Heart health is the foundation of overall well-being, playing a very important role in maintaining energy, strength, and longevity. Being physically active is essential when it comes to heart health, even for the overall lifestyle.
Exercise is one of the most powerful tools available that one can leverage to one’s best. When it specifically comes to heart health, the question remains the same-should you focus more on cardio or strength training? Which one is more helpful to keep the heart in good shape? Talking about it, both forms of workout provide health as well as heart benefits, however, the best approach that one can take is involve a combination of the two in their workout regimen. Let us brief this in detail!
Cardio for Heart Health: The Classic Choice
Cardiovascular exercises, also known as aerobic exercise, are optimum for heart health. The cardio workout includes activities like running, swimming, cycling, and brisk walking. These workouts increase the heart rate and improve oxygen circulation throughout the body.
Key Heart Benefits of Cardio
- Improves Heart Efficiency: Cardio exercises strengthen the heart muscle, allowing it to pump blood more efficiently.
- Lowers Blood Pressure: Regular aerobic exercise helps the human body in reducing hypertension, lowering the risk of heart disease.
- Reduces Bad Cholesterol: One of the advantages of cardio exercises is that it helps lower LDL (bad cholesterol) and increase HDL (good cholesterol), which significantly reduces artery blockages.
- Enhances Endurance: A well-conditioned heart can handle more physical stress, leading to better stamina in daily activities.
Strength Training: To Gain Muscle Mass
Strength training, or resistance training, is a kind of exercise that aims at improving physical strength. It often incorporates lifting weights, further including techniques such as bodyweight exercises, isometrics, plyometrics, bodyweight exercises, and resistance band workouts. Highly regarded for muscle building, strength training indeed extends far beyond just aesthetics and provides heart benefits to the human body. Let’s see how!
Key Heart Benefits of Strength Training
- Strengthens the Heart and Arteries: Lifting weights puts controlled stress on your body, forcing the heart and blood vessels to adapt and grow stronger.
- Reduces Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases: Various studies show that regular strength training can lower the risk of heart disease and stroke.
- Improves Blood Sugar Control: Strength training improves insulin sensitivity in the human body, reducing the risk of diabetes, which is a major contributor to heart disease.
- Boosts Metabolism and Fat Loss: Muscle often burns more calories at rest, leading to better weight management and reduced strain on the heart.
Now, let’s come to the debate-
Which One is Better for Heart Health?
Let us tell you the truth- instead of choosing between cardio and strength training, one must go for a combination of both, it is the ultimate formula for heart health.
Here’s why:
Cardiovascular exercises enhance heart and lung efficiency, ensuring better oxygen flow.
Strength training reduces body fat, strengthens body muscles, and stabilises blood sugar levels, all of which contribute to a healthier heart.
When put together in a workout regimen, they improve overall cardiovascular endurance and muscular strength, effectively reducing the risk of heart disease more than either one alone.
The Ideal Workout Plan for Heart Health
For good heart health, experts recommend:
- 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio (such as brisk walking or cycling) or 75 minutes of vigorous cardio (such as running or HIIT) per week.
- A minimum of 2-3 strength training sessions per week focusing on all major muscle groups.
- To include stretching and mobility exercises (like yoga or stretching) to reduce stress and improve circulation.