Link (http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3048982)

Once taboo for people with heart problems, resistance weight training actually has significant benefits for people with cardiovascular disease (CVD), according to an American Heart Association scientific statement published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

The statement, Resistance Exercise in Individuals With and Without Cardiovascular Disease, is an update to a statement published in 2000.

“Just like we once learned that people with heart disease benefited from aerobic exercise, we are now learning that guided, moderate weight training also has significant benefits,” said Mark Williams, Ph.D., the statement writing group chair and professor of medicine in the Division of Cardiology at Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, Neb.

Williams said resistance (weight) training should be viewed as a complement to aerobic exercise, not a replacement for it. There is extensive evidence of the benefits of aerobic exercise training on the modulation of cardiovascular risk factors, he said.

“Resistance training not only enhances the benefits of aerobic fitness, but it appears to provide the added benefit of increased functional capacity and independence. It helps people better perform tasks of daily living – like lifting sacks of groceries.”

The health benefits of resistance training include increased strength and muscular coordination, more muscle mass and higher bone density in men and women of all ages. An increase in muscle mass contributes to a higher basal metabolic rate, which can help in weight control. In addition, resistance training can help improve quality of life. In people whose fitness level compromises their daily physical functioning, both endurance exercise and resistance training may improve quality of life — allowing patients to do what they enjoy and remain independent.

Not sure I like their recommendations on the "how" too much, but it's good to see resistance training getting it's due for it's health benefits outside the "bodybuilding" aspect that scares many off.

Apparently Williams doesn't realize that weight training can provide all the benefits of aerobic exercise. Odd, given that he spent eight years in medical training.

On the subject of people being scared off by body building, a lot of it has to do with stereotypes people have about who lifts weights. I certainly didn't want to get into weight lifting because I always thought of the meat-heads I would see spending all their time at the gym. They didn't seem particularly intelligent at all, and way too macho for my liking. Then I found this website and over time realized that many people in body building are very intelligent and well read. Not sure what can be done about the 'dumb jock' stereotype to get more people into lifting.

Apparently Williams doesn't realize that weight training can provide all the benefits of aerobic exercise. Odd, given that he spent eight years in medical training.


Not much of medical training focuses on exercise other than exercise is good - okay they may get a little more in medical school but really not much more. Obviously some fields go more in depth (physical medicine, preventive medicine, etc) but just because someone is an MD or PhD doesn't mean they know squat about exercise and fitness. Most medical training focuses on disease states and how to deal with those.