Weight resistance exercise strengthens the muscles, improves endurance and every day functioning and quality of life, and constitute important tool in fitness programs. 

Doctors have long recommended aerobic exercise for a healthy heart; in August 2007 the American Heart Association (AHA) published a paper that pointed out the role of resistance exercises in heart and blood vessel health.  Resistance exercise improves a number of clinically significant indexes: Increase in bone density, reduction of fat density and increase in muscle mass, and of course, increase in muscle strength, regardless of age.

Resistance exercise reduces insulin resistance and basic insulin levels, and raises levels of “good” cholesterol in the blood.  It also raises the metabolic rhythm and improves quality of life.  Resistance exercise is also important also to heart health, reducing a number of risk factors to diseases of the heart and blood vessels, and increase life span.

From studies and from clinical experience, it appears that resistance exercise can really improve the condition of heart patient.  However, the patient’s basic medical condition must be considered as well as his exercise experience, general fitness, and amount of weight to be used in the exercises.

The flow of the blood to the myocardium actually increases with resistance exercise, and risk of ischemia (coronary heart disease).  Data from heart rehabilitation programs which use resistance exercise showed great improvements in patients’ conditions.

Even in patients without ischemia, supervised resistance exercise can positively affect blood pressure and regulation of heart rhythm.

It is critical that the patient undergo a medical examination by a cardiologist or sports medicine physician before starting any exercise program, in order to develop a program that will yield the best results, in the safest manner.

Exercise Structure

For heart patients it is recommended that an appropriate exercise program be structured by an experienced instructor, doctor of sports medicine, or physiologist, and preferably specifically as a program of heart rehabilitation.

At the start of program, the exercises are executed with the easy medium weights.  The instructor guides the movement to prevent improper or unnecessary constriction of the muscles. It is important to take great care that the range of movement is full, and that the weight is not too much to enable 8 to 12 repetitions in a set for each group of muscles, two times a week.

For patients over the age of 50 to 60 with active heart disease, it is possible to lower the weight and increase the number of repetitions to 10 to 15 per set, with similar results.  For people who have not exercised before, one set will give the same advantages as multiple sets, and quickly increases the muscles’ responsiveness.  As the muscles become strengthened, it is possible to add additional sets, and increase the weight.

This tip courtesy of Dr. Gil Dovnov-Raz, Pediatric Sport Medicine, Pediatrics Department, Hadassah Ein Kerem, Staff of Sports and Physical Activity at Hadassah Optimal, Jerusalem.