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Off-Topic Got a stress test done yesterday….

Brandon Trahan

Brandon Trahan

Level 5 Valued Member
Yesterday i got a stress test done. Kinda. And so far the results aren’t good. During a stress test you have a max heart/target heart rate to reach. Which I know you all know. So your max heart rate based on your age and they find a max heart rate they need to get your heart rate at to successfully complete the procedure.

They had to stop me in the middle of the test because my blood pressure got too high. 230/70. Apparently my heart is good. But the Blood Pressure is Excercise hypertension. And that sucks. So it’s almost like I’ve been dodging a bullet for a while. Thankfully i havent Had a stroke or anything terrible….

I’m pissed at myself for allowing myself to be this big for so many years. Always thinking “I’m fine I’m just husky, this is just who i am” or allowing encouragement from other people saying things like “you don’t look fat you look built and strong” to make me think I’m fine. Or “I’m athletic even though I’m big”. Screw that. I need A new approach and the biggest lifestyle change possible.

The truth is I’m 308 lbs. I jump from there to about 215 depending on how bad I mess up, and I’m done being the biggest guy or strongest guy in the room. I want to be strong but I’ve always been afraid to get smaller and lose strength. Well now I have no choice. Pride ruins a lot of things. Carelessness ruins a lot of things. Like my health. My birthday is in 2 weeks. I’ll be 40. So I’m just at a point where (besides diet which i understand What i need To do in that regard) i think What do i do With balancing crazy long work hours with Jiu Jitsu 1-2 times a week and bells or cardio? Which do i do? That’s ultimately where I’m at. I cannot sustain cardio on top of bells with my crazy a#@ work schedule.

Any advice is welcome.
 
I also want to add that contrary to popular belief, you can gain strength and lose weight at the same time. I've been doing it these past three months.

To be fair, my weight loss is slow as heck, but we can't have everything.
 
Brandon Trahan said:
What do i do With balancing crazy long work hours with Jiu Jitsu 1-2 times a week and bells or cardio? Which do i do? That’s ultimately where I’m at. I cannot sustain cardio on top of bells with my crazy a#@ work schedule.
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What do you do for work and why is it a crazy schedule?
 
Oh man. Night shift. Day shift. Night shift day shift. Etc.

If day shift start at 3 am. Sometimes 4 am or 5 am.

Basically my schedule is so hectic it’s NEVER normal. It’s horrendous!
 
Brandon Trahan said:
Oh man. Night shift. Day shift. Night shift day shift. Etc.

If day shift start at 3 am. Sometimes 4 am or 5 am.

Basically my schedule is so hectic it’s NEVER normal. It’s horrendous!
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I'm no doctor but maybe that's the bigger issue than your size?

From what I've learned from people like Matthew Walker, poor sleep is the #1 driving factor for things like heart problems. In his book he mentioned that on the night where we lose an hour of sleep due to daylight savings time, the number of heart attacks rises significantly, while it decreases for the same amount in the night we gain an hour of sleep.

If it's in any way possible, I'd recommend fixing that issue first
 
Brandon Trahan said:
Yesterday i got a stress test done. Kinda. And so far the results aren’t good. During a stress test you have a max heart/target heart rate to reach. Which I know you all know. So your max heart rate based on your age and they find a max heart rate they need to get your heart rate at to successfully complete the procedure.

They had to stop me in the middle of the test because my blood pressure got too high. 230/70. Apparently my heart is good. But the Blood Pressure is Excercise hypertension. And that sucks. So it’s almost like I’ve been dodging a bullet for a while. Thankfully i havent Had a stroke or anything terrible….

I’m pissed at myself for allowing myself to be this big for so many years. Always thinking “I’m fine I’m just husky, this is just who i am” or allowing encouragement from other people saying things like “you don’t look fat you look built and strong” to make me think I’m fine. Or “I’m athletic even though I’m big”. Screw that. I need A new approach and the biggest lifestyle change possible.

The truth is I’m 308 lbs. I jump from there to about 215 depending on how bad I mess up, and I’m done being the biggest guy or strongest guy in the room. I want to be strong but I’ve always been afraid to get smaller and lose strength. Well now I have no choice. Pride ruins a lot of things. Carelessness ruins a lot of things. Like my health. My birthday is in 2 weeks. I’ll be 40. So I’m just at a point where (besides diet which i understand What i need To do in that regard) i think What do i do With balancing crazy long work hours with Jiu Jitsu 1-2 times a week and bells or cardio? Which do i do? That’s ultimately where I’m at. I cannot sustain cardio on top of bells with my crazy a#@ work schedule.

Any advice is welcome.
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I just finished 20yrs of shift work. In 6 months I’ve dropped 5kg. Routine is important. Still don’t sleep perfect, but much better.

Don’t go crazy, just stick to something for 6 months. I don’t do crazy diets, just calorie counting app.
 
Dropping weight is mostly diet. Try that.
It's hard to go wrong with cutting carbs and switching to vegetables and occasionally fruits. You can get your protein from shakes. Drop the sauses.
I am not saying that dropping the weight will make it better. Exercise and healthy diet is not everything. Genetics matter.
On the bright side - blood pressure can be controlled with medication quite good.
 
@Brandon Trahan Is that you in your profile pic? you look really strong as everyone tells you! Unfortunately, it doesn't equate to healthy heart&vessels in your case :( I fully agree with the need for regular good sleep. And recovery iincludes the emotional and physical aspects, especically given your crazy schedule in a high stress job. what is more important and stressful than saving lives??? wow!

Dr Google says this about training with high blood pressure (see pic below). it looks like a massive step-down from your current training routine:( Given this + the good "6 month" advice above, I would train lighter for 6 months + diet + sleep + recouperation and retest your system. I suspect that you will be devasted watching/feeling your body shrink over this time but rather stay alive and healthy than have a heart-attack/stroke. once your BP is back in control then step up your training again, and you will possibly be stronger at the end of the day.

I've battled serious health issues over the past 2.5 years, which also hit me out of the blue! prevented me from training here and there, I scaled back my training drastically, scaled up my training when I was good, taken down again when I tried to stop med-steroids, scaled up training again, taken down again by an accident, and now scaling up again. I will go for more medical treatment soon as my condition can be managed but never fully cured. I finished chemotherapy last year and now on some trial stuff that we hope will get me off the med-steroids that I'm taking daily on for 1.5 years! I expect that this new therapy will take me a few steps back for a month or2, then I will be able to move ahead much stronger.

This entire process has been a mental game for me. The phsyical side is like the commoon saying on this forum: 'Punch the clock'. pitch up, do the work, rest and recover, pitch up again. This applies to the medical treatment adn my training.

I'm still alive and kicking and generally healthy but not at my healthiest. I can clearly state that my family prefers to have me more or less healthy rather than being a super-man that I was in my strongest kung-fu days. I wish I knew about KB training back then, I would have been super-super-man, or better yet: a Russian Super Man :)

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Simple answer for simple question, focus on cardio for a while. You’re 300lbs. Get sweaty and move some blood and o2 round your body.

Diet needs dialling in, you know, no more preaching.

When you’re at 200lb, bring in more lifting. Keep the cardio and diet.

Stop messing about, old school tried and tested, simple will work. You won’t get weak from focusing on diet and cardio, so don’t lie to yourself about it. Just get it done.

Also, in reply to an earlier post, medication is not the way to go if you can just get yourself sorted without. Medicating to maintain poor health is like spraying deodorant on a dog s*** instead of picking it up.
 
Strength training is great! But it can at times lead to a stiffer heart and less vital lung capacity. Pavel explains this in SecondWind Express and also some aspects in the Joe Rogan podcast:


This post might interest youas well.

Other/Mixed - Exercising for longevity vs performance

Is exercising to gain strength, build muscle, and lose fat the same as exercising for longevity? The video claims that it's different if one is exercising with the intent of activating autophagy.
www.strongfirst.com

Maybe add power training (snatches, swings) and definitely add some aerobic work. Could be walking as an entry level and low impact activity which has a lot of benefits for mind and body in general.

You seem to be a tough guy, able to withstand external stressors quite well. Therefore, I would urge you NOT to go all out, but to easier than you think. "It feels good to feel good" as Tim Anderson likes to say. Find an activity that helps you to reduce stress and does not add to it. This could be rucking, hiking, easy cycling, etc. Getting sun exposure and time in nature are helpful for stress-relief, sleep quality, and health as well.
 
Hey Bigdog, big changes ahead my friend. I’ve had severe blood pressure problems in the past & it truly is a silent killer. Sounds like you know it’s serious which is the first step. To be honest because of my history with BP my first thought when I noticed your profile picture was pressure. I can see it in other people now I know what to look for in myself.
You already know you need to drop some weight, might seem scary but it’s not. You’re still guna be a strong MF, you’re also going to be more mobile, have more energy & sleep better. Being the strongest guy in the room isn’t the be all & end all. Especially if you have a stroke before 50. What’s that saying? The lions king of the jungle not the elephant, or something like that.
Stop eating big, can still train heavy but don’t make it what it’s all about. You’re going have to make some training sacrifices because of your work schedule. So what’s it going to be? What’s more important? Ju jitsu or lifting? Something’s gotta give.
If you can get it sorted without the need for medication, cause that’s a slippery slope that’s hard to get off once started.
Rant done I’ll tell ya what I did.
Adjusted my food intake. I always ate healthy, but tended to eat more than necessary as I wanted to be big n strong. So ate less. Also enjoyed a beer regularly, got that under control. Drunk more water, around 2/3 litres a day. Added a pinch of salt to one of those litres.
Training wise I added a bit more strength endurance work & cut back on pure strength. Could train 5/6 days a week doing this.
Found a way to get more sleep. I drive a garbage truck & start 2/3 in the morning work 11/12 hr days. Went to bed earlier when I could, snuck in naps when I could.
Paid attention to my mental health. Stress=blood pressure. More important than you think.
I also researched herbal/natural remedies that help in lowering BP. Found some herbs & certain foods that actually worked for me. The information is out there so I won’t get specific as I’m a garbage truck driver not a nutritionist.
Dropped about 8 kgs I think. Felt really strong, strength to body weight ratio was something that crossed my mind. Mobility improved, less aches n pains, more energy, better sleep, better mood & most importantly drastic drop in blood pressure. The above improvements had less to do with weight loss & more to do with dropping BP. You really don’t know how s***ty high BP makes you feel until you lower it.
It’s something I gotta stay on top of for the rest of my life, as when I get lazy the pressure rises.
Good luck big fella. You’ll be right, do some research stick to a plan & live a long healthy life.
 
Great advice above

I'll just add, spend a few minutes each day thinking about yourself, and practice viewing yourself differently. It's important to work through the process of having a different self-image. Instead of a big, strong guy, you'll be a slightly larger than average lean strong guy who moves well and has endurance. Or whatever you come up with. Get clear on who you want to be. Then do what you need to do. The action comes much more naturally once you are comfortable with the new identity.

1683199396801.png

Good luck and let us know how it goes! I think you've got this!
 
Something I read from a great author his name is Col. Dave Grossman. He gave a breathing routine for people in high stress occupations and people dealing with ptsd. The breathing is breath into your belly for four seconds, hold your breath you take into your belly for four seconds, breath out for four seconds, then hold your breath for four seconds. You repeat this several times and can be done anywhere. I think as we get older we just hold stress different than when we were younger and taking time out to breath and relax is important to overall wellness. Hope this helps give it a try because in the book called On Killing and On Combat are really good reads and the Col. says they have proven this type of breathing helps in any situation to reduce anger, blood pressure, stress, in a fight for your life, etc. You have the ability to slow down and destress anywhere.
 
To be honest you seem to be OK training wise. Doing kettlebells and jiu jitsu would be enough for you to live healthy. Perhaps you should look over your food intake and portion control. I've worked night shifts and I know that it's really easy to do questionable diet choices.
 
All great advice from above.
Brandon, jut want to share my story. I was over 260 pounds when I graduated College. Strong as a beast. A year later my father passed away at 52 from a heart attack. Impacted me greatly. I dropped weight but continued to lift heavy as I was still young. Now, I am 52, have high Cholesterol and my CT Calcium Score -a little over 200 indicates some plaque build up in my coronary arteries- but thank God not the "main" ones. I way a little over 200 pounds now. I utilize kettlebells, barbells and walking. I train for strength--always. Just add in some walking 5-10 minutes here and there and gradually increase. We need more protein as we age and obviously less sugar. It strict during the week and have one cheat day on the weekend. Sleep is so underrated as mentioned countless times. Big factor. Don't stop strength training for both mental and physical reasons. Keep at it. Thank God you are on top of the medical aspect so you are able to affect change now. God bless
 
Hey Brandon, I have been in the same boat. Over 330 pounds (@6'2") and with pre-hypertension at one point. You've already done more than the majority of the population by having the stress test done and identifying the problem. That's half the battle. Now you just have to make small incremental changes and you'll be able to reduce that hypertension and feel better. I think you know what those changes are. No need to elaborate on that too much as others have spoken to them above.

I can speak from my experience however. I think it's important to shift focus from training for max strength which can induce a lot of cardiovascular stress when you are hypertensive. Shift that focus to training more endurance based protocols and incorporating some low intensity steady state cardio for a while. Maybe scale your strength practice back to one or two days a week and replace them with these other types of sessions. I did this often and it helped my heart function better all around. It will give you a better gas tank for your strength sessions. It also helped me tremendously on the mats to have some aerobic base built up. Prior to doing that I would struggle to roll for more than 3 or 4 -5 minute rounds in a row. I hope this helps and keep up the good work!

P.S. Make sure you continue to follow up with your cardiologist!
 
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