Natty Lifters w High Blood Pressure

@yallow Are u checking ur BP on the same day u train? The Valsalva technique will increase ur blood pressure and will keep it risen for the rest of the day. Take ur blood pressure on a rest day to gauge an accurate estimate of your BP. Even better if you have 2 consecutive rest days take it on the second!
 
@annetteg This is interesting.. i definitely use the valsalva maneuver during compound lifts but never though it would impact my readings for the rest of the day. I do measure in the morning roughly 20 hours after being in gym and still see high readings. I’ve seen that they recommend that people with high blood pressure shouldn’t use this maneuver but how would you properly brace without doing this??
 
@yallow Consider getting a consult with a Dietitian to help identify any diet or lifestyle factors that may be influencing this but key things to focus on are reducing sodium/salt (recommendation for healthy adults is 2300 mg/day), reducing/limiting alcohol consumption, and reducing /limiting caffeine and other stimulants. A big culprit for the last one is of course pre workouts, you may want to cut those out completely. Cutting out fast food, eating out, and processed food in general will really help with the sodium, some of my clients normally get 4000+ mg/day when they start with me, its pretty alarming...

Also look at how your stress and anxiety levels are and make sure you're getting enough sleep.

During your lifts make sure you are not holding your breath too long as this can increase your BP. Pay attention to any feelings of light headedness or dizziness as these are signs you should take a break and let you BP settle.

In regards to your overall workout routine you can try to alternate upper body and lower body movements to help prevent BP from getting too high.
 
@yallow I'm 29 lifetime natty and my blood pressure goes up when I push my bodyweight over 102kg. Most recently I was 108kg at 12%, crept up to 140/100, took a low dose ace and once I dieted down to sub 102 it was back to 120/80 and came off the ace. High blood pressure needs to be dealt with, ace inhibitors are low risk and if you have a genetic predisposition for high blood pressure I would.highly recommend
 
@yallow Shiitake Mushroom supplements and soup help to lower blood pressure to a normal level. Watching your sodium , diet and incorporating cardio will help you to look after your heart.
 
@yallow I'm running about the same numbers right now at 30 and am starting to focus on general health again. I'm still powerlifting but I'm trying to cut caffeine and I'm not adding gravy to my chicken and rice anymore. Talk with your doctor but man, I really think you should try every other option before jumping on heart meds at 23. Are you getting your daily doses of fruits and that green stuff? Other than lifting, are you getting adequate exercise (non-sedentary lifestyle)?
 
@yallow I was just like you at that age. Whenever I went in for checkups my sys was always high and they wanted to keep an eye on it. I was almost exactly your size too - very muscular. But looking good on the outside doesn’t always translate to things working well on the inside.

I agree with the others to watch Salt but shouldn’t be a huge factor. It wasn’t until I lowered my cholesterol by cutting out animal products entirely and adding HIIT and cardio to my routine that I looked and felt better (with lower BP, too).

I’m down about 15 pounds, lean and cut with excellent BP and I feel healthier.
 
@gtaylor1986 I’m a first year bro I know nothing. Furthermore I’m asking about high blood pressure as it relates to a very niche topic- powerlifting. I know it’s abnormal, which is precisely why I am asking for advice from people that also do this similarly abnormal hobby involving lifting 1000s of pounds of iron every week. Stop trolling
 
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