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Why your workout routines don't need to include aerobic exercise...Researchers have long argued that workout routines without any form of aerobic exercise offer little in the way of health benefits, claiming your heart and lungs don't get the kind of workout they would from activity such as brisk walking or running. Workout routinesHowever, Harvard scientists have shown that men who include weight training in their workout routines for just 30 minutes each week reduce their risk for heart disease by 23% compared to those not training with weights. The study — published in the Journal of the American Medical Association — is based on medical records and questionnaires given to 44,452 male dentists, optometrists, pharmacists, podiatrists, osteopaths, and veterinarians enrolled in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Participants were interviewed every two years between 1986 and the beginning of 1998. The association between aerobic workout routines and a reduced risk of heart disease was expected. Men who ran for one hour or more each week reduced their risk by 42% compared to non-runners. Walking at a brisk pace for more than 30 minutes was linked to an 18% reduction compared to the men who didn't walk. Weight trainingMore surprising were the results showing a similar risk reduction with weight training. In contrast, cycling and swimming did not appear to protect against heart disease. The authors attributed this finding to the intensity at which study participants performed these activities. Had they been done at a higher intensity, it's likely they would also have been linked with lower rates of disease. "More intense aerobic exercise is more effective in improving cardiovascular fitness because it requires the heart muscle to work harder, to pump more blood, to get more oxygen," says Dr. Frank Hu, senior author of the study and an associate professor of nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health. "If the exercise is suitable for the person, I think people should aim for more rigorous exercise given the amount of energy expenditure." In other words, if two people spend the same amount of time exercising, the person doing the more intense exercise will benefit more. It's possible that the health benefits of exercise are linked simply to the number of calories you burn. This means that if you're pushed for time, you can burn 500 calories by doing some kind of intense exercise (such as weight training) for half an hour, rather than walking at a low intensity for 45 minutes or longer. The health benefits from weight training might result in part from a drop in blood pressure and body fat. Weight training is very useful in improving insulin sensitivity, reducing fat mass, and preserving lean muscle. Over time, it appears these effects translate into less cardiovascular disease in the long run. Of course, this doesn't mean that your workout routines shouldn't include aerobic exercise — just that they don't have to. Related Articles
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