Does lifting weights help your heart as much as running?
Aerobic, resistance, or combined exercise training and cardiovascular risk profile in overweight or obese adults: the CardioRACE trial
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Resistance training alone did not improve cardiovascular risk profile despite reducing body fat and increasing muscle strength.
Most fitness influencers claim strength training improves heart health. This study proves it doesn’t—when measured by a composite risk score—even with 60 minutes of supervised training, three times a week for a full year.
Practical Takeaways
If your goal is to reduce cardiovascular risk, prioritize 60 minutes of aerobic exercise (brisk walking, cycling, swimming) three times a week.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Resistance training alone did not improve cardiovascular risk profile despite reducing body fat and increasing muscle strength.
Most fitness influencers claim strength training improves heart health. This study proves it doesn’t—when measured by a composite risk score—even with 60 minutes of supervised training, three times a week for a full year.
Practical Takeaways
If your goal is to reduce cardiovascular risk, prioritize 60 minutes of aerobic exercise (brisk walking, cycling, swimming) three times a week.
Publication
Journal
European Heart Journal
Year
2024
Authors
Duck-chul Lee, Angelique G. Brellenthin, L. Lanningham-Foster, Marian L Kohut, Yehua Li
Related Content
Claims (6)
If you burn the same number of calories overall, doing both strength training and cardio does not lead to more fat loss in specific areas than doing cardio alone.
For adults with overweight or obesity, doing 30 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of strength training three times a week for a year has the same effect on overall cardiovascular risk as doing 60 minutes of cardio alone.
Adults with overweight or obesity who engage in supervised aerobic exercise three times a week for one year show a measurable improvement in a combined measure of cardiovascular risk factors, including lower body fat, blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, and fasting glucose, compared to those who do not exercise.
In adults with overweight or obesity, doing resistance training for 60 minutes three times a week for a year does not lead to a meaningful improvement in overall cardiovascular risk markers, even though it reduces body fat and increases muscle strength.
In adults with overweight or obesity, losing body fat is the main reason why their overall cardiovascular risk improves after doing aerobic or combined exercise.