It has long been assumed that cardio training - rather than weight lifting - is best for heart health
Many people assume that cardio is the best method of training to improve your heart health and overall fitness levels. However, new research suggests hitting the weights room may even come up trumps.
Granted, aerobic exercise can boost your fitness levels and help you shed fat, but when it comes to reducing your risk of a heart attack, there's never been a better time to pump some iron.
A team of Chinese and American researchers looked at data from over 12,500 people. Weight training was found to reduce the risk of heart disease by as much as 40-70%. This was also independent of any cardio having taken place.
The study discovered that you don't need to spend ages in the gym either. Regular weight training was classed as:
- One, two or three sessions a week
- Various sessions adding up to at least 1 hour per week
As little as one workout a week still produced noticeable benefits. That isn't a huge chunk taken out of your free time.
Including some swimming, cycling and jogging in your weekly routine could improve your results even further, so this still shouldn't be taken as a cue to skip cardio.
What kind of weight training?
Certain kinds of weight training - such as body part splits and super sets - manipulate rest periods so you can be done lifting in 30-45 minutes. You might see Conor McGregor or Cristiano Ronaldo spending multiple hours in the gym each day, but their goals are extremely specific to a sport.
Building some muscle, burning some fat and bettering your general health can all be achieved with shorter spurts of activity.
Which are the best exercises?
What works for you is a matter of getting in the gym and trying out different styles of training. But the lifts which provide the biggest bang-for-your-buck are compound exercises, hitting more than one muscle group at once.
Examples include:
- Bench Press
- Squat
- Deadlift
- Shoulder Press
- Pull-Up
- Tricep Dip
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