Written By: Upneet Pansare | Published : November 16, 2018 10:57 AM IST
Do you lift weight regularly? ©Shutterstock
Want to lower your risk of heart attack or stroke? Try weightlifting. A new study published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise states that weightlifting for less than an hour a week may reduce your risk for a heart attack or stroke by 40 to 70 per cent. According to a report about the study published in IANS, less than an hour of weekly resistance exercise like weightlifting compared with no resistance exercise was associated with a 29 per cent lower risk of developing metabolic syndrome including diabetes and with 32 per cent lower risk of high cholesterol. But don't worry, you don't have to spend hours in the gym lifting weights to reap the benefits. The research states that there is no additional benefit derived out of spending more than an hour in the weight room and that just two sets of bench presses that take less than five minutes could be effective, according to Duck-chul Lee, Associate Professor from the Iowa State University in the US.
Another surprising finding in this study is that you don't need aerobic physical activity to lower your risk of these diseases because just strength training is enough. This study exclusively looks at the link between resistance exercise and cardiovascular disease and shows the benefits of strength training independent of running, walking or other aerobic activity. Lee has been quoted as saying that since 'muscle is the power plant to burn calories, building muscle helps move your joints and bones... (and) also helps prevent obesity and provide long-term benefits on various health outcomes.'
But there are many other health benefits of weightlifting. Here are some of them:
