New Physical Protocol has me stumped/not working.

So I'll preface this. My job has had me more sedentary than my prior, and in particular my existing work site has basically no were to even walk around. I have like 30 feet of sidewalk, then cubicles... Suffice to say my cardio isn't great I'll be the first to say. Though I'm not obese. 6'1 195 and was already slowly heading back towards 185 after the holidays.

However I've never had problems with work physicals before. I had just started to start running and stuff again before getting 2 week notice of upcoming physical. During the 2 weeks I focused mainly on pushup/situp since the treadmill was never an issue before, usually carrying on a conversation with the tester during it in the past. They are using a new provider now, and not sure what changed but the treadmill test I'm failing. Frustrating since I'm getting off not breathing heavy and ready to shoot qual right away if that was an option.

But my BPM is too high for whatever test this is. It's on some scale, I need a 9 and I'm getting an 8. Test is 3mins 3mph 2% grade then 3minutes at 7%. I need to keep it to around 140bpm or lower and I was sitting at 150 with the last 30 seconds spiking to 158. I feel like a decent bit is testing anxiety, the first attempt I was certainly nervous about pushups/situps etc.

So currently going to retest next friday. Going to be 2-3 a day 30+ minute walk/run sessions using my stairs and the school parking lot which has a loop with some hill to it. My treadmill is ghetto and no incline option but may use it if it's easier than sidewalks as I get shin splints fast. I'm not sure what else I should consider doing. It's frustrating knowing there's a couple 400+ lb guys that I guess have passed it and I see them sweat walking 50 feet, and it was alluded to me that they are popping beta blockers. Lucky them. I have valium/hydrocodone leftover from my surgery prescribed for back issues as needed, debating just popping a valium to kill any increase from anxiety and get the last 5% improvement in this 8 extra days of training time.

Or, you could just try working on your cardio.
[Coffee]

Do at least 30 seconds of sprinting at every exercise session. Hills would be good as well.

Make sure you are sufficiently hydrated when you take the test. Dehydration can cause increased heart rate.

I'm on a beta blocker and had to have stress test a while back. Fuckers worked me over on the treadmill to even get my heart rate up enough where they needed it to take the pics.

So then why does my heart rate go nuts hiking up the mountain Elk hunting? I know, altitude...

But yea, if some lard ass like me or bigger that doesn't cardio (57YO 5'10, 225#) is passing, they're cheating.

I think that was covered at the end. I'm mixing in other workouts too just to keep heart rate up/out of breath.

Today so far I did more jog/light run mixed in with pushups/squats and fast walking as only break. I'll mix in that sprinting of Irvings makes sense kinda making it more of a HIIT thing.


@zulu. Today I was higher bp/bpm at rest than the other day, I had drank water in the morning, but i've noticed I'm usually been super dried out in the am. So will wake earlier so I can sip water longer.

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Originally Posted by brutal

I'm on a beta blocker and had to have stress test a while back. Fuckers worked me over on the treadmill to even get my heart rate up enough where they needed it to take the pics.

So then why does my heart rate go nuts hiking up the mountain Elk hunting? I know, altitude...

But yea, if some lard ass like me or bigger that doesn't cardio (57YO 5'10, 225#) is passing, they're cheating.

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Ya, one guy in particular is younger than you, maybe same height, but his chair at work, I could fit 2 of myself side by side. Just massive...

Not to get OT, but...What line of work requires you to be around cubicles all day and stay in shape?

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Originally Posted by Graves

Not to get OT, but...What line of work requires you to be around cubicles all day and stay in shape?

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Federal Contract Security. I guard a boring lobby, it's a corner office of a bigger building so I can't even do laps of the building. Instead I have like I said a little strip of sidewalk I walk in 15 seconds, once inside I basically have the public seating, my desk, and behind a wall all the cubicles for the fed employee's. If there was a quiet corner somewhere I'd go try to do some pushups here and there but no-go. Not even some stairs. Some posts like gates require actual work, a few posts actually have patrols over a decent area, but largely most sites are 100% sedentary.

I wouldnt say the physical even needs you to be in shape. All the tests are very easy, just out of the blue however they do this treadmill thing is having a lot of people fail and retest.

Maybe they're looking to reduce headcount to replace with cheaper labor. Wouldn't surprise me.

Sent from somewhere

An 8 week block of Long Slow Distance training would probably lower your resting heart rate enough. Using MAF's formula subtract your age from 180. That number and that number -10 gives you a general 10 bpm range you want to walk, jog, bike, row, etc for 3 sessions of 45 minutes each per week.

For example, I'm 45, so 180-45=135bpm. My range is 135-125 bpm.

This is the range that fills your heart with blood completely, and with time will cause it to grow larger, and have a higher stroke volume. Like going from a V6 to a V8. More displacement. The sprints listed above will train your heart to contract harder, but won't increase it's size and give you a much lower resting heart rate. You need a heart rate monitor, or a piece of cardio equipment that monitors heart rate. Polar straps that pair with your phone are really good.

Just a thought.

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I hope Fitz doesn’t mind me piggybacking on his post. I think we’re probably looking for the same thing, so I think it’s relevant.

So what *should* a guy be doing to increase aerobic stamina? Based on my age (50), my maximum heart rate would be 220-50=170. I trained every other day on an elliptical at 80% of this (136 bpm) maintained for a solid hour each session and saw virtually no improvement in my stamina when I went snow skiing this season.

I also notice that when I exert myself carrying or lifting heavy stuff, I tend to sweat like a pig. I can be working alongside someone shoveling rock or hanging drywall or whatever and I sweat more than they do by a long shot.

My resting heart rate is always in the low 50’s when I get an EKG each year for my Class I pilot physical. My blood pressure is always on the high end of the spectrum, but I don’t take any meds for it. I’m short for my weight, so my BMI usually hovers around 30. I’d have to lose around 35 pounds to be in the “normal” BMI range.

I’d love to try the treadmill test Fitz is being subjected to, but I don’t have access to a treadmill right now. Maybe I can try it on a hotel treadmill sometime soon. I have one of those spiffy Polar heart rate monitor straps and watches.

Should I be doing interval training instead of just sustaining 80% for an hour at a time?

The only thing Valium does make you lazy and depressed



Park approximately 15 min from your house, lock your keys in the car. The eat a fast acting laxative. Do it every day till you surpass the 8% goal.


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Originally Posted by NFATrustGuy

So what *should* a guy be doing to increase aerobic stamina? Based on my age (50), my maximum heart rate would be 220-50=170. I trained every other day on an elliptical at 80% of this (136 bpm) maintained for a solid hour each session and saw virtually no improvement in my stamina when I went snow skiing this season.

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I run into this every year. Snowboarding and wakeboarding use two different sets of muscles in your body.

Using an elliptical will help with basic cardio, but it doesn't mean that your stamina will be the same for a different set of muscles in a different activity.

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Originally Posted by NFATrustGuy

I also notice that when I exert myself carrying or lifting heavy stuff, I tend to sweat like a pig. I can be working alongside someone shoveling rock or hanging drywall or whatever and I sweat more than they do by a long shot.

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I don't want to "poo-poo" your concerns/thoughts, but different people sweat differently. I am in the same boat as you, I sweat noticeably more than most people I know. I always have. Even when I was in high school playing football at 195lbs, lifting 4 days a week, and running 10k's.

Interval training is never a bad idea.

For what it's worth I started sweating just reading NFAtrustguy's post.

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Originally Posted by Irving

For what it's worth I started sweating just reading NFAtrustguy's post.

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Now that’s funny, right thare.

FWIW, I’m back to my slacker status of virtually no dedicated exercise. When exercising hard didn’t produce specific results for the intended activity, I pretty much quit. I tend to be very practical on this stuff. I don’t do much of anything “just because.” It’s gotta make a tangible difference, or I don’t do it.

I think you would get more bang for the buck if you started to lift "heavy". Provided you don't have any structursl issues. Cardio is for young bucks.

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Originally Posted by NFATrustGuy

So what *should* a guy be doing to increase aerobic stamina? Based on my age (50), my maximum heart rate would be 220-50=170.

I’m short for my weight, so my BMI usually hovers around 30. I’d have to lose around 35 pounds to be in the “normal” BMI range.

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Both of these are absolute BS. Never use them for determining fitness or training programs. There is no science to back them up for individuals.

In general, interval training is better than steady state. But there are many types and anyone who suggests one is the best or throws out words like Tabatas has no idea what they're talking about. Don't overcomplicate things. Go as hard as you can for a while, back off for a while, repeat often (fartleks). It takes months for cardio conditioning to really have an effect. If you had to pick one machine, make it a rower but spinning bikes and swimming are good too; treadmills and ellipticals the least effective but better than nothing. Agree that lifting heavy is good, with proper form, but it won't do much for cardio. Stay the hell away from CrossFit unless you enjoy recovering from injuries.

This morning I've done an hour non stop jog/run/sprint/fast walk trying to keep bpm 170-180 with resting down to 150 during fast walk stretches. Mixed it in with some pushups which didnt seem to keep heart rate up much, ended with a few intervals up 2 flights of stairs in my house. Can feel my legs starting to get tired of this already so really think I might hit the rec center for the rower/bike/swimming.

Any input on diet in meantime. I was already calorie deficit lately just to lose weight. I'm not sure during this more intense workout push whether I should continue trying to calorie deficit or because my 100% immediate urgent emergency is getting this incline walk heart rate down, whether it's better to be going full protein crazy and hitting 1800-2000 calories to make sure stuffs fed to grow or whatever.....

For diet check wht your macro breakdowns are. Its nice to calorie restrict but my limited research leads me to believe cutting calories works because you cut the carbs too. Dont go full keto but limit carbs to cut weight. Add lean meats and green veggies.
Cutting too many calories will throw you into overtraining. This will limit your training ability.
How about a goal of 70 to 90 grams of carbs, and stop the coffee?

I know about cutting salt/sugar. Anyone with a breakdown of why caffeine is bad to have? I mean obviously not right before the test. Usually I use coffee/tea to help stave off hunger pains while I'm keeping to a good diet. (IE get my carbs in the morning, so like some whole grain cereal or something with a banana/peanutbutter/almond milk smoothy, lunch tin of sardines, then dinner classically whatever because of my wife though we've been kinda playing with doing dinner separate so I can eat what I need. But tonight is steak and veggies (not potatoes)

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Originally Posted by NFATrustGuy

I hope Fitz doesn’t mind me piggybacking on his post. I think we’re probably looking for the same thing, so I think it’s relevant.

So what *should* a guy be doing to increase aerobic stamina? Based on my age (50), my maximum heart rate would be 220-50=170. I trained every other day on an elliptical at 80% of this (136 bpm) maintained for a solid hour each session and saw virtually no improvement in my stamina when I went snow skiing this season.

I also notice that when I exert myself carrying or lifting heavy stuff, I tend to sweat like a pig. I can be working alongside someone shoveling rock or hanging drywall or whatever and I sweat more than they do by a long shot.

My resting heart rate is always in the low 50’s when I get an EKG each year for my Class I pilot physical. My blood pressure is always on the high end of the spectrum, but I don’t take any meds for it. I’m short for my weight, so my BMI usually hovers around 30. I’d have to lose around 35 pounds to be in the “normal” BMI range.

I’d love to try the treadmill test Fitz is being subjected to, but I don’t have access to a treadmill right now. Maybe I can try it on a hotel treadmill sometime soon. I have one of those spiffy Polar heart rate monitor straps and watches.

Should I be doing interval training instead of just sustaining 80% for an hour at a time?

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Your rested heart rate in the 50's is perfect. You only need about one LSD session per week to maintain it now, and sport specific training is the best. You have that harder, longer term problem solved of building your aerobic base.

Now switch up to shorter, higher intensity cardio of your choice. Do a 4-6 week block and work progressively harder. What cardio best replicates down hill skiing? Do it. With consistent effort, you will adapt rapidly.

After that, maintain your gains with a session per week, and focus on weights again.

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So 10 days of an hour a day jog/sprint/walk to recover keeping heart rate 170-180, resting down to 150-60 via wrist monitor. Using a fairly deeply sloped parking lot and a gym treadmill a few of the days. No caffeine, no added salt diet, down 5lbs....... I tested WORSE than before. My max rate is 192 and 163 is like some safety cuttoff and I need to be making 144 or under for final seconds of the treadmill... How the fuck is my cardio seemingly going backwards? I ended first time 150-158 and now over 160.



Only observations to make would be I got to test twice today. I started morning test with only water and I took my aspirin I've taken all week to hopefully thin myself out a little, my allergy med which hopefully also helps keep me down a bit as well as my leftover prescribed valium which I saw widely recommended for those with test anxiety (despite J's strong hate for it.) After failing on that and mentioning I was doing it on an empty stomach they had me come back in 3 hours. So rest, banana/englishmuffin, peanut butter, and back at the test midday to get near identical results peaking 163 a minute in the jump to 7% grade.



My other gripe would be my resting on my dads pulse ox had me mid 60's, comparable to about 70 on the fitness watch and the gym treadmill sensor. But this place is reading me resting today at 85 ish, and the chest band monitor had me at 95 after having stepped onto the treadmill standing there waiting for it to sync. Seems odd for it to be so much higher than so many other decices even knowing they may not be perfectly accurate. The chest monitor they use looks like normal commercial off the shelf than any fancier medical office grade unit.



So currently looking at seeing a cardiologist asap to rule out any problems. Supervisor looking into if I can take it elsewhere to rule out something on their end since I'm paying for it anyways. (And he echo'd what others have said, a ton of guys suddenly struggling with this idiotic treadmill test lately) They had one .mil guy that was ripped and struggled. Heart doc gave him some meds, but also had advised him for this specific test better to train just walking the test at a slightly higher incline/speed was better than normal cardio building jogging etc.

mixing the allergy meds and Valium will do it. Shitcan those pills, don't take the allergy meds and give it another try. You're amping up your heart with an allergy med, the script can throw it up even more, even though it's suppose to relax you. There are some people that crap works opposite of what it's suppose to do..


Did i mention, shitcan the valium.

I did not read the whole thread, but I did not see running form and flexibility covered. If you are getting shin splints there is a good chance that you overpronate when you walk or have flexibility issues with your calves. Both of these issues can cause bad running form, which slows you down and makes it harder to do the same amount of work. That will elevate your heart rate significantly. For example, if you step too far in front of your center of gravity your foot hitting the ground actually slows you down a little and generates more joint impact force than correct form and requires your other leg to make up the loss of energy.

The good news is that you can have someone evaluate your gait and get a running coach to correct your form. This will get rid of shin splints and if you follow the stretching routines will usually cure lower back pain and other problems.

The bad news is that it sucks to learn how to walk and run different, and it takes a long time (6 months to a year) before it is natural without issue. This is where I am at. It is just finally getting to where I can exercise as hard as I want to without pain.

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Originally Posted by Great-Kazoo

mixing the allergy meds and Valium will do it. Shitcan those pills, don't take the allergy meds and give it another try. You're amping up your heart with an allergy med, the script can throw it up even more, even though it's suppose to relax you. There are some people that crap works opposite of what it's suppose to do..


Did i mention, shitcan the valium.

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I didnt take the sudafed which would do that, I only took a diphenhydramine which should be a downer. Only reason I took it was because between the 1st and 2nd test 2 days apart where the second one was worse, that was the difference having not taken it the second time, figured it may have played a role.

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Originally Posted by Danimal

I did not read the whole thread, but I did not see running form and flexibility covered. If you are getting shin splints there is a good chance that you overpronate when you walk or have flexibility issues with your calves. Both of these issues can cause bad running form, which slows you down and makes it harder to do the same amount of work. That will elevate your heart rate significantly. For example, if you step too far in front of your center of gravity your foot hitting the ground actually slows you down a little and generates more joint impact force than correct form and requires your other leg to make up the loss of energy.

The good news is that you can have someone evaluate your gait and get a running coach to correct your form. This will get rid of shin splints and if you follow the stretching routines will usually cure lower back pain and other problems.

The bad news is that it sucks to learn how to walk and run different, and it takes a long time (6 months to a year) before it is natural without issue. This is where I am at. It is just finally getting to where I can exercise as hard as I want to without pain.

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Strangely, I have not had too much issues with shin splints. I got them chasing some kids in boulder who mugged a guys backpack, but in the last week of jogging/stairs and some sprinting it hasn't shown up. After a week straight I am of course sore, though some stronger pinchy pain in left calf and top of right thigh, but I think those came from experimenting with a few machines at gym I've never used. Some form of eliptical I've never used before and rowing machine.

I do walk splay footed that's developed over the years, doesn't present itself as much when jogging that I notice. I do have horrible flexbility when it comes to all the normal bend over and stretch or doing sitting stretches. Always had that, in boot they commented how ridiculously tight my legs were.

As far as the test, it's not running but brisk walking on an incline, so not sure if that suffers as badly from the bad gait as your running example? Went to the gym after my updated post this evening. Did an hour a % higher incline and .3mph faster. For the first while I stayed 120 before moving up and sitting at 140 until maybe the 40minute or so mark. Between that and my talking to other people I feel that their walgreen's chest monitor reads high because every other device elsewhere I've tried has me 15-20 pts lower. Which even those lower numbers are not fabulous but would be within the score I need.

Certainly something to think about though going forward, because I'm not stopping after I pass the test. I actually had started to run and lift like 2 days before my water heater flooder and took a few weeks to get carpet replaced and everything put back then bam, suprise physical time. I got complacent for sure from my previous job keeping me reasonably in shape, and even when I was floating some sites getting me a lot more activity than my current one.

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Originally Posted by fitz19d

Strangely, I have not had too much issues with shin splints. I got them chasing some kids in boulder who mugged a guys backpack, but in the last week of jogging/stairs and some sprinting it hasn't shown up. After a week straight I am of course sore, though some stronger pinchy pain in left calf and top of right thigh, but I think those came from experimenting with a few machines at gym I've never used. Some form of eliptical I've never used before and rowing machine.

I do walk splay footed that's developed over the years, doesn't present itself as much when jogging that I notice. I do have horrible flexbility when it comes to all the normal bend over and stretch or doing sitting stretches. Always had that, in boot they commented how ridiculously tight my legs were.

As far as the test, it's not running but brisk walking on an incline, so not sure if that suffers as badly from the bad gait as your running example? Went to the gym after my updated post this evening. Did an hour a % higher incline and .3mph faster. For the first while I stayed 120 before moving up and sitting at 140 until maybe the 40minute or so mark. Between that and my talking to other people I feel that their walgreen's chest monitor reads high because every other device elsewhere I've tried has me 15-20 pts lower. Which even those lower numbers are not fabulous but would be within the score I need.

Certainly something to think about though going forward, because I'm not stopping after I pass the test. I actually had started to run and lift like 2 days before my water heater flooder and took a few weeks to get carpet replaced and everything put back then bam, suprise physical time. I got complacent for sure from my previous job keeping me reasonably in shape, and even when I was floating some sites getting me a lot more activity than my current one.

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That is good to hear that the shin splints are not an issue. For me, I started hitting the gym again then gradually the shin splints and sore arches in my feet started. It was really demotivating because even just going for a 2 - 3 mile run was agonizing and left me limping for days afterward. But when I corrected my form and gait the pain went away. My physical therapist told me that even at walking it can be 15 - 20 % energy loss if you are over striding.

I worked out like an animal in the military, and I never stretched because I hated the way that it felt. My lower body was horribly inflexible. I found out that I was just stretching wrong, and that a foam roller makes all the difference in getting a good stretch. Stretching should feel good, and should be targeted to specific muscles (not the pain in the knees sit and reach to stretch everything).The routine that I use is the "limber 11", but I made a few changes. The lacrosse ball was just too painful so I switched that to a foam roller version, and I added foam rolling my calves to help with the shin splints. I hope this helps, it really helped me and whatever your fitness goals turn out to be, being flexible helps prevent injury.

So Dr is now thinking I have a bicuspid valve like my dad. I flunked again today, a good bit I feel like is anxiety, I was messing up my breathing, feeling the jittery nervousness. And that was after being on buspirone(?) a different anxiety specific med.

Getting an echo done, but he feels like it may be a structural issue given a month of working out hard eating right, no caffeine/salt etc, and I'm not seeing improvement. (Almost worst even as today basically as the test starts, I was at 130 already supposedly) He doesn't think it's solely anxiety both because trying valium and the B. didn't help and even if it was nerves hurting me, I should still see improvement. If echo comes back with any findings paired with my slightly irregular heartbeat and other EKG findings than I'm going to be on some beta blockers I guess. Hopefully they dont pass me out on the treadmill but hopefully does the trick. In the meantime it's been fun applying like crazy, donating plasma, and otherwise trying not to panic too much preparing for the worst. (Most jobs I could get quick would be less than half my current salary)