TIA and Strenght Training

I’m hoping that the BBM team can offer some guidance on training after suffering a TIA (mini-stroke).

some background;
im a 49 year old, 86 kilo guy with BF somewhere between 15 and 20% living in the UK.
ive been strength training on and off for a couple of years after switching from competitive cycling and running. My diet is generally good but I probably could drink less beer.
ive been disappointed with the progress of my squat so I switched to the SSLP 3 weeks ago, which has been working brilliantly. I’ve been feeling strong and recovering well, although I’ve limited my calories to ~2400 per day and focused on a low fat diet.

last Friday I completed my linear progression workout with the weight starting to feel heavy (for me) 100kg squat, 52.5 press and 120kg deadlift. Although I’ve lifted more in previous training but I’m sticking to the linear progression religiously.

On Saturday morning I was lying in bed and suffered a TIA, was taken to hospital, was CAT scanned and had my ECG, blood pressure and bloods checked, everything was normal. Within a few hours I had almost returned to normal, regained clear speech and movement but I’m left with a slight loss of sensation.

my concern is that the TIA was linked to my weightlifting. Does anyone know of any evidence based link between strokes and weightlifting?

I’m extremely keen to continue with my training and would really appreciate some guidance and reassurance.

thanks
Jason

You were lying in bed when you had the TIA.

Why do you suspect it’s related to your training?

1 Like

My concern was that I previous training session was 14 hours before the TIA. I was training hard and close to maximum effort so I’m not sure if there’s a link.

Also, it’s not useful when your friends, that don’t lift, immediately tell you it’s your weightlifting that must be the cause, which sews seeds of doubt.

Yeah, no one is going to be able to tell you for sure what caused your TIA, but your friends’ comments are not helpful.

An update…
In the UK we have TIA Clinics run by the National Heath Service that assess cause and treatment following a TIA. I’ve now been through lots of testing, all of which pointed towards me being very healthy without any obvious causes for the TIA. A possible cause that’s been identified so far is paroxysmal atrial fibrillation; I’m scheduled to be fitted with a 7 day heart monitor in a couple of weeks and a follow up 30 minute ECG. In the meantime I’ve been prescribed aspirin and then switching to Clopidogel in a weeks time.

I did ask the specialist if there could be a link between the TIA and strength training. They confirmed that it was unlikely and probably just coincidental.

I had to add an extra day of rest because of the time spent in hospital for all of the testing but I’ve gone straight back to training without any issues, phew…panic over!

Well, that makes much more sense.