Intense cardio reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, but what about intense weight training. Are there similar benefits?
The direct cardiovascular health benefits of intense weight training have been confirmed in research. One comprehensive study examined the effects of the amount, type and intensity of exercise in relation to coronary heart disease risk.
In this study, a group of 44,452 men were assessed every 2 years from 1986 through 1998. Intense aerobic exercise and resistance training both resulted in a significant reduction in coronary heart disease risk. Interestingly, resistance training was shown to provide a 5% greater reduction in coronary heart disease risk than exercises like rowing or brisk walking.
Based upon these findings the researchers concluded that exercise intensity is the most important factor in obtaining health benefits from exercise. Therefore, aside from providing great changes in body shape, intense weight training should also be considered a strategy for decreasing the risk of coronary heart disease.
The message from the research is coming through loud and clear, the fitter you are, the longer, healthier life you’ll have. If that doesn’t motivate you to get into the gym and hammer out those Max-OT sessions, I don’t know what will.
Source: Journal of the American Medical Association
