Resistance training, strength training, exercising with weights or weightlifting (whatever you prefer to call it) may not be the first thing that comes to mind if you’re looking for a health and fitness strategy to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease. Hopefully, this blog may help you to re-consider; research regularly proves the benefits of exercise in reducing our risk of coronary artery disease and in addition, reducing our risk of heart attack by up to 50%!
When we take part in regular physical activity, our body’s systems adapt in many ways:
- Musculoskeletal system: muscles will increase in size, – aka hypertrophy – tendons and ligaments become stronger, bone density increases. When skeletal muscles (which work to move our limbs) become stronger and more efficient, they are able to work harder for longer, therefore, the amount of work that the heart has to perform is reduced.
- Cardiovascular system: over time, hypertrophy also occurs in the heart muscle making it more efficient; as a result, it works less hard to pump the same amount of blood around our bodies lowering our resting heart rate.
Resistance training can have the effect of increasing capillaries in the muscles and tissues throughout our body. Capillaries are the smallest blood vessels in our bodies; their job is to exchange oxygen, nutrients and waste products between our blood and tissues in our muscles and vital organs such as the lungs whilst also removing carbon dioxide. The more capillaries we have, the more our circulation improves meaning increases in exercise capacity, performance and fitness. In particular, keeping our calf muscles healthy through strengthening and stretching them aids circulation; they act as our “second heart” pumping de-oxygenated blood against gravity back to the heart, so keeping them in tip-top-shape keeps our circulation working efficiently. If they are weak and tight through lack of use or stretching, then our hearts have extra work to do.
Research has shown that regular low to moderate intensity strength training can improve our blood lipid profile, i.e. the balance of good and bad cholesterol in our blood. High LDL cholesterol levels can lead to deposits of fatty material known as atheroma or plaque in our blood which can lead to coronary artery disease (also known as coronary heart disease) i.e. a narrowing of the arteries supplying blood and oxygen to the heart. This increases our blood pressure and with that, our risk of further cardiac problems such as heart attack. Incorporating strength training into your activity menu can help keep this in check.
Feeling stronger through resistance training can make exercise feel more accessible and the more active we are, the more likely we are to achieve a healthy weight which, in itself reduces our risk of experiencing cardiovascular disease.
Of course, aerobic exercise is also a crucial part of staying fit and healthy. Activities and gym equipment such as walking, running, cycling, swimming, rowing, climbing stairs and the x-trainer require the body’s largest muscles to work hard therefore increasing their demand for oxygen in order to generate the energy required with the result of conditioning the circulatory system i.e. heart and lungs.
Increasing aerobic fitness can also reduce resting blood pressure, heart rate, cholesterol levels and help to manage a healthy weight which reduces our risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiac disease, stroke and some cancers.
If you are currently physically inactive with a health condition, we would recommend seeking advice from a medical professional before commencing strength training. If you are inactive and not living with a health condition or active but new to strength training, then come and have a chat with one of the tfd team who can guide you in getting started in a way that helps you feel confident and safe.
Blog by Elaine Butler – Nutritional Advisor & Personal Trainer