BobD wrote: ↑May 5th, 2024, 10:06 am
Life is suddenly much, much better
Now I would like to start strength and light cardio training.
Excellent.
Maybe start with this -->
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kC5_0qOJhDk Sustainable training for Masters Athletes.
Then you should craft a plan that works for you AND REVIEW IT WITH YOUR DOCTORS before starting. There are many approaches to training plans. Here's my takeaway, but there are many viable alternatives. Knowing what you want in a plan is critical. There are many many plans out there that will work. For example see
https://thepeteplan.wordpress.com/beginner-training/ which is an excellent plan, but read the following suggested approach before you decide to use it.
1.Strength training one or two times a week (every study shows high personal health value from strength training in people 60+). Closest thing to consensus. Do strength training at 85% effort or less, stop when you still have reps left. Progressively, slowly, build up weight and reps. You (like me) are at an age where you are losing muscle fibers. The remaining fibers need strength training to stay strong, but cannot match or be trained to be strong enough to compensate for fewer fibers. Be kind to your remaining muscle fibers/tendons/etc.
2.Long Slow conversational level work. Rowing, walking, biking, running, swimming, etc. Starting from wherever you are now (5 mins total? 30 mins total?) and building to 45 minutes of work or more per session. Do this at least 2 times per week. Conversational level means you can talk while working, carry on a conversation. If you can sing a song then you can go a bit faster. If you run out of air after saying a few sentences then you are going too hard.
3.Hard effort. Once or twice a week on same days as strength training. Not on the same day as long slow work. Intervals or threshold piece. What intervals doesn't really matter. IF you are wiped out after strength training listen to your body and skip doing anything else. Maybe delay adding any hard efforts at all as you ramp up the duration of your long/slow work until you are at 45 mins long/slow per session. Talk to your doctors about your two-chamber pacemaker and how hard that will let you exercise.
4. Rest days. Especially as you go from "7 rest days a week" and start to add load make sure you are keeping enough rest days. Long term you can get as low as 1-2 rest days per week. As you start out you should have more which you will progressively remove. Rest days (and to some extent long slow days) are when your body has a chance to build up following the tear-down that happens during hard efforts. Too much work and not enough rest causes a lot of problems (google overreaching and overtraining).
Two years ago my men's 4 racing boat lost to a boat with an average rower age of 85. We were faster. With age handicap factored in they crushed us. Win or lose they were having fun (we were too). Glad your doctors got you feeling much better. Eighties is plenty young enough to get in good condition, have great quality of life, etc.
Note: if you plan to do a lot of rowing (and it's an excellent exercise!) then please make sure your form is good. Bad form repeated many times is one way to get back, hand, wrist, elbow injuries. Plenty of excellent you tube videos on rowing form. Do this especially if you are planning to ramp up your cardio mainly using the rowing machine. Stop if something is hurting, etc.