAIN SURGERY FOR A BRAIN aneurism. I have a coil. I work hard and I pick up over 100 lbs no problem. My middle is getting big and lazy weight gain. I will need another pig valve 10 to 15 years means open heart again. I can't have blood thinners so no metal valves. So if I get big muscle in chest will that make open heart a trouble next time I go under knife. can i damage my metal sternum