I was born blue. At 2 days and again at 2 years of age, I had open heart surgery. Being one of the oldest living children to have the Mustard procedure for the Transposition of the Great Vessels in the United States, the doctors seemed to incorporate a lot of guesswork into pioneering a survival plan for most of us. The Mustard procedure did not completely correct my heart condition, as the function of my left and right ventricles remains switched. At 16, I fell in love with weightlifting. My father had always lifted weights and encouraged me to find a sport as emphatically as doctors tried to prevent people with my heart condition from participating in sports. My father, a coach and physical education teacher, had me running laps with him not long after my second open heart surgery. In my house, it wasn’t about what you couldn’t do, but rather what you could do. I dove into weightlifting, taking a class in it and attempting to put muscle and weight on my scrawny 105 lb. frame. At 17, the doctors banned me from weightlifting. Based on theories, assumptions, and some misfortunes with some patients, our protocol no longer included weightlifting or roller coasters. For years, I struggled with finding activities I enjoyed, but none compared to the feeling from weightlifting. Time passed, most of us continued to survive, and more and more research showed that we were not really benefiting from such limited activity levels. In my late 30’s, I was fortunate enough to find myself in Dr. David Nykanen’s Orlando office. My particular surgery was developed and first performed in 1963, at the Sick Children’s Hospital in Toronto. Upon meeting Dr. Nykanen, who performed his fellowship at that very hospital, I knew he was going to be a more informed and progressive minded cardiologist. Fortunately for me, he was. The fact that his physician’s assistant competed in the figure category of bodybuilding only helped my cause. I asserted that the heart was a muscle, and it just made sense that weight training would build muscle. While roller coasters were still off the table for discussion, I got the green light to resume weight training. The negotiations started with the advice to lift any weight I could successfully lift for 20 repetitions. Anyone familiar with strength training knows that these guidelines were not likely to get me where I wanted to be, but it was a good starting point. As time passed, I grew stronger. This allowed me to follow a more traditional path to muscle building, although I still adapt it to fit my particular limitations. | |
Over the recent years, research started to indicate that strength training is actually beneficial for improving heart function. The AHA Science Advisory, in the study “Resistance Exercise in Individuals With and Without Cardiovascular Disease”, notes that “Prior to 1990, resistance training was not a part of the recommended guidelines for exercise training and rehabilitation for either the American Heart Association or the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM.) “ It was in 1990 that the ACSM introduced resistance training as part of a fitness program. After the introduction of resistance training as a recommendation, various studies were conducted to note how the heart responded to such training. (Pollock et al., 2000)
Some benefits of weight training for heart patients are obvious. Weight training offers the ability to raise one’s basal metabolic rate (BMR), cut down on body fat which lessens the work load on the heart, increase overall body strength which places less demand on the heart, increased bone density, mood regulation, possible insulin benefits, and to grant a gradual sense of confidence in patients as they grow stronger. Studies began to show that resistance training also allowed patients greater endurance times while partaking in aerobic activities. While risks of arrhythmias and dissections are a consideration and individuals do need to be monitored as such, gone should be the days of placing a moratorium on the iron for all cardiac patients.
Less obvious benefits cannot be ignored and are certainly worth mentioning. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research noted that there is a difference in vascular response and development between aerobic and anaerobic exercise. Resistance training “produced a greater blood flow to the limbs” and a “longer decrease in blood pressure”. (Epping., 2010) Additionally, Baylor University released a study indicating that “contractile proteins adapt to resistance training”. (Adams. 2006) Further studies dive into the effect of resistance training on the left ventricle myocytes, demonstrating that resistance training increased the width and volume of the myocytes, resulting in “ improved contractile function of isolated cardiomyocytes.” (Baruna et al., 2015). The incidents of arrhythmias or angina were similar among patients in each program, indicating that the stress from moderate resistance training was similar to that of an aerobic program; however, the findings remain consistent that resistance training elevates aerobic endurance and skeletal muscular strength beyond that found in participants placed in an aerobic only program. The percentage of the one repetition maximum varied from study to study, yet the findings in increased function and strength indicate that benefits from resistance training can be found at varying levels of intensity. This means that patients of varying cardiovascular levels and conditions might be able to find an adapted starting point for resistance training.
I still contend that the heart is a muscle, and resistance training strengthens muscle. Perhaps that is wildly over simplified, but on some level, it just makes sense. Hopefully, as research continues to illustrate the benefits of resistance training, more patients and doctors will consider implementing it into their recovery and fitness programs. The prescription for exercise no longer has to be a “one size fits all” approach, where all cardiac patients are banned from a possibly beneficial activity. I am so happy that I finally found a cardiologist willing to let me back in the weight room. So far, weight training has benefitted me in numerous ways, including my heart function. Talk to your cardiologist and ask him or her if you can lift to your heart’s delight.
Sources:
Michael L. Pollock, PhD1; Barry A. Franklin, PhD; Gary J. Balady, MD;Bernard L. Chaitman, MD; Jerome L. Fleg, MD; Barbara Fletcher, MN, RN;Marian Limacher, MD; Ileana L. Piña, MD; Richard A. Stein, MD; Mark Williams, PhD; Terry Bazzarre, PhD (2000). Resistance Exercise in Individuals With and Without Cardiovascular Disease. Retrieved from http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/101/7/828.full
Epping, J. (2010). Weight Training Has Unique Heart BJunenefits. Retrieved from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/207417.php
Adams, J., Cline, M., Reed, M., Masters, A., Ehlke, K., Hartman, J. 2006. Importance of resistance training in patients after a cardiac event. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1484533/
Melo, S., Barauna, V., Junior, M., Bozi, L., Drummond, L., Natali, A., Menezes de Oliveria, E. 2015. Resistance Training Regulates Cardiac Function through Modulation of miRNA-214. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4424992/