by Lottie Miles
PhD in Exercise & Sport Science | ARC Gym Manager
Did you know that strength training can protect you against cardiovascular (heart and circulatory) diseases, such as heart attack and stroke?
According to the World Health Organisation, cardiovascular diseases (such as heart attack and stroke) are the leading cause of death globally, yet a few lifestyle changes can make all the difference for so many of us.
Traditionally, it was believed that cardio training is the best training method to keep your heart healthy, but there is another option for those of you who don’t enjoy endless hours on the bike each week.
A ground-breaking study in 2019 involving nearly 13,000 participants showed that strength training sessions reduced the risk of cardiovascular diseases by 40-70% even if you don’t do any cardio (aerobic) training. This study was named Medicine & Science in Sport & Exercise’s 2019 paper of the year and was featured by many TV and news agencies and has been strongly backed by plenty of follow up research.
Best of all, the scientists showed you don’t have to do a lot of strength training, just a single 60min session a week can make a huge difference.
How does strength training improve heart health?
Strength training increases the amount of lean muscle in your body. This has plenty of important benefits for your cardiovascular system…
MORE ENERGY is required to fuel stronger muscles, which means stronger people burn more calories, even while sat on the sofa! Burning calories and lowering body fat will certainly help take the pressure off your heart.
Daily activities become easier when you have a bit of strength, so you tend to move much more each day, again burning more calories.
Better circulation – more blood vessels are needed around the extra muscle. This LOWERS YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE, taking strain off your heart (think of this like traffic in a town; bigger towns with plenty of roads can handle lots of traffic but small towns with just a few routes through get congested very quickly!)
Better circulation also means a better transport system for getting nutrients and oxygen around your body whilst also being nice and efficient in removing waste products.
Strength training also tends to produce a shorter, higher intensity burst of effort. These efforts ‘stress’ the heart for a few seconds, training the cardiac muscle to become STRONGER and more able to handle what life throws at it.
With these points in mind, I hope those of you who have never considered strength training will think about giving it a go. Of course, there are also many other benefits to strength training outside cardiovascular health, such as better sleep, injury prevention, diabetes control and better bone health.
Come and speak to an ARC fitness instructor if you’re interested in trying some strength training, or you would like some advice on technique, or best of all, come and try one of our Functional Fitness or 50+ Strength classes!