Slight soreness over the heart region after tempo training
 

Just wondering is it ever normal to have some slight soreness in the heart region in the chest couple a few hours after tempo training on the indoor trainer? Sometimes I get sore on the right side of the chest too, in this case, I know it's the lungs getting sore. The soreness only lasts 1 hour.

I have 15 minute warm up and another 15 minute cooldown in the session. No crazy high rpm interval but I do maintain 100 rpm during warm up and cool down. The main tempo interval is done averaging 80 rpm cadence (long 15% gradient climb) for 30 to 45 minutes. I breath hard during tempo but not like I'm losing breath.

Legs feel totally fine otherwise. The only lingering soreness are the muscles on the waist. I don't really feel the soreness on the waist muscles unless I do some stretching after training. On the bike or trainer, I don't feel any soreness at the waist at all. I feel most of the strain on the lungs during training.

Chest pain = go to your doctor for advice/check up

Probably nothing to worry about, but it's not normal for me.

It's likely nothing, but do you really want to take the chance? Go see a doctor. Preferably a cardiologist.

Regular doctors will roll their eyes when you start trying to question them about heart related things and cycling. And their answers will be non-answers just to fill up time till the nurse takes you away. <grin>

Did you just start doing intense cycling or other cardio? Your body does need to get use to it, but you also need to make certain it's not your body telling you no!

I did raise average power output over the same duration but also reduced my average cadence. Apart from the chest, everything else A-OK. Maybe just a minor blinking light on the console and and everything's go for launch....Until it explodes to million pieces

Not normal.... I'll have it checked by a doctor. Thanks to you two!

Fairly normal fo me, especially early in a hard section. My doctor says it's chest muscle pain from breathing hard. He said if it was my heart, I know it! But go see your doctor. Mine isn't much good to you.

I wouldn't want to know! Yesterday, I raised the intensity a little bit more but no longer had any chest pain. Not sure what to make of that. Maybe good or maybe worse now it seems it may not be caused by exercise but maybe something else! Will go see the doctor for sure.

My doc meant that the only known way to tell if one is going to have a heart attack is to have one, and if you're having one, you know it. No heart attack, no pain. That said, one can learn a lot from a visit to a good cardiologist. And it's true, like you say, that you can make your lungs hurt too, by going at one's limit for a long time.

About ten years ago a friend of mine in his 50s who is of athletic build had a "Slow Heart Attach" also called "Silent Heart Attack". I had never heard of such a thing. He is a Runner and also plays Base Ball with a church team. After one of his baseball games he felt a little sore in his upper body, that's all. Latter that evening he was still feeling weak and pawned it off on dehydration. That night when he went to bed he started feeling short of breath. He went to a 24 hour Doc in the Box and sure enough had an EKG Dx Heart Attack so on to the ER. He made a full recovery but what is concerning to me is that this guy had no reason to have a heart attack. He was in shape, not over weight, did not smoke, had normal cholesterol and triglycerides, no family history, a no stress job... Ya Da YaDa

Also... He had had a complete physical 4 months before that included an EKG!

OK... So your upper chest soreness is probably nothing at all... But Rats... This Slow Heart Attack thing is scary...

That sounds similar to an athlete I read about on another thread a few months ago. He was also a 50 something I think - could have been 40s not sure. Elite level age group etc. He actually had his heart attack while competing on the bike. He didn't even stop, just lost power but continued on in the race! But afterwards he started feeling worse with shortness of breath etc and they took him to hospital where he was diagnosed with a major heart blockage! AFAIK he made a good recovery and they said that his elite fitness was probably what saved his life.

It was probably just some muscle ache. A check-up will give you some peace of mind. The only time I get any kind of chest discomfort is if I do full-blown VO2 max or above intervals to exhaustion, but that doesn't last for an hour. It's usually just in the moment and goes away very quickly during the recovery.

You need to see a Cardiologist but don't expect a quick or cheap answer.

It took me a quite a lot of different MDs and tests. I finally got to a real sports cardiologist who specialized in ironmen triathletes, ultramarathoners, and other crazy people. He figured it out quick....

Keep an eye on it and let others know whats going on. Watch your recovery time. Have a plan. In the majority of these incidents you have to be seen when you are having the symptoms. As an athlete know that by the time you get in to see the doctor things may have already been stabilized. If so then only detailed blood tests will show changes. Doc in the Boxes all have EKG machines and are often closer and faster to get into than a regular ER.

When my wife was in her 50s she started getting out of breath doing simple things. Both of us being ex Army Medics and me a PA-C, and she a Nurse we always have an emergency treatment bag. On one of her incidents she popped open our Aid Bag and slammed a coupe of Nitro Tabs.... RATS... Symptoms were immediately relived... OK... On to the cardiologist...

"I'm not a doctor, but I play one on bikeforums." (name that product ad without google)

By your Doctor by prescription only used typically for Angina... Nitro Tabs 0.4 mg Dissolving...

https://www.goodrx.com/nitrostat

I have bit of good and bad news, I adjusted the fit on trainer. I have different fit on trainer vs actual bike. I'm in more aero position in trainer.

I made the trainer more upright by increasing stack and reducing reach. For the last two days since I made the adjustments, I no longer feel localized soreness over the heart. Only general soreness over the left and right lung regions if I try to make deep breaths, it never bothered me because I feel it every time I do tempo or FTP sessions.

Although it seems the problem is solved, it would also hint the problem maybe caused by Angina triggered by aero position. I DO have history of angina but I never had it during and after exercise, at least not until I started spending a lot more time on the trainer. I did not actually spend more time training because if I'm not on the trainer, I would be riding my bike outdoors.

The frequency of my angina attacks went down dramatically ever since I took on cycling but I still get it from time to time in non-exercise related triggers, mainly stress. I'm still going to see a doctor.

Why do you think it's angina? Many people mistake heartburn for angina (among them my mother). That's a simpler explanation for the different effects of position. You could experiment with omeprazole (OTC), see if that made a difference.

Once my angina got worse and got mild heart attack and rushed to the hospital. Classic symptoms like radiating pain on the shoulder, neck, and shortness of breath.

Used to do competitive distance running, back in the day. Many workouts were extremely hard exertion, intervals, hills, etc. Occasionally, when ramping-up for a season, I could go through a range of exceptionally tough runs where breathing was at the top end (of my capacity) ... and I'd occasionally have minor aches around the chest region. I always chalked it up to muscles coping with the extreme inhalation/exhalation of such tough workouts. It was all but certain to be just that, in my own case, back then; was extremely fit, over years in a variety of sports. Though everyone's different.

But, as others suggested, if you're concerned then it's worth mentioning to the doc and to perhaps get some tests with a cardiologist. "Chest pains" can be from a variety of causes. Many get early tests done on conditions they have no idea existed ... and it has saved them. Up to you.

Yeah, I've experienced that kind of transient chest pain. Literally gasping for breath after a flat-out effort. But I think the difference is that the pain doesn't last for an hour afterward. It's only apparent in the moment and goes away very quickly once my breathing calms down. The worst I've had this is when not properly warmed up when forced into a big effort. Like the start of most Zwift races, lol!

I think, given your history, like some of the other posters have said you should see a doctor.

And I would use an HRM every workout and look at the results each time to see if anything abnormal is happening.
The newer Apple watches can detect abnormal heart rates and send you alerts.

Muscle exertion and minor strain, in my case. Can be 5-15mins transient. Like any strain, however, it can last awhile if severe enough. (ie, pulled hamstring, which can take a few months to fully heal; abdominal/diaphragm/chest muscles can get similarly strained.)

Agreed, than 60mins of aches, from such a thing, would be a rarity. Altogether likely to be something else, in the OP's case, if experiencing regular 1hr aches following such workouts. Could easily be heart/flow related problem.

IMO, it's never a good thing to ask for a diagnosis on the internet, I would see my doctor and ask for an opinion and go from there....But that's just me. :thumb:
Best, Ben

They didn't find anything other than my history of angina. Doc said most likely to be heartburn. I might have sipped too much water before the workout!