Stress test

I had a Bruce Protocol treadmill stress test done last week. It turned out to be a confirmation of the progress I have made in my recovery from angioplasty due to a heart attack, almost exactly 20 months ago, of an 80% blockage of a major heart artery.

One of the doctors monitoring the test said it succinctly, “You don’t look like a post-angioplasty patient.”

My attending physician said my physical exercise capacity is in the athlete level.

Now, I can slowly introduce the cardio exercise intervals in the circuit training I have been doing for the past 14 months.

Progress after 19 months.

19 months ago, I stepped out of the ICU after having survived a heart attack and gone through an angioplasty.

My doctor recommended I exercise, so exactly 12 months ago I joined a gym; 360 Fitness Club. At the start, I could barely make one jumping-start pull up. Today, I can regularly do at least four around-the-world pull-ups. They’re not the prettiest nor perfect in form, but I’ll get there someday.

I was going for five reps, but my heart-rate monitor was screaming at me in anger for hitting my maximum-allowed heart-rate.

An around-the-world pull-up starts with a vertical pull using one arm (I start with the left) to chin the bar. Then a horizontal movement across the bar to the other arm, and down that arm. Up again using the second arm (my right), back across to the first arm, then down. That is one complete around-the-world cycle.