High blood pressure

[LeeGB]

I've not been power lifting long but been training 10 years, I have high blood pressure, just wondering if anyone else suffers and if powerlifting could make it a lot worse?
In the last year I,ve made some good progress and would like to compete, so I hope the high blood pressure wont be a problem.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Mateo_66]

I have high blood pressure. I try to get lots of fruits and vegetables in my diet. Also try to avoid getting angry a lot And try to keep a fairly clean diet. Also a walk once or twice a week should help. Make sure you are getting enough sleep at night too.

[Mateo_66]

Oh and drink plenty of water because if you dont your body retains water which causes blood pressure to rise.

[BigDerek]

My bp used to be borderline at risk with 139/80. Since i started doing sled drags, farmers walks, high rep sets etc. it has dropped to 124/79, which is pretty good for a 300lb man. ^^^^^What Mateo said too, eat yer green veggies by the load as well.

[Drew23]

Increase your GPP. Sled dragging is great, sled running is hell! I like to run 50 yds with 1-2 plates on the sled after a good warmup. Caution, death could result.

Eat more veg, and also start taking fish oil. It will reduce your BP and your cholesterol (if that's also a problem).

[LeeGB]

Thanks for the advice, my bp is 148/83 which I think could be due to work stress, lack of sleep (new baby) and a diet that has a lot of saturated fat. Eating clean will be the hardest thing for me but I'll swap the fried food for grilled. Do any of you do cardio? If so how does it effect your lifting?

[ScrappyDew]

I have high BP. The advice given thusfar is good. Any working out should benefit you.

[FittyFour]

Thanks for the advice, my bp is 148/83 which I think could be due to work stress, lack of sleep (new baby) and a diet that has a lot of saturated fat. Eating clean will be the hardest thing for me but I'll swap the fried food for grilled. Do any of you do cardio? If so how does it effect your lifting?

As a heart patient and someone who lifts weights, I've approached this issue with some caution. Now understand that I'm not a doctor and I happen to be on medication that controls my BP...

The answer to your original question - "if powerlifting could make it (high blood pressure) a lot worse" - is a bit complex. But the short answer is it will spike your blood pressure during lifting and will be most pronounced during maximum lifts.

So what you really have to do is look first at the possibilities of any underlying disease. You're on the high side of normal according to your numbers. Your doc may only suggest "lifestyle" changes - especially diet and obesity levels. If your own basesline pressure continues to increase, he may suggest medication to keep it manageable. Remember, hypertension is known as the silent killer. There are relatively few signs and symptoms of this disease and uncontrolled, can lead to serious disability.

Beyond that, it's common wisdom that exercise can help decrease cardiac risk factors. Although I'm sure the medical literature is referring to light weights and aerobics (ie cycling, treadmill, etc). Powerlifting was probably not included in the research!

If you want to read an intersting paper:

http://www.sportsci.org/encyc/drafts..._wgt_train.doc

This barely answers your question but again, there's no solid research. And believe me, I've searched the literature considering my own circumstances.

I've also recently read that high rep, extended sets are more risky since they keep the BP higher for a longer period of time. The paper I read suggested keeping reps below 10 and actually in the range of 6-8 reps.

You're fairly young to have hypertension. Take it seriously and take some time to understand why. Obviously there are some things in your life you can change - ie diet - and some things not. Work with what you can control.

And be careful out there!

[Smasher]

I found that taking 10 caps of fish oil, 4-8 cups green tea, low saturated fats; less than 20grams/day, and eating berries, has lowered my blood pressure by 20-30 points at least. Im serious! And this is without any actual weight loss, which also helps lower bp.

[LeeGB]

Thanks, looks like really good advice my bf% is around 12-14% at the moment down from 20%. I've not been taking any supplements for the blood pressure but a change in diet is definetly a good idea. It was reassuring to read about the low reps as oppossed to high reps. Thanks for the time you have taken to reply.