Page 1 of 3When you're told that exercise improves your heart health, you probably think of cardio exercise, right? After all, "cardio" is short for "cardiovascular" exercise, named as such because it utilizes the cardiorespiratory system, which consists of your heart, lungs and blood vessels, which work together to supply oxygen and nutrients to all of your vital organs. But did you know that heart-pumping cardio isn't the only exercise that helps to keep your heart healthy? That's right, pumping iron in the gym can help your most important muscle in the body—your heart—pump better, too!
The latest research shows that strength training doesn't just build strong muscles and bones; it offers big benefits for your ticker, too. That's why the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends it as a tool in maintaining heart health, preventing heart disease, and even helping those with heart disease to improve their condition.
In 2000, the AHA's Committee on Exercise, Rehabilitation, and Prevention, Council on Clinical Cardiology published research in the journal Circulation that concluded that when appropriately prescribed and supervised, resistance training has favorable effects on muscular strength and endurance, cardiovascular function, metabolism, coronary risk factors and psychosocial well-being—all of which are factors that affect heart health. Additionally, researchers found that resistance training was beneficial in the prevention and management of other chronic conditions, such as low-back pain, osteoporosis, obesity and weight control, diabetes, and improved physical function in frail and elderly persons. The paper recommended that all healthy individuals should strength train two to three times a week for overall health and to reduce their risk of chronic disease, including heart disease and its related risk factors.
Later in a 2007 edition of Circulation, researchers expanded their recommendation further, concluding that proper resistance training is beneficial for people suffering from heart disease, too. Besides strengthening the heart, scientists found that strength training helps people with heart disease to develop bodily strength, improve their endurance and generally have more independence and a higher quality of life.
Why exactly is strength training so beneficial? Well, it's because when you lift weights at a moderate intensity where you get your heart rate up and keep it up, strength training can simultaneously engage both the muscular system and the cardiovascular system. Basically, when you make your muscles stronger, you make your body stronger, which helps everything.
Other benefits of weight training include: