Modified Levine Protocol- Month 3

Month 3 of the Modified Levine Protocol has been awesome. I am finally seeing payoff into my daily life. Mestinon and this exercise protocol has been a good combination for treating my POTS and ME.

What month 3 is like

Most of the cardio sessions this month are 50 minutes total- a 10 minute warm-up, 30 minutes at base pace (heart rate between 125-145 bpm or between 2-4 out of 10 on the rate of perceived exertion scale (RPE)), and a 10 minute cool-down. The sessions are all in “Training Mode 1” which is either swimming, recumbent bike, or rowing machine. I have been using a recumbent bike.

This month introduces a couple Maximal Steady State (MSS) workouts. In these workouts, you are supposed to keep your heart rate between 165-175 bpm or at a 5-8 on the RPE scale. Recovery workouts are also introduced which are 40 minutes of continuous movement at an easy pace (heart rate under 125 bpm or 0-2 on the RPE scale).

The calendar continues to have two days of strength training each week. I do three days of strength training because I love it and it’s impactful.

Introduction of upright cardio

The protocol didn’t recommend this yet, but I went rogue and decided to do a couple cardio sessions upright. It went smoothly and I didn’t crash, which is encouraging.

On the MSS days, I did a P90X3 workout called CVX for the allotted time. The modifier in that workout was perfect. I also walked in the snow on two of the base pace days. I was itching to do something different and get outdoors. The walks were great except for when I would go on the edge of town and nearly get blown away.

How strength training has been

Strength training has been going excellent. As you know from previous posts, I do P.volve for strength training and I love it. I do P.volve three days per week for about 30 minutes each session. Most of the workouts are total body. I pick workouts based on what I haven’t done yet. This month I worked through the Intense Abs Series and the 7-Day No Equipment series.

How I have been feeling

Better! First of all, it has been a few weeks since I’ve gotten sick and that helps a ton. When I began this blog in August of 2019 I was around of 50-60% functionality and now (January 2020) I would say I am a solid 60-65%. I think I will see more improvement with my current plan.

The brain fog seems better. I briefly had to stop driving from the flare I had when I kept getting sick, but I am back to baseline on driving again (roughly 45 minutes at a time, easy routes). My energy and the “gassed” feeling in my muscles has improved. I also notice less pre-syncopal moments upon standing. During my first post on the Modified Levine Protocol, I mentioned how my vision would get white and pre-syncopal as I exerted myself on the bike. I do not experience that anymore, which is fantastic.

There was a small hiccup this month. Since I was finally healthy, I thought I would get a flu shot. My immune system decided to be a diva and overreacted. Luckily, the fevers peaked in the afternoon, so I was able to push through and exercise in the mornings. I got the shot about a week and a half ago and am mostly recovered from it now. The side-effects minimize with each day that passes.

Looking ahead

The newest thing in Month 4 is the introduction of “Training Mode 2”. This is supposed to be an upright bike. I don’t have access to an upright bike, so I’m going to move straight into walking and aerobics. It went well playing with upright exercise this past month, so onward we go. I will do aerobics on weekdays and walk outside on the weekends. That way will work best with schedule, daylight, temperature, etc.

The base pace and MSS workouts get a little longer in Month 4. There is also an extra cardio day each week called “Recovery”. This was introduced in Month 3, but it becomes more consistent in Month 4. Due to this extra workout placed in the weekly schedule, I have the choice of either: dropping down to two strength training sessions per week, combining a strength training session with another workout, or workout 7 days per week. I’m going to listen to my body and see what makes most sense on a week-by-week basis.

I’ll need to find some appropriate aerobics videos for base pace days this month. It will have to be something that is steady, the right length, and not too difficult. If you have any recommendations let me know! Bonus points if there is dancing involved, because I’m all about that.

Other Modified Levine Protocol posts

Intro and Month 1 of Modified Levine Protocol

Month 2 of the Modified Levine Protocol

Modified Levine Protocol- Bonus Time

Modified Levine Protocol- Month 4

Modified Levine Protocol- Month 5

Modified Levine Protocol- Month 6

Modified Levine Protocol- Month 7

Modified Levine Protocol- Month 8 and Final Thoughts

Link to the protocol

Modified Levine Protocol Program

Has anyone else done month 3 of the Modified Levine Protocol? Is anyone else currently on the protocol in any place? How is it going?

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. Statements on this site are not meant to be taken as medical advice. These statements reflect my personal experiences having mild-ish post-viral POTS and ME. Due to the wide spectrum of these diseases, comorbidities, and everyone being different, your experiences may be very different than mine.

Note: If you post a comment, this site does NOT have a feature to notify you of responses to your comment. I have not found a good solution for that yet. However, I usually respond to every comment in a timely manner, so be sure to check back.