Arnold Schwarzenegger avidly believes in maintaining a healthy and fit lifestyle, especially concerning the cardiovascular system. In a recent Arnold’s Pump Club newsletter, Arnold Schwarzenegger shares a workout designed to help heart health backed by scientific research.
Even health fanatic Arnold Schwarzenegger isn’t immune to heart troubles. Throughout his life, Schwarzenegger has had multiple heart surgeries due to the abnormal aortic valve he was born with. His most recent procedure resulted in him receiving a pacemaker after noticing he had an irregular heartbeat due to scar tissue from his past operations.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Reveals How You Should Design Workouts to Optimize Heart Health
Thankfully, Arnold Schwarzenegger has recovered fully and seems healthier than ever. Now, he is determined to share with his followers how they can keep their hearts functioning optimally for longer. Through his Arnold’s Pump Club newsletter, he is often sharing nutrition and exercise advice that focuses on strengthening the cardiovascular system.
His latest endeavor saw him take on a workout that is specifically designed to help ‘fight back’ against cardiovascular disease.
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“How To Design A Workout For Better Heart Health”
“Did you know that about one out of every three deaths is caused by cardiovascular disease? To fight back, your best defense is exercise. But how you spend your time exercising determines how much protection you get.”
“Researchers found that equally splitting your time between cardio and weights provides the maximum cardiovascular health protection.”
Using a scientific approach, Arnold Schwarzenegger dives into what type of exercise was previously believed to be the best for heart health and how that has changed with further research.
“Historically, aerobic exercise was the primary recommendation because it strengthens your cardiovascular system. However, the scientists decided to compare a cardio program to a weight program directly, as well as an even mix of cardio and resistance training.”
While all exercise will do the heart good, Schwarzenegger explains why dividing your workout evenly between cardio and weightlifting has positive effects on factors such as hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and metabolic syndrome.
“The 50-50 split of cardio and weights provided the same cardiovascular benefits as the cardio-only group. The weights-only group didn’t improve as much, but they lost as much fat as the cardio group and — not surprisingly — gained more lean muscle.”
“The scientists found that every 1 percent reduction in body fat is associated with a 3 percent reduction in hypertension, a 4 percent reduction in hypercholesterolemia, and an 8 percent reduction in metabolic syndrome.”
Arnold Schwarzenegger goes into further detail about how fat loss plays a significant role in heart health. However, he makes sure to emphasize that diet is by far the most important aspect of losing fat.
“From a purely fat loss standpoint, research suggests that weight training is more effective. Even in the current study, while resistance training and aerobic exercise had similar fat loss, the resistance training group ate 100 to 200 more calories per day yet still lost the same amount of weight. Once again, this suggests resistance training is the most efficient way to support fat loss (but diet is, by far, the most important change needed).”
Additionally, the research Schwarzenegger provided doesn’t just look at diet and fat loss, it also approximates how much exercise is needed to have optimal effects. While it is suggested to do about 150 minutes of exercise per week, research is still deciding on how that can be split between cardio and strength training.
“The research wasn’t just focused on how different exercises affect cardiovascular health but also on giving a clearer idea of how much exercise is needed. The World Health Organization recommends 150 minutes of exercise per week. But that doesn’t give much clarity about how to break it up.”
“The current study found that training for one hour three times per week — spending 30 minutes on cardio and 30 minutes on weights — led to health improvements. The researchers are now working on another study to determine if a different mix of exercise (such as 15 minutes vs. 60 minutes of resistance training) leads to better outcomes. We’ll keep you updated.”
When it comes to heart health, there is no shortage of information on ways to better the cardiovascular system. Previously, Schwarzenegger provided fans with six daily habits that could reduce heart disease by 80%, which included eating whole, plant-based foods, sleeping at least six hours per day, and moving 150 minutes per week.
Schwarzenegger debunked a research study that suggested intermittent fasting could increase the risk of cardiovascular disease by 91%. Ultimately, he proved that there was no cause-and-effect between the two and believes that intermittent fasting is a great tool for losing weight.
With years of experience, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s insights on all things health are paramount in the fitness community. Considering his personal struggles with his heart, Schwarzenegger remains focused on helping others prevent cardiovascular disease while promoting heart health.
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