Cardio/Respiratory Questions

I've been doing kettlebell swings for the past 3 weeks. No issues with that. Then I decided to spend the first day of spring on my bicycle - rode 17 miles, half of the ride was into a 15-25 MPH headwind.

While I was riding, about 1/3 of the way into it I was tasting blood (there wasn't any actual blood, just the coppery taste). What's up with that? Also - today (the day after the bike ride) I have a "scorched lung" feeling and a cough that I didn't have before.

This has happened before (when I took up sprinting/running) and usually resolves itself after a few weeks. Which is why I'm not going to see a doc... but I am wondering if anyone here knows why this happens.
 

barchack

Amateur
What’s the temp where you are? Is the air especially dry?
I get that when I train in the cold, or when I push the boundaries of my ability.
I looked into it, and was told that it’s blood pushing through the lung tissue or even higher up during hard exercise. Doc said it’s no big deal, and the intensity went away as I got used to more strenuous cardio.
Both symptoms will likely fade as you get used to the activity that you’re doing. This is doubly true if you’re acclimating to cold/dry weather which, in my experience, exacerbates these symptoms.
 
The air temp was nice (60) but had 15 to 25 MPH winds, so it felt cold. Especially when combined with forward movement. Humidity seemed normal for the greater Boise area.

"was told that it’s blood pushing through the lung tissue or even higher up during hard exercise." Is this something I should strive for on a regular basis?
 

barchack

Amateur
*not a doctor*
It will subside in time as your fitness increases. The taste and the pressure will go away if you keep increasing your cardiovascular fitness.
 
Anecdotally I still experience the iron taste in my mouth post intense anaerobic efforts. In CrossFit circles it was/is jokingly referred to as the Fran lung/cough. It may be a symptom of the very local level changes occurring within the bronchiole due to guppying for air due to the increased demand from the effort.

Indiscriminate night pain, sudden weight loss or gain, blurred vision, seizures, inability to sleep, and or difficulty regulating body temperature at rest- any of these you should go see your MD. A little post exercise/cold black lung? Shitll buff out fam. Stay the course and keep improving.
 
It’s a byproduct of intensity and physiology. Not necessarily a symptom of intensity. Kind of how being sore is not a great metric of the efficacy of an exercise program/session. Highly localized changes such as bronchial bleed may not be a great indicator of intensity or efficacy either.
 
OK so I'm courious - when I do my KB swings, I can get my heart rate in the mid to upper 160's. A few times I even get it up to the low to mid 170's. Once I got up as high as 180. (all measurements taken right after a set of 15 minute KB swings) Max heart rate is 220-33=187. Never experienced the metallic taste.

What is different between KB and bicycling? Just the length of time I was active?
 

barchack

Amateur
Environment and cardiovascular load.
KB swings are likely indoors in controlled environment. They also have a different cardio load than cycling. Regardless of HR (you can match HR points squatting or on an elliptical, but they don’t have the same cardiovascular demands), you may not have the same effects doing KB swings as you do cycling.
 
Like everything, it depends. If your work capacity is at a level where you can have sustained output while performing work then you have a higher chance of developing your metallic taste the longer you sustain that intense effort. For the kb work example you used a 15 min set, what does that entail? 15 min straight amrap SSST style? Russian or American swings ? If you’re putting the bell down and resting etc you’re losing intensity. On your bike how many hills did you ride, how heavy was your breathing at times compare that to your breathing during kB swings? It’s anecdotal and a stretch but maybe you notice you were breathing pretty hard during your bike outing. You’re looking at environmental variables too, such as air temp or humidity. In short the metabolic demands of each activity or exercise is unique to its time domain and intensity of said activity.
 
The reason I’m asking is overhead demand is exponentially more demanding than non overhead. Russian vs oh kB swings. Next if you’re doing a 15 min kbs workout, yet you’re putting the bell down every 15 reps and breaking for 10-15 seconds you’re operating in a different pathway than you’re tapping in the bike. Even though your workout may be 15 min, it’s not 15 min of sustained work. The bike on the other hand is more sustained work because you have to pedal to move and can coast occasionally but are generally pedaling to propel yourself. With a kB swing you cannot switch gears into a different ratio to maintain output. It’s binary- you’re swinging using violent hip ext or you’re not. Different pathways.
 
Lastly did you get a better direction with your training? About a month ago I engaged with you in this sub forum. Hope whatever you’re doing is working out for you.

If you’re ever in northern Nevada and want a place to train feel free to shoot me a message on here.
 
Good points. I was focused on the HR # I forgot about the difference in movement.

KB swings are done "RKC hardstyle", so arrested top movement, and accelerated downward swing and trying to bend the handle the whole time. Been doing the swings slow, started out with 10 reps with 60 second in-place jogging breaks. I was dry firing in between sets, but my heart rate seemed to jump up when I stood still. Or I was just noticing it more, not sure which.


Lastly did you get a better direction with your training? About a month ago I engaged with you in this sub forum. Hope whatever you’re doing is working out for you.

If you’re ever in northern Nevada and want a place to train feel free to shoot me a message on here.

I did - but I decided before I do anything the one thing I wanted most was lower bodyfat % (aiming for about 6%). Supposedly 6% BF is 191# if my LBM number are correct). Once I accomplished that goal, I was gonna look into the other stuff.

Thanks for the training invite! I don't travel much but if I'm ever that way I'll send a PM.
 
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