24/07/2024
***LONG POST***
Those who know me know that I use a peloton bike for my cardiovascular fitness and I love that the challenges set by Angie VerBeck (who runs Powerzone Pack) are team driven and incredibly well structured. Here is a really good reason to keep your heart fit.
The following is credited to Lee Aldridge who writes in the Powerzone group.
How PZ Training Can Save Your Life
This is the most important post I've written here.
I read earlier about a fellow PZ rider who lost consciousness on the bike and was subsequently treated for coronary artery disease. Having had offline contact with this member previously, I developed great respect for their dedication to quality of life and thoughtful training.
PZ training saved his life, and I will tell you exactly why.
Coronary heart disease involves a narrowing or blockage of the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle. Typically, this blockage occurs gradually over time and sometimes becomes severe enough to partially "starve" the muscle that lies beyond the blockage. The pain from this starvation is called angina.
Our brain relies upon the output of our heart to supply sufficient blood flow at a pressure that will push that blood all the way through the cerebral circulation. This dependence upon blood pressure is the reason some folks get dizzy when standing quickly, and also why they lift the legs of a person who has fainted. Our brain doesn't like being short of pressure!
When a heart muscle that has limited fresh blood supply reaches its top ability, it gets weak & feels the "burn", just like your biceps at the end of a set of curls! Instead of not being able to lift a weight, your heart can't pump as much blood to your brain & you get dizzy.
That's how our fellow member passed out on the bike. This is why heart attack victims fall to the ground.
Here's how PZ saved their life:
When a blockage begins to form in a coronary artery, it acts just like beavers building a dam in a river. The pressure on the upstream side builds, & the pressure/flow on the downstream side is reduced. It's how PZ training affects that "high side" of the blocked artery that is why I write today.
The Zone 2/3 work included in a well-designed training plan (such as all the PZP challenges) is essential to a process called "angiogenesis". This is the ability to grow new blood vessels. Top cycling teams begin their season with low-resistance/ high cadence work. Remember, when a muscle contracts powerfully, the blood supply to the muscle is temporarily interrupted until the contraction is released. Light spinning avoids these interruptions of blood flow. The resulting high blood flow in the muscles is thought to stimulate angiogenesis. Mini-examples of this training philosophy are included in every PZ ride: spinups!💡
Angiogenesis occurs in all muscles, including the heart. The Zone 2/3 work (this member has over 1800 PZ rides) acted to cause their heart to build its own bypasses around a 100% blockage of their left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD), which is more commonly known as the "widow maker" blockage. This is a supreme example of the enhancement of angiogenesis caused by effective PZ training!🎉. Their dedicated PZ work saved their life. After treatment in the cath lab, this individual is home and on the road back to full recovery.
I previously wrote about how the varied Zone work builds our heart and reduces our resting heart rate. More information on how PZ training creates a wider spectrum of heart protection than many cycling programs is contained in that post. Most non-PZ rides I've seen don't effectively train the entire spectrum of cardiac athletic performance .
After 44 years in heart surgery, it's an honor to join with you in celebrating the power and effectiveness of PZ. I am thrilled that our fellow member is OK!
