How bad is my heart recovery? How can I fix it? Is it fixable?

[xstalkrx]

21 year old male.  I used to smoke and do drugs for about 2 years.  I have quit all of that.

I went to a cardiologist...normal echocardiogram and he said I did good on the treadmill stress test.  BUT, he said my heart did not recover as fast as he would have liked.

What can I do to improve my recovery rate?  Or is it not possible for someone like me to improve it?  Have I screwed myself?  Please help.  I've been running on the treadmill for 4 days and have yet to see an improvement in recovery time.

I am on 180mg of cardizem la to relieve heart palpitations.  my cardiologist says I should only have to take this medication for about 3-6 months.  My heart rate doesnt speed up suddenly like it used to...but I can feel my pulse every now and then in my chest.

I have ran for 30 minutes at a 9 minute mile pace the last 4 days.  My pulse will reach 160.  When I am done exercising it will drop to 120 in about 4 minutes.  It will take about 25 minutes for it to come all the way down to resting again though.

Please tell me how bad of shape I am in and if I am doing the right thing to correct it.

[maggiemag]

Take it easy!  You can't suddenly get in shape in just 4 days.  If you can, go to a gym and get a trainer to develop a program for you to get in shape.  You have to work up gradually, like with walking on the treadmill first for a month or so, then start slow jogging.  You have not screwed yourself, but see that your recovery lasts, please?  You are too young to throw your life away.  Your doctor may be right that you won't have to continue taking the Cardizem forever.  Since  you had this scare, you may be more likely to be aware of your heart beat for a while, but try not to obsess over it!  You will be ok!

[xstalkrx]

is it possible for someone with heart palpitations to see an improvement in heart rate recovery?  if you have palpitations that means that your heart muscle cells are over excited...so....I am wondering if you could ever see a meaningful improvement in heart rate recovery times after running for 30 minutes or so.

[kenkeith]

A well-conditioned individual has a fast recovery time.  How long will it take an out-of-condition indivdual to be physically conditioned?  

The correct procedure should be gradual with incremental increases and sustained over a period of time.  To do otherwise may be contraindicated and not helpful and possibly harmful.  You may be on medication that skews results. I don't know.

I believe the correct procedure is how quickly the heart reclines within a minute of rest?!  I had a stress test and that was the procedure and made part of the record (should drop close to 100 within a minute).

If your treadmill has METs measurement, you can get an idea of your physical condition.  Seven METs is good, but 10 or better is excellent.  You can increase METs by elevation and reduce speed, or visa versa.  Running is not very good for the joints...

[xstalkrx]

I am no longer on any heart medication.  I am not on any medication at all.

I run for 40 minutes at a 9:30 minute/mile pace.  My heart rate stays between 160-170 for the entire time.  I do this 4 times a week.

After the 40 minutes is over I do a 5 minute cooldown.  The cooldown consists of jogging and very brisk walking.  At the end of 5 minutes my heart rate is generally between 120-130.

Would my heart rate recovery be FASTER if I were to just STOP immediately after the 40 minutes is up instead of doing a cooldown period?  How is heart rate recovery usually measured?  Immediately after exercising or after the cooldown period?

I am trying to figure out how bad my heart rate recovery is and if I am doing the right training to fix it.