When you think of improving your cardiovascular fitness, aerobic
activities such as walking, jogging, swimming or cycling usually come
to mind. Surprisingly, research has shown that weight training may have
also some positive cardiovascular benefits.
There are many different ways to lift weights. For example, during
circuit training, you move through a series of weight stations with
little rest. Circuit training has been shown to be an effective
cardiovasuclar conditioning activity. The weights are usually light to
medium and there is a stronger aerobic component to this workout.
Where heavier weights are lifted with longer rest periods,
physiological effects are primarily exerted in the muscle. Muscle plays
a large role in sugar and fat metabolism such as cholesterol. Weight
training has, indeed, been shown to improve lipid profiles as well as
balance insulin responses. Both are desirable for a healthy heart.
Weight training is the single best exercise for reducing body fat,
another risk factor. Resistance training breaks down muscle tissue
which can take a day or two to repair itself. The repair process can
raise your metabolism 24-48 hours after you lift. You also put on lean
muscle mass which is more metabolically active than fat. The more
muscle you have the higher your metabolic rate will be all day long.
In order to improve a system like your heart and blood vessels you
must stress the system. Lifting a hard set of weights will leave you
breathing hard and your heat beating fast. Short stress periods like
this are what make your heart and lungs get stronger. Doing the same
old aerobic routine at the same pace will only maintain your current
cardiovascular fitness, not improve it. (If you have any health
problems or are a beginner, check with your doctor before trying any
hard lifting).
Before you throw away your Nike's, "aerobic" exercise still has
it's place in heart healthy fitness routines. The rules have just
changed a little bit. Instead of doing long, easy to moderate sessions,
shorten them and interval train. Interval training means hard/recover.
You might try one minute hard and two minutes recover or easier.
Studies show greater fat loss and increased cardiovascular fitness with
interval training. (Again, if you have any health problems or are a
beginner, see your physician before starting a program with high
intensity exercise).
The best exercise precription for those who have cardiovascular
fitness as a goal is to cross train. Cross training means participating
in more than one type of activity. Not all the research is in on how
much and what type of exercise is best. Both weight lifting and aerobic
exercise are beneficial to a healthy heart in different ways. So why
not vary your program, try both, and reap the unique benefits of each.
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