Training with high blood pressure
I'm 48 years old and just completed my 12th SS session. I've seen some nice gains across the board and I'm starting to feel much better. I'm overweight (270 lbs at 5'10'') but have been following the program and not attempting to lose weight while I get stronger. My squat has gone from 115 to 235, bench press from 135 to 175, press from 85 to 115, and DL from 115 to 235. Haven't lost weight, but haven't gained any either and my waist is definitely smaller. In general, I think I'm responding well for my age/weight.
The issue is that I was recently diagnosed with high blood pressure (170/100) and put on meds and sent for a stress test. The stress test was 'abnormal' because my pressure went too high while exercising (220/100) and now I have to go for a follow up. My doc has advised that I avoid overly strenuous exercise for the time being. I mentioned the program and he prefers that I adopt a 'lower weight/higher rep' approach until I get the BP under control.
I'm trying to decide whether I should start giving myself 72 hours to recover between workouts but stick with the current approach, thus decreasing the number of times per week that I'm putting myself under that much stress, or just drop all the weights and increase the number of reps.
What would you advise?