Hello all, Perhaps this question is more appropriately addressed to the sports medicine crowd but I'm assuming many of you are knowledgeable on the topic. I understand that the heart muscle muscle responds to training or inactivity similarly to the muscles in the rest of the body, i.e. inactivity leads to atrophy while training enhances strength and function. I've always assumed that as athletes (particularly as cyclists or other endurance-based sports like running, triathlons, Nordic skiing, etc.) our hearts are stronger and healthier. Is there a point where the high heart-rate work that's necessary preparation for racing becomes unhealthy? What prompts my question is that I learned that an acquaintance of mine (lean, fit, maintains excellent year 'round riding fitness, successful competitor) was experiencing some heart-related issues (I don't know the exact nature/diagnosis). I've debated with friends who have suggested that higher heart-rate work can "wear out" a heart prematurely, which seems counter to my understanding of physiology (work/rest/recovery/improved strength etc.)
Does not make sense physiologically. The one distinct advantage the heart has over other body tissues, is direct access to blood.
Unless there is a genetic code/signal telling it otherwise, the heart will constantly replace its cells with nice new ones. The cells of the heart are the best equipped cells in the body. Also, our own homeostatic mechanisms within the body will likely put an end to any exercise activity that could potentially damage the heart.
"Mitch" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Is there a point where the high heart-rate work that's necessary preparation for racing becomes unhealthy?
If you are predisposed to plaque build up in your arteries, then hard excercise can create an opportunity for it to break free and create heart problems. Excercise, however, is not the real cause of the problem. I believe there are several famous examples of this happening - Jim Fixx, Ed Burke, etc.
People with poor diet and genetics will have problems even if they excercise and I would suspect that this is the case with your friend.
Hello all, Perhaps this question is more appropriately addressed to the sports medicine crowd but I'm assuming many of you are knowledgeable on the topic. I understand that the heart muscle muscle responds to training or inactivity similarly to the muscles in the rest of the body, i.e. inactivity leads to atrophy while training enhances strength and function. I've always assumed that as athletes (particularly as cyclists or other endurance-based sports like running, triathlons, Nordic skiing, etc.) our hearts are stronger and healthier. Is there a point where the high heart-rate work that's necessary preparation for racing becomes unhealthy? What prompts my question is that I learned that an acquaintance of mine (lean, fit, maintains excellent year 'round riding fitness, successful competitor) was experiencing some heart-related issues (I don't know the exact nature/diagnosis). I've debated with friends who have suggested that higher heart-rate work can "wear out" a heart prematurely, which seems counter to my understanding of physiology (work/rest/recovery/improved strength etc.)
Input/recommended reading?
Many thanks.
Generally speaking, a high fitness level will increase cardiac efficiency--that is, your heart can function for a given effort level at a slower rate. The volume of blood pumped in a single beat is increased, and a given effort does not necessitate as great an increase in pulse rate. For this reason and others, the heart will not "wear out" faster from extended exercise. I can think of a couple of caveats. It is possible to overdo anything, and if you overtrain your resting heart rate will increase. Obviously, this is a clear signal to back off--it's not good for either general health or performance. The other thing that may well be is that if you habitually stress your heart and you have a pre-existing condition such as a cardiac arrhythmia, there is the chance that the exercise might provoke an incident. That's the biggest reason for the boilerplate to have an exam before starting an exercise program. Over a certain age (I don't know what age) generally a stress test is also indicated.
I've heard lazy people say before that exercise was bad because it used up a limited supply of heartbeats. If that's sort of what you're getting at, the answer is pretty simple. The long-term reduction in your daily typical heart rate more than makes up for any short term exercise-induced spikes in heart rate. You'll achieve a net gain in available heart beats over your lifetime by exercising.
An organ (the heart) is merely the product of its tissues, which are in turn just a product of their cells.
Cells do only what they were designed to do within the tissue, and they either live or die.
Death of a cell is determined either by pure environmental factors or by the genetic programming that tells it to die. Each cell is limited in the number of times it is allowed to divide and keep on living, but there is no "running count" of the number of heartbeats. A cell's world is limited to what's within it's cytoplasm and what immediately surrounds it.
The heart will only stop beating for two basic reasons:
1) Physically impossible due to cell/tissue damage (many variables) 2) Brain stops sending signals telling it to keep beating (many variables)
An organ (the heart) is merely the product of its tissues, which are in turn just a product of their cells.
Cells do only what they were designed to do within the tissue, and they either live or die.
Death of a cell is determined either by pure environmental factors or by the genetic programming that tells it to die. Each cell is limited in the number of times it is allowed to divide and keep on living, but there is no "running count" of the number of heartbeats. A cell's world is limited to what's within it's cytoplasm and what immediately surrounds it.
The heart will only stop beating for two basic reasons:
1) Physically impossible due to cell/tissue damage (many variables) 2) Brain stops sending signals telling it to keep beating (many variables)
I'd add electrical conduction problems, which do not necessarily involve tissue death.
Hello all, Perhaps this question is more appropriately addressed to the sports medicine crowd but I'm assuming many of you are knowledgeable on the topic. I understand that the heart muscle muscle responds to training or inactivity similarly to the muscles in the rest of the body, i.e. inactivity leads to atrophy while training enhances strength and function. I've always assumed that as athletes (particularly as cyclists or other endurance-based sports like running, triathlons, Nordic skiing, etc.) our hearts are stronger and healthier. Is there a point where the high heart-rate work that's necessary preparation for racing becomes unhealthy? What prompts my question is that I learned that an acquaintance of mine (lean, fit, maintains excellent year 'round riding fitness, successful competitor) was experiencing some heart-related issues (I don't know the exact nature/diagnosis). I've debated with friends who have suggested that higher heart-rate work can "wear out" a heart prematurely, which seems counter to my understanding of physiology (work/rest/recovery/improved strength etc.)
Input/recommended reading?
Think of it this way. We are born with a number of springs wound up in us. The springs wind down. Over taxing a system can use it up completely, leading to an early demise.
Hello all, Perhaps this question is more appropriately addressed to the sports medicine crowd but I'm assuming many of you are knowledgeable on the topic. I understand that the heart muscle muscle responds to training or inactivity similarly to the muscles in the rest of the body, i.e. inactivity leads to atrophy while training enhances strength and function. I've always assumed that as athletes (particularly as cyclists or other endurance-based sports like running, triathlons, Nordic skiing, etc.) our hearts are stronger and healthier. Is there a point where the high heart-rate work that's necessary preparation for racing becomes unhealthy? What prompts my question is that I learned that an acquaintance of mine (lean, fit, maintains excellent year 'round riding fitness, successful competitor) was experiencing some heart-related issues (I don't know the exact nature/diagnosis). I've debated with friends who have suggested that higher heart-rate work can "wear out" a heart prematurely, which seems counter to my understanding of physiology (work/rest/recovery/improved strength etc.)
Input/recommended reading?
Think of it this way. We are born with a number of springs wound up in us. The springs wind down. Over taxing a system can use it up completely, leading to an early demise.
That's a pretty lame answer. Humans aren't machines, they have a capacity to repair themselves. Activity stimulates the chemicals that promote the bodys self repair mechanisims. You should exercise as if your life depends upon it. All the people I work with have either bad backs or gout or both, none of them exercise.
