Weight Lifting for Heart Health

It used to be that weight lifting was associated with those grotesquely huge, semi-naked male bodies you see on television lifting an extraordinary amount of metal or steel, their faces getting more distorted as they hoist that long bar to shoulder level and then finally above their heads, their arms trembling as they hold that barbell steady for a few seconds.

That vision, thankfully, has changed. Any man or woman, in good enough shape, who wants to enjoy the look and feel of building muscle, now performs weight lifting.

How does weight lifting give the heart a lift?

The circle of believers who spread the word around that lifting weight is also good for the heart is getting bigger and bigger. The old school used to think that only aerobic exercise was responsible for making the heart sturdy as an ox.

Since weight lifting belongs to the strength-building type of exercise, the muscles acquire more power, and as the American Heart Association has said, strong muscles equal a strong heart. This statement is even truer when an individual is able to increase weights, thereby elevating his intensity levels.

As you build up on intensity and increase your frequency, weight lifting works your heart so that it beats faster, forcing it to deliver oxygenated blood to the rest of the body.

Weight lifting is also recommended by doctors nowadays to serve as a transition from recovery to a fully active life.

Lifting Weights therefore is an integral part of a comprehensive exercise program which should include aerobic exercises, stretching exercises, and resistance training exercises.

All three combined are what strengthen the heart muscle, which in turn leads to a happy healthy life and avoids heart disease.

Want to have your own weight lifting equipment?

If you're going shopping for dumb bells, make sure you purchase them in varying weights and not just in one weight so you don't get trapped in a specific comfort level.

Muscles need to be broken down and then rebuilt, so you need to gradually add more pounds to those weights if you want optimum results in muscle-building.

Buying dumb bells does not really require any research. They've been around for a long time, and one has yet to report any serious downsides to working with them, unless of course you drop them accidentally.

Now, should you be approached and offered the latest fad in weight lifting equipment, practice vigilance. The US Federal Trade Commission warns that manufacturers have fallen into the habit of advertising their product for "spot" reducing. Be leery, there is no such thing as spot reduction.

Products that claim to offer quick results with the least amount of physical exertion have to be questioned too. Exercise must be done to actually physically exert the body either by putting strain on the muscle during weight lifting, causing it to heal stronger then before, or by raising the heart rate during cardiovascular exercises.

There are no real short cuts in the fitness journey, sad to say. Fortunately, it's a journey which is worthwhile, as it reduces our risks for heart disease the leading cause of death in the western world.

Weight Lifting: All Roads Lead to The Heart

Weight lifting - also called resistance training - produces and maintains lean body mass. More lean tissue means a higher metabolic rate, according to the American College of Sports Medicine. George Kelley, a kinesiology expert in Northern Illinois University said that weight lifting may actually lower a person's blood pressure at rest. In his analysis of the 11 studies he conducted on subjects, he found that individuals who took part in a regular weight-training program experienced "about a three-point reduction in both their resting systolic and diastolic blood pressures."

Still not convinced? Maybe it's time you struck up a conversation with people in the gym who had heart surgery before they took out their gym memberships. They'll probably tell you that they feel lighter yet stronger, they like how their bodies look (especially with all the excess weight trimmed off and the muscles toned), and they feel like they've got a brand new heart. They might also tell you that they started a weight lifting program for conditioning their muscles before going into full-time aerobics.

Avoid Heart disease: Through Exercise and Living a Heart Healthy Lifestyle

Don't wait for a heart attack to occur before deciding to exercise. Exercise knows no age barriers. Young and old must get into an exercise program.

Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death, so if your lifestyle makes you a candidate for heart disease, adopt drastic changes. . Aim for a healthier YOU!