Michael wonders if doing StrongLifts 5x5 3x a week is enough for cardiovascular fitness, or if he should do additional cardio like his doctor told him. Quote...
Hello Mehdi,
I know you're very busy and do not reply to emails. Nevertheless, I was hoping to see if you could clarify something that my doctor advised during my physical examination.
When the doctor asked if I did any exercise, I told her that I was doing StrongLifts 5x5 strength training 3 days a week. To my surprise, the doctor told me I should also be doing cardio exercises that require a steady high pulse rate (running). The doctor seemed to suggest that solely doing strength training does not exercise the heart to its fullest since pulse rate goes up and down during weightlifting sessions due to rest periods in between sets.
I've been solely doing strength training for my daily exercise and did not worry about cardio since strength training also improves cardiovascular fitness. However, because of what the doctor suggested, I've been debating on whether or not I should be supplementing my workout with cardio as well.
I would like to solely just focus on strength training and ignore cardio due to time restrictions and to conserve more energy for strength training. What are your thoughts on the doctor's advice that ignoring cardio and solely doing strength training is not sufficient for a healthy heart?
- Michael Shin
My thoughts are that your doctor's advice is unsurprisingly outdated. She really needs to get in touch with the American Heart Association (AHA) who has been dispelling the myth that strength training is bad for your heart for more than a decade. Here's a quote from the website theheart.org...
STRONG MUSCLES MAKE A MORE EFFICIENT HEART
Weight training lowers cholesterol levels, slightly decreases blood pressure (BP), reduces body weight and fat stores, and improves glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity. And, in contrast to what many doctors tell their patients, regular weight training, over a period of months, improves cardiac function by reducing heart rate and BP responses during lifting of heavy loads."Weight training makes the heart more efficient. Because the muscles are stronger, any given load now represents a lower percentage of one's maximum capacity. As a result, you have a lower heart rate, and lower blood pressure, and since those are the two primary factors that determine demands on the heart, you have lower cardiac demands. Stronger muscles translate into less effort to lift any given load,"
Empirical evidence proving that strength training improves cardiovascular fitness I have plenty. Example: StrongLifts Member Will had high blood pressure before joining us. His doctor also told him strength training wouldn't help and that he should do cardio. Well after getting bored to death with cardio, he discovered StrongLifts 5x5, started Squatting and within 5 months his blood pressure plummeted from 138/75 to 118/65... while his Barbell Back Squat skyrocketed from 65lb to 335lb... and while he gained 21lb of weight.
Second example: StrongLifts Member Bob had 136/89 blood pressure after years of boring cardio. 2 years after starting StrongLifts 5x5, his blood pressure was 105/75. Important detail: Bob is 64y while Will is only 23y old.
Another example: StrongLifts Member Norman (44y, Texas) had 150/100 blood pressure when he had an heart attack June 3rd 2008. 3 years of SL5x5 later, his blood pressure was 125/70 at his last checkup. No more medication and his Squat has increased from 45lb to 661lb (!). Norman actually won the first place in the SHW class at his last Powerlifting meet May 14th (APF Master Nationals in Forth Worth, Texas) with an impressive 1630lb total.
These examples prove that strength training will lower your blood pressure and improve the health of your heart better than cardio and regardless of your age... even if you had a heart attack previously like SL Member Norman had.
Personally, I have a resting heart rate of 51bpm even though I never do cardio. I remember the mandatory annual physical examinations when I was IT support for Corporate Belgium. Doc asks what sport I do because my resting heart rate is so low. After I tell him I lift weights since 1999, this idiot starts his "weight training is unhealthy" rant RIGHT AFTER telling me I was in amazing shape.
Look - I hate to generalize, but almost all doctors I've met during the past 30 years were out-of-shape, fat and dumb (I've actually met one who smoked even though he got the memo). Just because these people have stupid initials behind their names doesn't mean they know better than you or make them gods. Quite the opposite, be extra careful with everything coming out of their mouth.
StrongLifts 5x5 will keep your heart healthy, no need for cardio, you don't have time for it anyway. Just keep doing what you're doing, including asking for 2nd opinions everytime some know nothing doctor claims random BS.
Fantastic article! My motivation just skyrocketed. :)
I agree that weight training is sufficient to keep you ‘healthy’ and ‘fit’. However, to be at your optimal fitness cardio is needed. I love strength training as it is highly functional, as opposed to bodybuilding for example. However, real life situations also mean you will have to run, trek, sprint etc. So to say you don’t need cardio period, is to assume every members goals were to solely get stronger which is probably untrue.
As for the ‘stupid initials behind there name’ I think that’s a bit far.. Drs do amazing things all the time.
Great post though, very thought provoking.
hey… I have one of those stupid initials behind my name, too. lollol
but I completely agree with you, Mehdi.
There are too many ignorant docs who have no intention to update their ‘only in textbook’ knowledge.
Of course lifting weight is never bad for your cardiovascular system, BUT you have to remember that it doesn’t mean you don’t have to do any jogging or conditioning training.
If you want to compete in Marathon or Triathlon or only just run longer and faster without too much panting, you should add some running and conditioning (e.g. kettle bell swing) training in your training program.
Maybe you’d lose a little muscle, but you could have stronger heart.
It’s opportunity cost.
I’ve found that when it comes to exercise, doctors know a LITTLE about A LOT. But since they feel it’s their responsibility to answer their patients’ questions, they go aheaed and give authoritative responses based on little evidence.
Example: in the past two years all of my health metrics have improved–blood pressure, cholesterol levels, body fat percentage, cardio conditioning, etc. even though I pretty much only do strength training 3x/week for exercise. This idiot told me I am way too heavy (I’m 200 lbs at 5’9″ with visible abs) and that I desperately need to “lose weight,” and that I shouldn’t lift anything “heavier than 20 or 30 pounds or I’ll end up getting injured.”
Right…
During a squatting workout my average heart rate is higher than when I’m running for 30 minutes.
Seems to me, in addition to the anecdotal evidence cited by Mehdi, that those who are strong are rapidly able to become runners, swimmers, etc, while runners take almost as long to develop significant strength as someone who is not fit.
Consider decathaletes, football players, many other top athletes who train by lifting heavy and are still able to run, while those who focus on running take almost as long to gain more strength as those who start from zero with no physical activity.
Runners cannot become lifters as easily as lifters can become runners.
If these doctors would squat their own BW and more then they wouldn’t be saying stuff like that.
My heart rate monitor also disagrees with the doctor quoted in the article.
At a BW squat (90kg) my average heart rate for a complete SL workout is around 125-130bpm – excluding warmup, the monitor is reset as I walk up to the bar to do my squats. I’d see peaks in the low-mid 170′s. For reference, I’m 43yo.
My workouts consist of performing a single set (5 reps) of an exercise then waiting until my heart rate drops to 100bpm before performing the next set. I suspect I will be able to increase this as I get fitter. IIRC, my resting heart rate is around 64bpm atm.
Funny to see this article this morning since on Saturday I completed a 5k run after not doing any cardio work in two years.
I have fallen victim to the ignorant doctor as well. He went so far as to tell me that only football players, police/firefighters, women, and older men need to be strong. Also, he told me that I don’t need any strength beyond the demands of my job (UPS driver). Both comments got way under my skin. Really?!? You mean I have to wait until I’m already falling apart to start strength training? You mean I have to struggle with heavier packages, rather than hoisting them with ease? Guess what, Doc? You’re fired!
Thanks Mehdi for taking the time to respond to my question. I was expecting an answer very similiar to what you said in your reponse. I just wanted some more assurance after what my doctor told me during my physical. Some people seem to respond negatively to this post by arguing that cardio has its benefits too and should not be ignored. I agree with that sentiment and believe that strength training plus cardio leads to better fitness than solely strength training. I guess what irked me the most after coming out of my physical was that the doctor did not respond postively to the fact that I was strength training because I believe strength training contributes immensely not only to a healthy body but also to a healthy lifestyle. I wonder if she would have recommended weight lifting for me if I told her during my physical I only performed cardio exercises like running. I respect doctors a lot and trust their knowledge. I just wish they also realize and respect the benefits of strength training and wish they would strongly promote strength training to their patients.
Cardiovascular exercise: Heart beats faster, blood pumps faster and sweat starts to come out from the general area of the heart. Intensive running (15 minutes++) have this effect, which is why it’s generally considered as a cardiovascular exercise.
I get the same effect while squatting. You’re going to tell me that I’m not doing any cardio exercise? Muahaha.
(my resting heart rate is 60bpm: threw out my running shoes ages ago.)
I’m 29. Before doing SL5x5 my sitting heart rate was 98bpm according to my Polar HR monitor. Now after 6 months of SL5x5 without cardios (accept for 3 mins on the rowing machine as a warm up/cool down excercise) my sitting HR is 57bpm. I used to believe strength training doesn’t help improve cardiovascular health much. Apparently I was wrong.
Drs don’t do amazing things at all… Those are surgeons.. :)
There are two ways that the heart is affected during exercise, and to get the full benefit then you need aerobic and anaerobic exercise. Weight lifting is anaerobic, and what happens with that is that the heart walls become stronger and increases the blood pressure during exertion. This helps you get stronger. However, with aerobic exercise, the heart compartments become larger and your heart rate goes down–in effect pushing more blood with each beat.
Now, I personally have noticed that it is a whole lot easier to do cardio work when I lift. I’m only on week 6, and as a result of doing SL5x5 my anaerobic threshold has gone up. That’s a good thing because I can get a good pace doing regular cardio (20min after the SL routine).
Before I started the program last year my blood pressure was around 140/90, after about 3 months of lifting regularly, it was down to around 125/80
That reminds me when I went to the doctor about 6 months ago. After she asked me what I was doing as sports ( Strength training, hockey, triathlon) and taking my blood pressure and heart rate (110/60 and 60) she calculate my BMI and said omg you are obese!
I asked her if she knew about body fat percentage but she wouldn’t listen. She even refer me some dietetist as I must not eat healty! I just went away and won’t ever come back to see that doctor.
There is no way on earth that I could get to my “healthy” weight. The upper range i like 178 pounds and even if I get down to 0% BF my weight is like 182 pounds.
Anyway, I stopped caring about those things. I just care about getting stronger and that’s it.
For years, I did intensive cardio — anywhere from 5 miles to 8 miles a day. After about 5 months on Strong Lifts, I’m squatting almost 300 hundred and have gained almost 30 lbs. I still run short distances (2 to 3 times a week), and I feel stronger and more quick than I ever felt running lost distances.
All I can say is that I was once overweight. Being fat nearly killed me.
So I am pretty sure that smart and intensive fitness was my ticket to life.
Pay attention to what your body is trying to tell you. If your body is sending signals that something is not right, listen to it.
Some doctors blindly apply the BMI to everyone. BMI is a simple ratio of weight to height and does not consider body fat % at all. It has a purpose, which is providing an easy early indicator of whether or not you are high risk for heart disease.
When my doctor wrote me a prescription to lose weight (I needed it to claim the expense for taxes) she said I should get to 175lb, which is currently my fat free mass (i.e. what I would weigh if I had no fat).
I’m pretty happy with the number on the scale, and SL 5×5 has helped me increase the fat free mass without increasing the weight on the scale. Kudos for that. I’m working my way towards a flat stomach and preferably towards six pack abs by next year. We’ll see how it goes.
Great article. Just one more feather to add to the cap of the benefits of weight training. I’ve been weight lifting as my primary form of exercise for over 30 years. I’m in my 50s and I’m stronger and in better physical condition than I was in my 20s. Thank you for sharing this information.
This is funny! My doctor told me the exact same thing. He liked the strength training but wanted me to do cardio 5 times a week too. I smiled, said okay, and went on with my stronglifts 5×5 program! LOL
We need more doctors who not only understand the benefits of strength training, but who also lift heavy themselves. It would be nice if Med School required their students to be able to squat/DL at least bodyweight. =D