Heart issue when exercising

[dreamer649]

Hello all, this is my first post...I frequent from time to time when Im feeling anxious but this time im really down.
I am a 34 yr old male, about 30 lbs overweight. Havent been very active and drank heavily for about 3 years. I recently decided to give up the drinking, eat healthy, and start a workout regime. Yesterday was a chest day so today I am a little sore but looked forward to the next workout which included alot of cardio, jumps, squats etc. About 15 minutes in i started to experience a sharp pain directly where my heart is...in the middle of my chest about an inch or 2 to the left. I immediately stopped, tried to relax and the pain went away. That was about 2 hours ago and hasnt returned thankfully. But now im worried sick, and afraid to workout again tomorrow. I dont have inscurance and honestly im TERRIFIED of the Dr. I understand that spot in my chest could just be aggravated from yesterdays workout but Im stuck on the fact that it went away when I relaxed and my heart rate came down. Im so focused on changing my life, getting into shape and becoming a better man but now I know this is going to be on my mind and drive me nuts.

[ServerError]

You say it was a chest day. You also say that your exercise regime is new. Surely it's just a bit of pain in the muscles of the chest? Are you overdoing it? Have you pushed yourself too hard? It's not a good idea to suddenly throw yourself into a demanding exercise programme after years of inactivity. It's better to build up gradually.

I'd bet you were just straining muscles in your chest.

[dreamer649]

it was definitely the hardest ive pushed myself in a very very long time. Yesterday was chest day so im feeling the soreness from that today...I think im going to stop this program and just do some lighter exercising (biking, pushups, situps) for now until i can get myself into better shape

[ServerError]

Don't be discouraged. It's always a positive thing to do to start working on your health and wellbeing. If you can, seek a little advice about the best way to get started. You could sign up for a gym or a personal trainer if you can afford to, and you could get advice from your doctor. I know some PT do believe in throwing you in at the deep end, though.

But it any case, I'm sure your heart is fine.

[bin tenn]

I agree with ServerError. While I've still not gotten into vigorous and regular exercise yet, I am generally quite a bit more active than I used to be. Even so, I still occasionally get aches and pains, including in my chest, with physical activity. I discovered some time ago that my "chest pains", as much as they were "obviously" internal, can actually be reproduced by touching the sore areas, meaning it's actually musculoskeletal rather than my heart. Did you try touching the area to see if it was sore to touch?

[dreamer649]

I did and that particular spot is a little sore to touch but much more prevelant when flexing my chest muscle. I'm just worried that it went away after my heart rate dropped and I stopped exercising. So of course I googled and those are all the signs of angina and heart disease. I'm focused on getting in shape and changing bad habits I just don't want to die in the process lol. Admittedly I always obsess over my heart which is a big reason why for so long I have tried exercising but now I'm older, hate the way I look and want to change so bad

[bin tenn]

I understand. I can't advise on what angina and heart disease feel like, as I apparently don't have either. I was convinced for a long time that I did though. Haha. Cardiologist cleared me after a stress test and echo. I voiced my concerns about several other "symptoms" and he basically paid no attention to them (but he listened completely). My point is just that you may feel that you are experiencing these things, but that's probably not what it is.

[MyNameIsTerry]

I agree with Mike, it's probably moving from being more sedentary to intense exercise too quickly. If you do this, expect it to hurt because your body isn't used to anything like the demand you are putting on it and it leaves you open to injury (not serious, I mean sprains & strains).

Anything with weights is going to mean DOMS. Growing muscle means putting more load onto them to cause "micro tears" which then cause muscles to grow bigger & stronger. This is why it hurts the next day or two.

From what I've always heard, the first few weeks mean things like DOMS can be at their worst. The body then adjusts. Although, DOMS will continue to some extent as you keep tearing the muscles to grow. But the first month is often seen as a window of opportunity with weight training as gains slow after this.

And obviously not all exercise does the same when it comes to muscles. You have slow twitch and fast twitch muscle fibres. You can be targeting different ones depending on the exercise.

Pressing on that muscle aches but it aches more when you flex it. Flexing means activating those muscle fibres. So, it stands to reason that will hurt more.

[Thelegend27]

Although it may sound like a heart issue, it may not be. But there's a possibility that something could be wrong,chest pain during exercise can be related to alot other than the heart, but that doesn't mean ignore it. I recommend seeing a doctor and try to get in with a cardiologist, you need a good work up before you take on a new exercise routine just to make sure your body can handle it.