Pump It Up: Boost Heart Health with Weight Training
One of the longtime detractions of weightlifting is that it does not improve cardiovascular health. Naysayers will claim that lifting weights will only help to increase muscle mass, and is not the proper form of training for individuals looking to strengthen their cardiovascular health. Though there is some truth in this, resistance training can provide cardiovascular benefits as well.
Most of the benefits of cardiovascular exercise come from elevating your heart rate and sustaining that over a prolonged time. Typically 20 minutes or more. Most health experts suggest elevating your heart rate to between 60-90% of your maximum heart rate. (MHR). There are several formulas to figure out ones MHR but you can find a simple method here.
When it comes to resistance training you can get similar benefits even without intentionally shaping your weight training towards cardio. After a standard day of leg or back workouts with moderate intensity, one should still find their heart rate to be around 140BPM, significantly higher than the resting rate. If you are trying to tailor your weight training towards cardio, doing less weight, but maintaining a faster pace and less rest between sets will certainly have you burning more calories, and pushing a higher heart rate. You can also perform circuit training by moving from one exercise to the next with little to know rest. A great example is The Ab Zone!
Whether you’re specifically looking to improve cardio while resistance training, or simply enjoying the cardiovascular benefits of a regular weight workout another great piece is the Sledmill. Going up to 400lbs of resistance, the machine is perfect for anyone who is looking to work with some serious weight. And, with the click of a button users can turn the resistance all the way down to 25 lbs, an ideal weight for those looking to do the type of high rep, low weight workouts that really push the heart rate.
The benefits of regular resistance training are immeasurable and The Abs Company has solutions to help you at any phase of your fitness journey.