Whoaaa, we’re halfway there… Month 4 of the Modified Levine Protocol is complete and there are 8 months total. I have been struggling. This month, I transitioned to doing all cardio workouts in an upright position. It took a few months for me to adjust to the demands of the recumbent bicycle in the beginning of the protocol. Likewise, I think it will take my body time to adjust to these new upright demands.
What month 4 is like
The biggest change in this month is the official introduction of upright cardio. You are supposed to do some workouts this month on an upright bike AKA “training mode 2”, and some in “training mode 1”, which is rowing, recumbent bicycling, or swimming. As I explained last month, I do not have access to an upright bike and am getting bored of the recumbent bike, so I am moved straight to standing cardio. I played with it a little last month and it went well, so I figured why not go for it.
Each week has two strength training days, two or three base pace workouts, one maximal steady state workout (MSS), and one recovery workout. The cardio workouts alternate between “training modes” (upright or recumbent). The base pace workouts increase to 40 minutes and the MSS workouts increase to 35 minutes. Side note, base pace means heart rate between 125-145 bpm or rate of perceived exertion (RPE) between 2-4 out of 10, and MSS means heart rate between 165-175 bpm or RPE between 5-8.
Notes
I’ve jotted down a few things throughout the month. Some are modifications and others are just random thoughts.
- I basically ignore heart rate now in favor of the RPE scale. Mestinon slows my heart rate, so HR not reliable to gauge my exertion anymore.
- LOL. Next to the first day I did dance cardio I just wrote LOL. Which I think means I was laughable. I felt really awkward and slow.
- Warm-ups and cool-downs are done by pacing around the house for 10 minutes each.
- Recovery mode days are done on the recumbent bike for 40 minutes.
What I did for base pace days this month
I walk outside on the cardio days that fall on the weekend. During the week, I use Beachbody On Demand workouts. I am digging it! Beachbody on Demand is like Netflix, but with workout videos. The options are vast, but it is organized well so that it isn’t overwhelming.
I tried workouts from these programs this month:
- Hip Hop Abs– It’s a fun, low-impact, simple-movement, dance cardio workout. Based on the parachute pants and frosted tips, I’d say it originally came out around the height of N*SYNC (early 2000’s). It still holds up, though.
- Country Heat– This is also fun. The movements are easy and it works well as a base pace workout. As a side note, I do not care for country music and was cracking up at the lyrics of the songs. One of the songs says, “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16”, and I couldn’t hold it together. I picture some music executive saying, “How can we really appeal to our target audience?” and some guy going, “I got it”, and reciting that chorus.
- Cize– This is my favorite! It was a blasty blast. The moves are more complicated than Hip Hop Abs and Country Heat, but they are broken down so that it is doable. It is also a little more strenuous than the others, but it is still in the base pace range of effort.
What I did for MSS days
The CVX workout from P90X3 (also on Beachbody on Demand) has been perfect for MSS days. It is challenging, but not ridiculous. I follow the modifier to keep it lower-impact and moderate-intensity. To keep my effort steady, I ignore the cues to speed up and slow down and I jog in place during the breaks.
I also tried a workout from Insanity Max30. I have done that program in the past and it is a doozy. Following the modifier was fine exertion-wise. However, I don’t think I will do this program again. There is an intense vibe to it where the trainer is constantly urging you to “push it” and the people look like they are dying. I’m not about that life anymore. Even when I’m working hard I like to keep my exercise “chill” to keep the adrenaline down.
Strength training
Strength training has been going well. I have been doing P.volve either two or three days per week. In the beginning of this month, I did three days of it per week, but my body was getting progressively more worn out. So, I have been doing it twice per week since the middle of the month in order to incorporate a rest day. I think I will continue doing that so that my body can recover properly.
How I have been feeling
I have been more fatigued in my brain and body this month. As I mentioned earlier, it is most likely due to the demands of consistent upright cardio. When my body catches up to this change, I think I will be back to where I was.
Because I am only human, I will occasionally worry that I have simply gotten worse and it is unrelated to the protocol. It doesn’t matter how many times I bounce back, there are still moments during a crash where I think “Welp, this is it, there is no bounce back”. I have to take a moment, figuratively smack myself back to reality, and then carry on.
Looking ahead
Month 5 introduces treadmill and elliptical, so full upright cardio (which I have already been doing). The base pace and MSS workout lengths increase up to 60 minutes for base pace and 40 minutes for MSS.
This month also bumps up to 4-5 cardio sessions each week. As a result of the increased sessions, I will continue to follow the calendar as it is written rather than adding in an extra strength training session like I used to.
Other Modified Levine Protocol posts
Introduction to Modified Levine Protocol and Month 1 Update
Month 2 of the Modified Levine Protocol
Bonus Time of the Modified Levine Protocol
Month 3 of the Modified Levine Protocol
Month 5 of the Modified Levine Protocol
Modified Levine Protocol- Month 6
Modified Levine Protocol- Month 7
Modified Levine Protocol- Month 8 and Final Thoughts
Link to the Modified Levine Protocol
Modified Levine Protocol Program
Anyone else doing the Levine Protocol? 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.
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