The Heart of the Matter: Why Strength Training is the Ultimate Cardio

For years, we’ve been told that to "save your heart," you need to go for a run. While "steady-state" cardio has its place, it is only one piece of the puzzle. For the 50+ adult, strength training offers a unique cardiovascular benefit that a treadmill cannot match: Vascular Elasticity.

The "Peripheral Heart" 

Your heart is a pump, but your muscles are "assist pumps." When you have strong, active leg muscles, they help push blood back up to the heart. This reduces the total workload on your cardiac muscle and can help manage high blood pressure.

Strengthening the Arteries 

When you perform a resistance exercise, your blood pressure rises temporarily and then drops. This "pulsing" action acts like a workout for your arteries, keeping them flexible and elastic. Stiff arteries are a major risk factor for heart disease; strength training keeps them youthful.

The RA50 Efficiency 

We structure our sessions to keep you in the "Zone 2" heart rate range. This means you are getting the heart-strengthening benefits of a brisk walk while simultaneously building the bone and muscle that will keep you out of a nursing home. It is the most efficient way to train your entire system in under an hour.