Workouts Sculpt Heart As Well As Muscles

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Workouts Sculpt Heart As Well As Muscles

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-heart-as-well-as-muscles.aspx?source=nl_

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Exercise can cause structural changes in the heart -- and the changes can

vary depending on the type of exercise.

Researchers found that endurance athletes showed an increase in the size of

both their left and right ventricles after 90 days of team training. However,

athletes who only did strength training had excessive growth in their left

ventricles, but no change at all in their right ventricle size.

In addition, the ability of the left ventricle to fully relax between beats

(diastolic function) was enhanced in the endurance athletes, but it worsened

in the strength trainers.

It is possible that this could point the way towards tailored

recommendations for rehabilitation and recreational exercise for people with

heart problems.

 

 

Sources:

* _Reuters May 7, 2008_

(http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSCOL76604420080507?feedType=RSS & fe\

edName=healthNews)

* _Journal of Applied Physiology April 2008; 104(4):1121-8 (Free Full

Text Article)_

(http://hinari-gw.who.int/whalecomjap.physiology.org/whalecom0/cgi/content/full/\

104/4/1121?maxtoshow= & HITS=10 & hits=10 & RESULTFORMAT= & fulltext=T

raining-specific+changes+in+cardiac+structure+ & searchid=1 & FIRSTINDEX=0 & volume=

104 & issue=4 & resourcetype=HWCIT)

 

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

 

This is an interesting study in that it shows how various types of exercise

affect the structure of your heart in different ways.

It also shows that you’re not necessarily “born†to be a good athlete

because you were born with a bigger or stronger heart, but that it’s the type

of

training you choose that has the most influence on your performance by

building an “athletic heart.â€

Athletes are Built Not Born

 

In this study, the endurance group consisted of long-distance rowers, whose

exercise regimen consisted of daily running, cycling, swimming, rowing or

using an aerobic machine with sustained effort for at least 20 minutes a day.

The strength training group was American-style football players doing weight

lifting, plyometric exercises (explosive movements to develop muscular

power) and sprint running drills.

After three months of organized team training, they found there were

significant training-specific changes in the athletes’ heart structure and

function.

 

While left ventricle mass increased in both groups, the endurance athletes

had better diastolic function in their left ventricle, and enlargement and

more efficient contraction and relaxation in both sides of the lower chambers

of

the heart (atria).

The strength-trained athletes, on the other hand, actually had hypertrophy,

or excessive growth, in the muscle of the left ventricle, and reduced

diastolic function, with no other structural changes.

Is Your Exercise Prescription Up to Date?

For a change, I agree with the idea to use this type of research to

influence and fine-tune your “_exercise prescription_

(http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2005/02/26/exercise-prescrip\

tion.aspx) .†Exercise is a

critical component of good health, especially as you age, and a good way of

looking at it is to view it as a drug that needs to be precisely prescribed for

maximum benefit.

Most Americans suffer from an “exercise deficiency,†which contributes to

two-thirds of the U.S. population being overweight, and tens of millions of

others with high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes; all of whom

desperately need more exercise to control their underlying condition.

Exercise is simply one of the most powerful tools available to drop your

insulin levels, and elevated insulin levels are one of the primary drivers for

these types of illnesses and weight gain. It is my belief that properly

performed exercise is far more powerful for controlling these symptoms than any

drug yet developed.

What Type of Exercise Regimen Do YOU Need?

A TRULY effective, well-rounded exercise program must involve all three

types of exercise, taking into account exercise intensity and duration for your

individual fitness level and goals:

1. _aerobic, endurance workouts_

(http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2002/06/05/aerobic-exercise.\

aspx) (lowers blood pressure)

2. _strength training_

(http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2002/03/16/fibromyalgia-part\

-three.aspx) (helps ease muscle and joint

pain)

3. interval-type training that includes short bursts of activity at

very high intensity that is individualized for your specific fitness level

(burns fat)

Interval training -- where you break your exercise session into segments

with a rest period in-between -- has been proven _especially effective at

burning greater amounts of fat_

(http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/07/20/want-to-burn-more\

-fat-during-exercise-take-a-break.aspx?PageIndex=2

) than one single hour-long session. Newer studies on the specific benefits

of interval training also suggest that it may actually provide MORE

protection against heart attacks than long durational aerobic type exercises.

So, I

wouldn’t trade in interval training for endurance-style training only.

Even though it wasn’t mentioned or included in the study above,

_high-intensity interval exercises have been shown to DOUBLE the endurance_

(http://v.mercola.com/blogs/public_blog/If-You-Aren-t-Using-This-Type-of-Exercis\

e-You-Are-Mis

sing-Out-Big-Time-13930.aspx) in 75 percent of test subjects, compared to

those who did traditional endurance training only! (So just imagine the

benefits of interval training compared to doing nothing but pumping iron.)

My personal experience would support that as I have been a long distance

runner for the last 40 years, and my heart is so large I have left ventricular

hypertrophy on EKG and chest X ray evaluation. This is not pathological in my

case but a healthy response to exercise.

I now incorporate interval training in the form of sprints, and strength

training through pull-ups, push-ups and dips, rounded out with a game of

singles

tennis whenever I can. Tennis has become one of my passions. I’m now taking

lessons twice a week, working my way up to a 3.5 player, and hope to be a 4.0

someday. It’s just great fun; something I look forward to each week.

Avoid This Common Pitfall When Starting a New Exercise Routine

Now, if you are overweight or out of shape, you can start with walking. Most

heavy people start with walking and it’s an excellent choice, as it is

low-risk and inexpensive.

The major problem with walking, however, is that many people become fit

relatively rapidly but don't increase the intensity of the workouts as they

become more fit.

Remember that once you become comfortable with your routine, you need to

increase the intensity in order to continue reaping the benefits.

Push the intensity of your workouts so you are going just hard enough to

where it’s difficult to carry on a conversation with someone next to you. If

you

can easily talk to someone you simply are not going hard enough to give your

body the benefits it needs. An additional benefit of this technique is that

you don’t need to monitor your heart rate to make sure you’re exercising at

peak intensity.

Remember to Listen to Your Body

One of the key principles I teach and believe in is to listen to your body.

If your body will not allow you to exercise, either due to pain or worsening

of your underlying condition, then you have no practical option but to honor

your body’s signals and exercise less or not at all.

Even though your body desperately needs the exercise to improve, you will

only get worse if you violate your current limitations. So you may have to

start with as little as just minutes a day. That’s okay.

Apply the _Take Control of Your Health Program_

(http://products.mercola.com/take-control/) and as your body gradually improves

so will your tolerance

to exercise, so continue to push yourself until you reach the daily 90-minute

level.

Need Inspiration? Remember All the Benefits!

Even if you have no aspirations of becoming a professional athlete, the

benefits of even small amounts of exercise are far too valuable to ignore.

Aside

from developing a stronger “athletic heart,†exercise will also help you:

* Sleep better

* Lose weight, gain weight, or maintain weight, depending on your

needs

* Improve your resistance to fight infections

* Lower your risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes

* Help your brain work better, making you smarter

Do You Need Help Getting Motivated?

If you are having trouble motivating yourself to exercise, the Emotional

Freedom Technique (EFT) can help. EFT is a form of psychological acupuncture

treatment I recommend in order to optimize your emotional health.

It can help you remove the mental or emotional blocks that prevent you from

successfully implementing your program. You can learn the technique with _my

free manual_ (http://www.mercola.com/forms/eftcourse.htm) and discover more

about the connection between your emotional well-being and your overall

health.

You can also combine EFT with Medical Hypnosis to create an unconscious

desire to exercise every day. This is session six on _the hypnosis program I

recommend for long term weight loss_

(http://products.mercola.com/enjoying-weight-loss/) .

 

Related Articles:

 

_Exercise to Improve Your Body and Your Brain_

(http://www.mercola.com/nutritionplan/exercise.htm)

_http://www.mercola.com/nutritionplan/exercise.htm_

(http://www.mercola.com/nutritionplan/exercise.htm)

 

_Exercise Benefits For You_

(http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2004/11/20/exercise-part-six\

teen.aspx)

_http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2004/11/20/exercise-part-six\

teen.aspx_

(http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2004/11/20/exercise-part-six\

teen.aspx)

 

_If You Aren't Using This Type of Exercise You Are Missing Out Big Time_

(http://v.mercola.com/blogs/public_blog/If-You-Aren-t-Using-This-Type-of-Exercis\

e-

You-Are-Missing-Out-Big-Time-13930.aspx)

_http://v.mercola.com/blogs/public_blog/If-You-Aren-t-Using-This-Type-of-Exerc

ise-You-Are-Missing-Out-Big-Time-13930.aspx_

(http://v.mercola.com/blogs/public_blog/If-You-Aren-t-Using-This-Type-of-Exercis\

e-You-Are-Missing-Out-Big-Time-

13930.aspx)