Does resistance-training help heart health?

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Do the muscle-building benefits of weightlifting or pushups do anything for your heart? Yes, says Johns Hopkins exercise physiologist Kerry Stewart.
These kinds of resistance training exercises have a more specific effect on body composition, Stewart says. If you’re carrying a lot of body fat, weight training and resistance exercise can help reduce fat and create leaner muscle mass. Research shows that a combination of aerobic exercise and resistance work may help raise levels of good cholesterol and lower the bad kind.

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends at least two nonconsecutive days per week of resistance training as a good rule of thumb.

For more tips, check out “3 Kinds of Exercise That Boost Heart Health”.