I am not yet a Masters swimmer, but I hope to get involved in the next year or two. In the meantime, I work out on my own. About 15 months ago, at the age of 44, I had a heart attack. They put four stents in my heart. I have susequently been checked out via catheterization, and my coronary arteries are clear. I now take a variety of medications.
Once upon a time, I was an okay freestyle sprinter. My cardiologist tells me I should work out at "moderate intensity" which I find hard to do. But I warm up slowly and cool down slowly, too. In between I am doing pretty modest intervals (100s on 1:30, 200s on 3:05, 400s on 6:10) and am feeling encouraged because I am getting stronger. That said, sometimes I feel my limits and cut the workout a bit short. (I go around 3000 yards a workout approximately 4 times a week.)
Here is my question: is there anybody out there who knows enough about coronary heart disease and competitive swimming to give me any guidance? Can I keep pushing to go a little harder, or should I back off? I would really like to compete again. Thoughts? Many thanks!
Red60
Parents
Former Member
The take home message is that there is some increased risk (which is impossible to quantify) associated with vigorous (as opposed to moderate) exercise and competitive sports in patients with CAD. That is not to say you shouldn't do it. If your ejection fraction (a measure of the strength of the heart) is OK, and you pass a maximal stress test, you just have to decide if you want to accept that risk. Think of it this way: you at least know that you have heart disease, while there are many in our ranks who have it but have yet to be diagnosed. You might ask your cardiologist if he has any recommendations regarding maximum heart rate during training.
A final thought. Quality of life is important. If this is something you really enjoy doing, then the benefits likely outweigh the risks. And while 10% of heart attacks may be associated with strenuous activity, 17% have been linked to anger/emotional stress.
Thanks for the insight and perspective. Wise words. I have already decided that I won't worry too much about whether I am swimming "moderately," so I think I've crossed the line into not being too worried about it in general. I'll keep at it and put off the question of competition for awhile, since I am in no hurry, and I'm enjoying the workouts on their own terms. With luck, I'll be competing within the next several years.
Again, thanks for the information and context.
The take home message is that there is some increased risk (which is impossible to quantify) associated with vigorous (as opposed to moderate) exercise and competitive sports in patients with CAD. That is not to say you shouldn't do it. If your ejection fraction (a measure of the strength of the heart) is OK, and you pass a maximal stress test, you just have to decide if you want to accept that risk. Think of it this way: you at least know that you have heart disease, while there are many in our ranks who have it but have yet to be diagnosed. You might ask your cardiologist if he has any recommendations regarding maximum heart rate during training.
A final thought. Quality of life is important. If this is something you really enjoy doing, then the benefits likely outweigh the risks. And while 10% of heart attacks may be associated with strenuous activity, 17% have been linked to anger/emotional stress.
Thanks for the insight and perspective. Wise words. I have already decided that I won't worry too much about whether I am swimming "moderately," so I think I've crossed the line into not being too worried about it in general. I'll keep at it and put off the question of competition for awhile, since I am in no hurry, and I'm enjoying the workouts on their own terms. With luck, I'll be competing within the next several years.
Again, thanks for the information and context.
