Mitral valve replaced. Need high-rep program, or that does not have low-rep/high RPE

Hi folks,

I have a rather specific requirement, and was wondering whether you could suggest a program for me? I’ve completed Beginner template, and am currently working through Hypertrophy 1. I’m looking for another program which has more of an emphasis on higher rep ranges, or that works without going too high on the RPE scale.

So a few years ago (2019) I had my mitral valve replaced. I was later given the all-clear by my surgeon and cardiologist (“don’t do any powerlifting” was the caveat, and I argued that different people had different ideas of what constitutes “heavy”). Then for a variety of reasons I was out of the gym for several years after the operation: Covid shut the gyms down, and later I had a frozen shoulder which prevented me from carrying out a lot of my usual lifts.

When I was ready to I resume lifting I bought the BBM Beginner template, I took things very slow and steady and repeated the last weeks of each phase to get as much as I could from them. As the weights went up I was more and more aware that I was getting a very red face during dead lift and squats, and on a couple of occasions I felt light headed. These things concerned me as I didn’t want to blow out my nice new valve and die on the floor or the gym. One day I looked at my e1RMs and saw that I had hit the 1000lb mark for SBD, so I decided it was time to put my ego to rest and stop chasing higher numbers.

So I switched to Hypertrophy 1 and am have had a blast. I modified the program slightly to account for my age (51), by stretching the 7 day week to a 10 day one to allow for more recovery. I also added in 1 extra GPP day, so 6 days out of 10 are in the gym. Putting on muscle has been great, and not feeling like I was about to die under the bar was a huge plus.

I have again repeated the last weeks of each phase to rinse out the most I can. I am however getting to the point where I am considering my next program.

Hypertrophy 2 is an obvious contender, but I don’t know what else there is in terms of either lower weight/higher rep programs, or not exceeding RPE 7/8 on higher loads.

Thanks
Chas
51 M

Hi,

Glad to hear you’re training and doing well. I don’t think there’s one specific program for this scenario, whereas many of them can be modified to fit your needs. For example, you could take either any of the hypertrophy/bodybuilding templates and adjust the rep ranges up to your targets, and “cap” (or reduce) the RPE targets based on your needs as well. Obviously a program focused on competitive powerlifting would include lower-rep, higher-load/RPE targets, and would not be a good choice in your situation.

Thanks for responding Austin.

I’d rather get a program off-the-peg rather than having to figure it out myself, but if I do need to make changes I think it’s best to start with one that’s already close to what I need… Working in that 8-12 rep range seems to be my sweet spot, so would that include Bodybuilding 1 or Hypertrophy 2?

Another option I suppose would be to return to the first phase of Hypertrophy and run the program through again for as long as it works for me.

Hypertrophy 2 or Bodybuilding I would both fit this application, with Hypertrophy II being in the 8-10 rep range mostly and Bodybuilding I being in the 10-15 rep range. If you like the full body split, the hypertrophy program is probably more up your alley, whereas the Bodybuilding templates use a body part split.

Thanks Jordan,

Full body split is what I’m used to, so I think Hyper 2 is the one for me to go for. Bodybuilding 1 after that.

Sounds good to me!