Concept2 Forum

One hears and reads more and more about the growing incidence of atrial fibrillation episodes in endurance athletes, including rowers, who achieve high cardiac output rates during extended periods of time. For example:

http://archive.usrowing.org/safety/boat ... datrialfib

Of course most who post here are not (or are no longer) the endurance rowers who routinely train and compete at very high levels for extended periods of time. But as one gets older, into their 40s and beyond, duration and intensity of performance appear to become less a requirement. Some medical "experts" have gone so far as to take the ultra-cautious approach of recommending that athletes over 50 adopt very low intensity exercise regimens of no more than 30 minutes/day (e.g., standard walking) or weight training, which seems not to be correlated with atrial fibrillation.

Has anyone adjusted their workouts in order to better minimize the risk?

JRBJR wrote: ↑

August 3rd, 2018, 1:41 pm

But as one gets older, into their 40s and beyond, duration and intensity of performance appear to become less a requirement. Some medical "experts" have gone so far as to take the ultra-cautious approach of recommending that athletes over 50 adopt very low intensity exercise regimens of no more than 30 minutes/day (e.g., standard walking) or weight training, which seems not to be correlated with atrial fibrillation.

All athletes over 50, or just those with documented a-fib issues? If it's the former, then that would surely affect 10's if not 100's of thousands of very serious athletes, and would have a dramatic effect on how many of us live and exercise. Might as well put me out on the ice floe and let me drift away, if all I'm allowed to do is dodder around.

JRBJR wrote: ↑

August 3rd, 2018, 1:41 pm

Has anyone adjusted their workouts in order to better minimize the risk?

Heck no! (but then, this is the first I've heard of the issue)

No and not likely to either.

Dreadfish wrote: ↑

August 4th, 2018, 1:50 am

No and not likely to either.

Exactly. I had a stress test done a year ago by a cardiologist, who gave me a clean bill of heart health. The advice for older athletes is to have a test done before stressing the heart excessively, but once that's done, I see no reason to hold back.

IMHO, you're unlikely to find many takers for moderation among the group of headbangers that frequent this forum .