New Training Emphasis and a Funny Not-So-Funny Story about Eugen Sandow

I have shifted my training emphasis from strength and muscle-building to conditioning and endurance. Granted these are on a continuum so one is likely never done without at least some of the other. So, from a capped weekly volume of “hard sets” that reach mechanical and approach muscular failure, I have moved to high volume, low “rest”, “light” load daily work. There are several reasons for this.

Medical
For several years my doctor has been trying to get a handle on my blood pressure, which consistently reads from high to very high at medical visits to somewhat high to normal to even low at home. I have verified that my home machine is accurate. The main question is when does “white coat anxiety” bleed into hypertension, so to speak. My own sense is that most of the time my blood pressure is “normal”, but nonetheless, and out of caution, I take 3 meds daily and see a cardiologist regularly.

More importantly, an ultrasound and an MRI revealed a small aortic aneurysm. This is an enlargement of the aorta and a rupture likely means lights out. My enlargement is small, if that makes any sense. I was referred for genetic counseling and the counselor seemed mainly interested in whether or not any of my family members have keeled over suddenly and died. None have, to my knowledge. In fact, I know of no heart attacks in my family. The genetic counselor seemed satisfied with that information.

I am a healthcare analytics professional, and have tracked my BP for two years. I ran some descriptive stats on the data and found that my average bp is about 133 / 75, which is only slightly above current threshold for concern. My MD/Ph.D. cardiologist, excited by the data, said “this still needs to come down.”

The thing to avoid with aortic enlargement is the “valsalva” maneuver, or the intense engagement of the core. At great intensities this can spike the blood pressure very high and endanger an already enlarged aorta. The general advice is not to lift anything over 10 pounds and not to engage the core intensely. Struggling with a very heavy one-rep max deadlift or a bad case of constipation would be a very bad idea. Fortunately I have no involvement with either.

But think about pull-ups and other high load calisthenics exercises. I pressed my MD/Ph.D. cardiologist a bit more about exercise and the aorta at my last visit and he admitted that the 10 lb limit is not necessarly etched in stone, but avoidance of intense valsalva is. He also told me I am free, and even encouraged, to do as much cardio as I can. And lose weight. Roger that. Working on it. (SW 199, CW 180, GW 170).

I’m obviously not prepared to give up pull-ups and decline deficit push-ups. A little research indicated that intentional breathing during strength training can reduce or eliminate valsalva. I can make this work.

Goals
The medical reasons are enough to change my tranining emphasis, but in another important way, my goals are a big factor. At the age of 60, I no longer want to get bigger. I am satisfied with the amount of space I take up and don’t wish to take up any more. I want a “sleeper build”. And I feel the years I have left will be better spent with a stronger heart and lungs than neccessarily larger biceps. And my muscle mass is always cause for kudos at my physicals. “Money-in-the-bank” my doctor says.

So more movement and more “cardio” type movement is good all around. But keeping calisthenics exercises in the repertoire rather than, say, “becoming a runner” is also appealing and fits with the overall program.

Current Training
So the current training emphasizes overall time spent in challenging movement with little rest rather than sets-per-week at high proximity to failure with as much rest as needed between sets. EMOM training is a great example of this and fits into a larger category of “density training”. 20 bodyweight squats per minute for 20 minutes, for example. I try to challenge the whole body every day. Today I did supersets of 20 to 30 elevated pushups (against a bar just above waist high) to standing rows. I went back and forth without rest unti I’d reached 100 reps of each. I also did 200 reps of constant tension rest/pause “shorty” or “pulse” squats and 100 reps of rest/pause bodyweight Romanian deadlifts. “Rest/pause” means when the burn gets too intense, you stop for a few seconds until it subsides, then you continue. And just for giggles, I did a set of about 50 dumbbell curls (8 lb) supersetted with tricep presses and a superset of bent-over lateral raises into lateral raises for a total of 50 reps. I concentrate on breathing during execution of the reps. I ride my bike on average an hour a day and some days 2.5 hours total (commute to work and back).

The Eugen Sandow Story
After my first cardiologist visit, where I was told not to lift anything over 10 pounds, I was crestfallen. But determined to find SOMETHING to do, I reviewed some content on Eugen Sandow and his system of light dumbbell training. If you don’t know who he was, it’s worth spending time learning. In short, he was one of the first renowned physical culturalists and built an impressive physique using mainly 5 lb dumbbells and high repetition daily programming.

I don’t like moving dumbbells nearly as much as moving my body through space but this was enough to hold my depression at bay. So what’s the funny, not-so-funny story? Reviewing Sandow’s life a bit I discovered this little pertinent fact: he died in his 50s of a ruptured aorta.

GREAT!!!!! Well, we shan’t jump to too many conclusions here, and although the facts are a big fuzzy, it appears likely that he suffered the rupture after attempting to lift his car out of a ditch. You see, in addition to lifting tiny dumbbells, he did “feats of strength” often as a showman.

What I’m doing now feels good and it doesn’t feel dangerous, and more importantly, it feels beneficial all around. I admire anyone who can manage a 2.5x bodyweight deadlift, but I’ll admire from the sidelines.