Heart Health Is Best Served By Lifting Weights
Tell someone they need to do some exercise to help fight heart disease and there is a pretty good chance they will start walking or jogging or doing some kind of cardio training. And they would be wrong, according some new research reported in the Sun.
You've heard that doing cardio is very good for you, but if you can only do one type of exercise you should lift some weights. Researchers from China and the U.S. found your risk of heart disease drops 40 to 70 percent if you regularly weight train for just one hour per week.
In fact, lifting was more effective at preventing heart attacks and strokes than running or cycling.
The Sun article says these five exercises are a great start.
- Press up Lie face-down and put your hands shoulder-width apart, with a flat back and tensed core. Push yourself up by extending your arms.
- Dumbell floor press Lie on your back with a dumbell – or any other weight – in each hand. Bend at the elbows then straighten your arms.
- Squat Stand straight before squatting down with your chest out and knees over your toes. Don’t arch your back or lean forward as you drop down. Straighten your legs to take you back to the starting position.
- Bicep curl Stand with a dumbbell in each hand, and curl the weights up towards your shoulder while making sure to keep your elbows still
- Bench dips Stand facing away from a bench or chair, before grabbing it with both hands at shoulder width. Lower your body down with your arms and push yourself back up with your triceps