WORKING OUT AFTER A HEART ATTACK (Part III)

December 2020

This is a continuation from Part II -- you can read part one here -- so if you haven't read either yet, I strongly advise you do if you want any of this to make sense. With December swiftly approaching, it will soon be a year to the day when I had my heart event pre Christmas, 2019. From walking to body-weight exercises to light weights and now returning to heavier weights, the journey continues still with some interesting discoveries. First things first though: where have I got to?

MY CURRENT PROGRAM

WEEK #1
(NOTE: weight in kgs)
Monday
• Squats: 60/2, 70/2, 80/2, 90/2, 100/2, 110/2 ← I'm struggling with these still
• Shrugs: 70 x 3 (AMRAP)
• Dumbbell OH tricep-ext: 10 x 3 (AMRAP)
Tuesday
• 1-hour walk, give or take, with the dog
Wednesday
• Benchpress: 40/2, 50/2, 60/2, 70/2 ← I'm struggling with this weight too
• Dumbbell flyes: 10 x 3 (AMRAP)
• Bent-over rows: 70 x 3 (AMRAP)
Thursday
• 1-hour walk, give or take, with the dog
Friday
• Overhead-press: 30/3, 40/3, 50/singles (AMRAP)
• Deadlifts: 100/3, 110/3, 120/3
Saturday
• 1-hour walk, give or take, with the dog

WEEK #2
(NOTE: weight in kgs)
Monday
• Overhead-press: 30/3, 40/3, 50/singles (AMRAP)
• Deadlifts: 100/2, 110/2, 120/2, 130/2
Tuesday
• 1-hour walk, give or take, with the dog
Wednesday
• Benchpress: 40/2, 50/2, 60/2, 70/2
• Dumbbell flyes: 10 x 3 (AMRAP)
• Bent-over rows: 70 x 3 (AMRAP)
Thursday
• 1-hour walk, give or take, with the dog
Friday
• Squats: 60/3, 70/3, 80/3, 90/3, 100/3
• Shrugs: 70 x 3 (AMRAP)
• Dumbbell OH tricep-ext: 10 x 3 (AMRAP)
Saturday
• 1-hour walk, give or take, with the dog

As you can see, Week 1 I'll go heavier on the squats and lighter on the deadlifts; Week 2 I do the reverse and go lighter on the squats and heavier on the deadlifts. Currently this is working for me. I don't deload or use periodization here, just switch between weeks. However, when I do get a fatigue build up which usually takes 4-6wks, I take one or two weeks where I drop a Monday work-out and find this works for me. I'd rather work out less for a brief period of time than do a deload; that's just me.

WHAT HAVE I DISCOVERED

I've discovered that it's taking pretty much a year for me to get close to my previous weights. I've discovered I'm A) still not too sure if I'll actually get to my previous levels -- let alone surpass them -- and B) if I don't, I'm not overly concerned as being alive is a pretty good trade off, just quietly. One real bonus is the weight I initially lost I've managed to pretty much keep off; I dropped from 93kg to 80kg and hover roundabout 81kg today, so that's good news.

It shows my eating habits have found (and remained) in a positive place.

...this despite drinking 1-3 beers daily which incidentally, my doctor merely shrugged at.

I've discovered my cardiovascular health is both consistent and adequate doing steady-state cardio but pretty much shit doing HIT or any other sudden actions that involve strong movements, turns, leaps, quick runs or sprints. Five minutes of basketball, soccer or anything like that and I'm still heaving. So to this day I avoid such strenuous activity and just stick with walking -- lifting weights I find to be okay because it's done in short, intense bursts and I make sure to get my wind back between sets.

I've discovered that I've returned to the style of lifting I like best despite actively attempting more volume at more moderate weights. I guess you just prefer what you just prefer so rather than fight it, I've embraced it and the philosophy of keeping strong for purposes of health and longevity all over again. What I find encouraging about this is that it re-enforces my belief that yep, you really can keep lifting heavy (for you) into my age bracket and past. I know my weights aren't much now but I'll keep chipping at them.

I've discovered that years of ingraining strength-training as a regular habit meant not strength-training was something I never remotely considered. I always knew I'd get back to the weights. I love doing this. But. The plus of habit is that even when you don't love doing it -- aka you don't feel like working out today, this week, ever again -- you still do because it's an ingrained habit. I like that about it and I'm quietly glad I actively pursued making it so.

Discipline pays off.

That's always good to know.

I've discovered there's still plenty of life left after a heart-attack; you can still hope, dream and attempt new challenges. Yes, it does take awhile to get your confidence back and no, you may never return to your prior condition but the beauty of this world and the joy of relationships is stronger than self-pity or fear. Life is for living so damn well live it. Like someone said to me today: You can be the most healthy person and live the most miserable, boring life.

Boom!

...yep, you reached 105yrs.

What for precisely, can you tell me again?

I've discovered that whilst you can do your best to mitigate against another heart attack, you just might have another one regardless. Even as you just might get struck by a vehicle tomorrow whose driver got distracted on the way to work and be seriously injured. Or lose your life. I'm not being frivolous, these things happen far too regularly. The point I'm trying to make is tell the ones you love that you love them and enjoy that day. Actively choose to be positive and upbeat.

I've discovered you can live in fear -- perhaps live with fear is a better way to put it, but the fact remains the same: there are things we all fear happening to us but there's fuck all you can do about them as they are one and all beyond yours and my control. So. How then should you live? You should live courageously, choosing not to be undermined by fear but rather uplifted by determination and sheer grit. This to me is toughness, resilience and yes, even wisdom.

CONCLUSION

Life throws challenges from heart attacks to lotto wins and we either formulate a response or instinctively react. Sometimes we react and later we formulate the response. Having a heart attack reiterated to me the soundness of my world-view and its applicability; it reaffirmed my thought processes and how I choose to live my life. By no means am I perfect but I am very pleased to recognise an ongoing desire to better myself and add to the life of others.

Anyway, the main point of this three-part series over 2020 has been to track, record and share my lifting journey as someone whose had a heart attack. I'm sure there are many other stories out there from those who have had a similar experience that are undoubtedly more inspiring and demonstrate far greater achievement -- I for one, certainly hope so. If my heart-event story was the pinnacle even I'd be a bit put out as it's not really that inspiring inasmuch as average-every-day.

The human body is an amazing creation and capable of far more than we give it credit. Yours and my mental outlook is enormously powerful and very, very much capable of recreating the world back to us in a size, shape and form of our own choosing. Be wise with how you choose to fashion that. Once I was a builder of sorts but no matter what new technologies we built with or what new advances in materials were employed, we were still ostensibly creating human shelter.

It's the same with this thing we call "life": no matter what new technologies impact upon it and/or our world, or what new advances in our understandings of what life may or may not be occur, we are still trying to survive. We are still trying to live, it's simply what we do. It doesn't matter how we try to dress it up, re-image life or strive to make it appear, we are one and all trying to survive -- albeit together. Think about that sometimes. Kia ora whanau.

WORKING OUT AFTER A HEART ATTACK: Part I and Part II

△

© ironkiwi.nz