A new study suggests that dividing your workout routine into equal parts of cardio and strength training could significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
This research addresses a critical health issue, as cardiovascular disease is responsible for about one in three deaths in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While aerobic exercises are known to lower cardiovascular risks, especially for those who are overweight or obese, the impact of resistance or strength training, as well as combined exercise regimens, has been less clear.
This latest study, one of the largest and longest of its kind, provides valuable insights into these areas.
Published in the European Heart Journal, the study indicates that a workout split between aerobic and resistance exercises can reduce cardiovascular disease risks as effectively as an aerobic-only regimen.
Notably, resistance exercise alone did not offer the same heart health benefits when compared to a control group.
Duck-chul Lee, the study’s lead author and a professor of kinesiology at Iowa State, explains the practical implications:
“If you’re tired of just doing aerobic exercise, or if joint pain makes running difficult, our study shows you can swap half of your cardio workout for strength training and still get the same cardiovascular benefits.”
The research involved 406 participants, aged between 35 and 70, all of whom were overweight or obese and had elevated blood pressure.
They were randomly assigned to one of four groups: no exercise, aerobic only, resistance only, or a combination of aerobic and resistance. The exercise groups worked out under supervision for an hour, three times a week for one year.
Each participant received a tailored workout routine based on their fitness levels and health conditions.
The routines included sets and repetitions with weight machines, free weights, elastic bands, or body weight exercises like push-ups or lunges for resistance training.
For aerobic exercises, participants used treadmills or stationary bikes with a unique program key that adjusted the intensity based on their heart rate.
The study also included diet education and monitoring physical activity outside the lab. Participants wore pedometers and recorded their dietary intake using an online tool developed by the US National Cancer Institute.
The researchers measured cardiovascular risk factors such as blood pressure, cholesterol, fasting glucose, and body fat percentage at the start, six months, and end of the trial.
They found significant reductions in body fat in all exercise groups compared to the control group.
The aerobic and combined exercise groups showed lower composite scores for cardiovascular disease risk factors, indicating a reduced risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
Interestingly, the aerobic-only group showed improvements in VO2max (a measure of aerobic fitness), while the resistance-only group improved in strength tests. However, the combination group improved in both areas.
The study supports current physical activity guidelines that recommend both resistance and aerobic exercise, but it also points out a gap: these guidelines don’t specify the duration of strength training sessions needed to reap health benefits.
Looking ahead, Lee plans to conduct another study to find the “right dose” of resistance exercise for adults who are overweight or obese.
This upcoming study will compare the effects of varying lengths of resistance training, combined with moderate intensity aerobic exercise, to determine the most effective and feasible regimen for long-term health benefits.
This research not only emphasizes the importance of a balanced approach to exercise but also provides a practical framework for individuals looking to improve their heart health through a combined regimen of cardio and strength training.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about the best time to take vitamins to prevent heart disease, and scientists find how COVID-19 damages the heart.
For more information about heart health, please see recent studies about Aspirin linked to higher risk of heart failure, and results showing this drug could reduce heart disease, fatty liver, obesity.
The research findings can be found in European Heart Journal.
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