How Some Exercises May Lead to Cardiovascular Complications

While exercise is beneficial for heart health, it’s possible to experience cardiovascular complications during or after exercise, especially if someone has underlying heart conditions.

For those avoiding or managing cardiovascular disease, aerobic exercise and resistance training are often recommended. These include safe activities you can customize to match your abilities and limitations. Trained physical therapists or other professionals tailor the programs to ensure the best results. Knowing what to avoid is also required, which we’ll cover in the following sections.

Senior man on exercise bike assisted by nurse, addressing cardiovascular exercise complications, with other patients in background.

Cardiovascular Exercises: Avoid Complications

According to experts, cardiovascular disease claims over half a million lives every year in the United States. It encompasses medical conditions like angina, heart attack, stroke, transient ischemic attack, and heart failure. Though exercise benefits the heart, some habits can do more harm than good, including the issues discussed below.

Here are a few exercises to avoid:

Heavy lifting

Those interested in increasing muscle mass usually add weight lifting to their exercise routine. Unfortunately, heavy lifting may cause cardiovascular complications. For instance, such intense exertion has been linked to high blood pressure, forcing the heart to work harder.

More frightening is the risk of spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), which occurs when an artery wall tears. Though rare, the condition is severe enough to encourage moderate weight training instead of heavy lifting

Sudden physical activity or movement

Experts suggest those who rarely work out have a higher heart attack risk while exercising compared to active people. The less often you work out, the higher the risk becomes.

To avoid such cardiovascular complications, warm up before any exercise. Start slow, doing only a few reps or taking short walks initially. Over time, you may add more activities or longer routines.

Intense activity

The WHO states adults should perform approximately 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activities each week. Unfortunately, studies show that frequent intense activities could reduce cardiovascular health.

Engaging in extreme exercise may cause risks, including myocardial fibrosis, atrial fibrillation, or coronary artery calcification. So, if you like running, swimming laps, press-ups, or even heavy yard work, take it easy to avoid straining your heart.

Not exercising regularly

Though exercising too often or too strenuously isn’t healthy, minimal physical activity in your routine is worse. According to experts, lack of exercise or a sedentary lifestyle are detrimental to heart health. A poor diet and obesity are also risk factors.

Adding physical activities to your daily routine reduces possible complications to cardiovascular health. Healthy exercises include walking, jogging, swimming, gardening, or playing sports. Best of all, you can choose those you enjoy for a fun addition to your day.

Don’t push yourself

Physical activity is vital to prevent and manage cardiovascular disease. But pushing yourself too hard doesn’t benefit your heart. Rather than working yourself until you’re breathless and dizzy, take things slow and avoid anything causing pain.

If you haven’t exercised in a while, start with 5 to 10 minutes of activity each day. Pace yourself, increasing your sessions over time. And be sure to cool down with a few stretches or slow walking to relax your heart.

Physical activity strengthens your heart, lungs, and the rest of the body, improving oxygenation and nutrient distribution. Exercising strengthens the heart by improving blood flow, increasing its efficiency in pumping blood, and enhancing overall cardiovascular health. Unfortunately, not all exercise may offer these benefits, and some even may lead to cardiovascular complications. To avoid hazardous and even life-threatening consequences, consulting a cardiologist or other professional is vital before beginning any program.

Resources:

  1. NCBI, Aug. 22, 2023, Cardiovascular Disease
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK535419/
  2. Journals of Applied Physiology, March 1, 1985, Arterial blood pressure response to heavy resistance exercise
    https://journals.physiology.org/doi/abs/10.1152/jappl.1985.58.3.785
  3. Yale School of Medicine, Sept-Oct 2006, When lifting weights, keep your heart in mind
    https://medicine.yale.edu/news/medicineatyale/article/when-lifting-weights-keep-your-heart-in-mind/
  4. NHLBI, Physical Activity and Your Heart
    https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/heart/physical-activity/risks#:~:text=Rarely%20do%20heart%20problems%20occur,the%20activity%20you’re%20doing
  5. PubMed Central, Aug. 28, 2018, The “Extreme Exercise Hypothesis”: Recent Findings and Cardiovascular Health Implications
    https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6132728/
  6. Frontiers, Oct. 18, 2022, Association between sedentary behavior, physical activity, and cardiovascular disease related outcomes in adults – A meta-analysis and systematic review
    https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.1018460/full
  7. British Heart Foundation, Exercise for heart failure: tips for exercising safely
    https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/activity/exercise-for-heart-failure
This article contains informational and educational materials and does not replace health or medical advice. For questions or concerns regarding your medical condition or health objectives, speak to a qualified physician or healthcare provider.