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 routines
However, 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 training
More 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.
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References
Tanasescu, M., Leitzmann, M.F., Rimm, E.B., Willett, W.C., Stampfer,
M.J., & Hu, F.B. (2002). Exercise type and intensity in relation
to coronary heart disease in men. Journal
of the American Medical Association, 288, 1994-2000
http://www.harvardmagazine.com/on-line/030407.html
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