Pumping Iron Pumps the Heart

Recent research reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine show that older adults can not only improve muscular strength by weight training, they can also improve cardiovascular fitness.
The study put 62 men and women aged 60 to 83 into three groups a control group (which did not exercise), a low-intensity (lighter weights used) resistance training group and a high-intensity (heavier weights used) resistance training group. Each exercise group trained for 24 weeks, three times a week, performing one set of 12 repetitions for 12 different exercises.

At the end of the study, participants in both exercise groups showed improved overall strength. Both groups also showed better cardiovascular capacity the low-intensity group increased aerobic capacity by 23.5 percent and the high-intensity group increased by 20.1 percent. This indicates that a consistent weight-training program can benefit both strength and cardiovascular fitness in older adults.

Source: IDEA Personal Trainer, September 2002:10.