Join Free newsletters and more A Weighty Issue for Exercise Buffs Weightlifting is gaining respect as evidence mounts of its benefits for the heart. By Bob Calandra WebMD Medical News A Weighty Issue for Exercise Buffs Weightlifting is gaining respect as evidence mounts of its benefits for the heart.
Weight training is no longer the exclusive domain of the flex and pecs crew at the gym.
Today, many people seeking a well-rounded workout include some form of resistance training. The AHA has come a long way in its position on resistance training. While doctors and exercise physiologists for years have routinely supported the notion of heart benefits from aerobic exercise, they pretty much have dismissed the notion of benefits from weightlifting. In fact, the consensus among cardiologists a decade ago was that hefting free weight was downright dangerous for people with cardiovascular problems because it stressed the heart and depleted it of oxygen. The fact that studies searching for other evidence of weightlifting's advantages often were contradictory did not help resolve the issue.