A meta-study of 338,254 participants concluded strength training once or twice a week can lower your risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 28%. Further they found that if you add aerobic activities to that regime you can lower your risk by 48%.
Interestingly, strength training more than five times per week was not associated with a lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease. The goal should not be to find how much strength training you can tolerate, but to find the amount that produces optimal results. Lifting just enough, eating well, and going for a daily walk is a doable prescription for good cardiovascular health and a longer lifespan.
It is important to note that muscles stimulate the cardiovascular system to make positive changes, not the other way around. When the muscles are too weak to push the cardiovascular system, cardio-respiratory fitness declines. High intensity training (HIT) for strength done properly can produce a very significant cardiovascular stimulus, and positively affect cardiovascular wellness.
The cardiovascular benefits of HIT:
§ Increased nitric oxide availability, your body’s naturally produced vasodilator
§ Added muscle, the engine for cardiovascular health
§ Increased protection of the joints for doing other cardio-activities like running
§ Increased forced expiratory volume
§ Better results for coronary artery disease patients
As a result of doing HIT your aches and pains will subside, and you will be able to do those aerobic activities you enjoy longer – walk, run, swim, ride your bike. At Austin Personal Training we offer a 30 minute full-body strength training workout that is done once or twice a week. This is a workout that you slowly build up to; anybody can do it. You’ll enhance your cardio-respiratory fitness and quality of life for decades to come.
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