Prioritizing workout factors?

[CyningaDena]

I'm wondering if I could get some advice. I'm currently lifting 4x a week, trying to gain about 20 pounds. My routine has me doing supersets on a 1/3 cadence with a 45 second rest period between sets. I'm digging it, but the catch is that I have tachycardia -- my heart rate hits 125 just from starting my warmup, and it's at 185-190 by the time my warmup is done and I start doing the real work, when it goes up to theoretically impossible levels for a 30-year-old. So around half way through my workout I have to start cheating some things just to keep my heart rate under control.

I've been cheating on the cadence and rest period between sets, pausing a lot between reps and sometimes resting up to 2 minutes between sets toward the end of my workout so I don't bonk into the wall. I don't understand enough about the principles behind cadence and rest, though -- am I undercutting my workout by cheating that? Should I cut supersets instead when I have to? Should I keep a shorter rest by lifting heavier for fewer reps? Lighter for more reps? So many variables!

Thanks for your help on this...every workout, I keep thinking I should get some advice on this and keep forgetting!

[jdanger]

What's the exact cardiac diagnosis? Does your HR ramp down normally or are you locked in vtach a la WPW?

If you don't know what I'm talking about go see a cardiologist asap.

[CyningaDena]

Stress tests and ECG don't show anything hugely worrying like WPW. Heart function is normal...just high. I've talked through options with my doctor, decided against medications, and am doing pretty well managing it. I've no genetic medical history available, which evidently makes pinpointing exact causes an expensive guessing game at first, so since my tests seem to say I'm not going to keel over, I guess I'm not too concerned about it. It's just a fact about my body that I need to take into account.

[jdanger]

Just to be clear, those are the opinions of a cardiologist or general physician? I assume if you've had a stress test a cardiologist was at least consulted. I realize a lot of forms of dysrhythmia are manageable and not a giant deal but no one in good conscience can really give too much exercise advice without understanding the condition or at least the recommendations of a specialist.

That said.. tach messes with a lot of things like blood pressure and flow, oxygen delivery, perceived exertion, ect. So you're on the right track looking to alter standard protocols. I would consider most typical hypertrophy protocols that call for limited rest off limits or at least approached extreme caution with your condition. General advice would be to stop any set if any sort of dizziness starts, increase rest periods until your HR lowers to reasonable levels and talk to your cardio about potentially helpful vagal maneuvers.

This is unofficial advice but an approach that might work is mixing higher rep isolation work with lower rep strength/compound work if hypertrophy is a concern. Isolate and integrate as it were. Isolation will allow you to get a little more stimulus into specific muscles without as much systemic fatigue. Heavy compound strength work calls for longer rest periods anyway so just abuse that on that side. To answer one of the original questions, no you aren't cheating your workouts by doing any of this. You're altering the standard rules to fit them to your situation. Work hard and safe (smart) and you'll still make progress regardless of whether or not you rest 2 or 5 minutes between sets. There's no magic in any number.

[CyningaDena]

Yeah, I made sure to clear my fitness goals with my cardiologist first, and we came up with some management strategies before I started. Good call on working in more isolation exercises -- most of my routine is compound work, and you’re right, I sometimes feel like my overall system taps out before the muscle group I’m working does. Thanks a bunch!