cardio exercise

The client was 58 and very fit. She was wearing a pulse meter on her wrist. Ninety seconds into the workout her pulse was 148 which is approaching her maximum for a person her age.

One method of determining one’s maximum heart rate is to subtract one’s age from 220 bpm. Using this method this client’s maximum heart rate would be 162 bpm.

We began the workout with the leg press using a heavy weight and slow initial movements. The leg press involves large muscle groups and can get one’s heart rate up in short order. The slow starts minimize force associated with injury and allow one to warm up safely with the heavier weights. The warm up is in effect incorporated in to the first set using a challenging weight. After a minute she was breathing hard and I told her to move faster. At this point her muscles were warmed up and appreciably weaker. Warmed-up weaker muscles are unlikely to generate enough force to cause injury as long as good form is maintained. Her attempts to move fast did not amount to much at that point in the set, but it did allow her to keep moving and achieve a deeper fatigue.

Is strength training safe for cardiovascular health and is it healthy? You might be surprised by the results of one study. From this study, Strength Training Early After Myocardial Infarction, comes this quote:

“For the three treatment groups, 30 of 42 subjects had one or more cardiovascular complication (arrhythmias, angina, ischemia, hypertension, hypotension) during the aerobic exercises as compared to only 1 subject with complications during the resistive exercises.”

 An interesting result that speaks for itself - 30 complications for aerobic rehab versus one for resistance exercise rehab.

Another quote from the study:

From this article High-intensity exercise better at improving metabolic syndrome risk factors;

From this Science News article, High-Intensity Interval Training Is Time-Efficient and Effective, Study Suggests:

Thirty men with low-risk prostate cancer who opted not have to have conventional medical treatment agreed to be subjects of a study. They ate a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and soy products, engaged in moderate exercise such as walking for half an hour a day, and practiced stress management methods such as meditation for a hour a day.

In 1969 Kenneth Cooper wrote the book “Aerobics” and coined that term to describe a form of exercise. Before that the word aerobic was more often used to describe a type of metabolism. Aerobic metabolism utilizes our energy stores in conjunction with oxygen, while anaerobic metabolism uses those energy stores without the oxygen.

Is strength training beneficial for cardiovascular health and is it safe ? You might be surprised by the results of one study.

From the ABC News 20/20 report, Is Cardio-Free the Way To Be? come points of view for and against cardio exercise:

One point of view:

"Cardiovascular exercise kills a weight-loss plan, your internal organs, your immune system, your time and your motivation. If your true goal is to lose weight, interval strength training is the only way to go," says Karas, an ABC News correspondent, celebrity trainer and fitness expert.

Another view: