Cardio bad??
- Thread starter dragon06
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StoneColdNTO
Administrator
Never heard that one before.
Actually cardio is very good for the heart, helps keep blood pressure in line as well.
Actually cardio is very good for the heart, helps keep blood pressure in line as well.
TheGame_620
New member
yeah thats BS. Like mentioned before cardio will keep your BP normal, and we all know that BP sometimes goes crazy when on AS because of excess water weight, and especially if your cardiovascular system is out of shape.
Also Cardio will help you grow! Cardio produces more red blood cells, which will help feed oxygen to your muscles when your training really hard. Ever see what one of those fat guys that never does cardio looks like after a heavy set of squats. They look like there gonna die cause of lack of oxygen to both the lungs, and to the muscles. ALso you know they could of sqeezed out a couple more reps if they had enough oxygen in there lungs .
Also Cardio will help you grow! Cardio produces more red blood cells, which will help feed oxygen to your muscles when your training really hard. Ever see what one of those fat guys that never does cardio looks like after a heavy set of squats. They look like there gonna die cause of lack of oxygen to both the lungs, and to the muscles. ALso you know they could of sqeezed out a couple more reps if they had enough oxygen in there lungs .
Drveejay11
Community Veteran
He's refering to Left Ventricular Hypertrophy.......some people believe that extremely intense aerobic activity that forces the heart to work very hard, will result in hypertrophy of the heart (it is a muscle after all).
I have NEVER seen any evidence to support this phenomenon exclusively attributed to cardio...PERMANENTLY anyway.
However, I don't find to be such an illogical theory. Although the heart is comprised of a different matrix of muscles (smooth vs skeletal).....there is "potential" for growth in response to work load!!! You commonly see this with COPD patients (as well as other cardiovascular/lung diseases/disorders).
The difference???
In the athlete's heart LVH may constitute a physiological adaptation to pressure overload, which normalizes following discontinuation of strenuous physical activity. On the other hand, in particular in patients with hypertension, LVH denotes a serious prognosis in the course of hypertension. In these patients LVH should be regarded as a grave prognostic sign rather than an innocent compensatory phenomenon. There IS a distinction between physiologic and pathophysiologic LVH.
I have NEVER seen any evidence to support this phenomenon exclusively attributed to cardio...PERMANENTLY anyway.
However, I don't find to be such an illogical theory. Although the heart is comprised of a different matrix of muscles (smooth vs skeletal).....there is "potential" for growth in response to work load!!! You commonly see this with COPD patients (as well as other cardiovascular/lung diseases/disorders).
The difference???
In the athlete's heart LVH may constitute a physiological adaptation to pressure overload, which normalizes following discontinuation of strenuous physical activity. On the other hand, in particular in patients with hypertension, LVH denotes a serious prognosis in the course of hypertension. In these patients LVH should be regarded as a grave prognostic sign rather than an innocent compensatory phenomenon. There IS a distinction between physiologic and pathophysiologic LVH.
Last edited:
StoneColdNTO
Administrator
jcp2 said:
LVH can be a problem and a big one at that. When I was diagnosed, my heart was only working at about 60% efficiency. It has gradually gotten better, but extreme workloads still give me problems. Heavy squats and deads are definetely out.
Furthermore, the more times you enlarge your heart muscle, the weaker it becomes, eventually leading to heart failure.
StoneColdNTO
Administrator
Changes to Heart Muscle
The changes to heart muscle caused by anabolic steroids are attributed to their anabolic properties in muscle tissue. Left ventricular hypertrophy is characterized by thickening of the left ventricular wall secondary to cardiac fiber enlargement. Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is normally caused by a chronic increase in systemic blood pressure. It may also be seen with sudden or rapid weight gain. The thickening of the ventricular wall due to increased after-load from elevated vascular resistance can be viewed as adaptive protection up to a point. Beyond minor wall thickening, pathological LVH is a strong predictor of serious cardiovascular risk.
It is important for physicians to realize that LVH can occur in strength athletes and bodybuilders even in the absence of anabolic steroids use. It was previously believed that the intermittent increase in blood pressure that is caused by heavy lifting was not sufficient to elicit concentric left ventricular hypertrophy (CLVH). Any evidence of CLVH in strength athletes or bodybuilders was seen as a sign of anabolic steroid use.
During heavy lifting, systemic blood pressure is increased from what is called the valsalva maneuver. It is simply the act of forceful expiration with the mouth and nose closed producing a "bearing down" on the abdomen. Most people do this during heavy lifts such as squats or deadlifts. Pressure also increases due to blood vessels being occluded by contracting muscles. It should be noted that the LVH seen in bodybuilders and power lifters is called "concentric left ventricular hypertrophy", meaning that it is the result of contracting against acute increased systemic pressure, and is not considered pathological (i.e. unhealthy). "Eccentric" LVH is caused by constant increases of blood pressure, not as a result of the valsalva maneuver but instead due to clinical hypertension that forces the ventricle to expand against resistance.
AAS further exacerbate the effects of lifting on the heart. AASs cause anabolism in heart muscle, at times increasing left ventricular wall thickness to 16mm (11mm is considered normal).4 However, LVH caused by resistance training either alone or in conjunction with Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AAS) has yet to result in diastolic dysfunction, or in other words, there is yet no evidence that this thickening of the ventricular wall is pathologic.
Treatment options
Upon cessation of high intensity resistance exercise and obviously Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AAS) use, ventricular wall thickness returns to within normal ranges as long as hypertension unrelated to lifting is not present. There are no treatment suggestions for LVH caused by resistance training with or without the use of AAS.
The changes to heart muscle caused by anabolic steroids are attributed to their anabolic properties in muscle tissue. Left ventricular hypertrophy is characterized by thickening of the left ventricular wall secondary to cardiac fiber enlargement. Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is normally caused by a chronic increase in systemic blood pressure. It may also be seen with sudden or rapid weight gain. The thickening of the ventricular wall due to increased after-load from elevated vascular resistance can be viewed as adaptive protection up to a point. Beyond minor wall thickening, pathological LVH is a strong predictor of serious cardiovascular risk.
It is important for physicians to realize that LVH can occur in strength athletes and bodybuilders even in the absence of anabolic steroids use. It was previously believed that the intermittent increase in blood pressure that is caused by heavy lifting was not sufficient to elicit concentric left ventricular hypertrophy (CLVH). Any evidence of CLVH in strength athletes or bodybuilders was seen as a sign of anabolic steroid use.
During heavy lifting, systemic blood pressure is increased from what is called the valsalva maneuver. It is simply the act of forceful expiration with the mouth and nose closed producing a "bearing down" on the abdomen. Most people do this during heavy lifts such as squats or deadlifts. Pressure also increases due to blood vessels being occluded by contracting muscles. It should be noted that the LVH seen in bodybuilders and power lifters is called "concentric left ventricular hypertrophy", meaning that it is the result of contracting against acute increased systemic pressure, and is not considered pathological (i.e. unhealthy). "Eccentric" LVH is caused by constant increases of blood pressure, not as a result of the valsalva maneuver but instead due to clinical hypertension that forces the ventricle to expand against resistance.
AAS further exacerbate the effects of lifting on the heart. AASs cause anabolism in heart muscle, at times increasing left ventricular wall thickness to 16mm (11mm is considered normal).4 However, LVH caused by resistance training either alone or in conjunction with Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AAS) has yet to result in diastolic dysfunction, or in other words, there is yet no evidence that this thickening of the ventricular wall is pathologic.
Treatment options
Upon cessation of high intensity resistance exercise and obviously Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AAS) use, ventricular wall thickness returns to within normal ranges as long as hypertension unrelated to lifting is not present. There are no treatment suggestions for LVH caused by resistance training with or without the use of AAS.
StoneColdNTO
Administrator
dragon06 said:
My problem was from high blood pressure during a cycle (160/110), that's what caused my LVH.
That's why I always stress the importance of keeping an eye on your bp.
StoneColdNTO
Administrator
Trevdog said:
Trev.....the Internal Medicine Specialist who treated me, told me in no uncertain terms "That cardio will drastically improve my LVH", so you can draw your own conclusions from that. To me there is NO way in hell, he would tell me to do cardio if there was the remotest chance of it doing any damage to my heart.
Hope that clears it up: Cardio is your hearts best friend, whether on cycle or not !!
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