Heavy Weights Bad for You?

I recently read in an article on strength training that lifting heavy weights has a detrimental impact on arterial compliance, thus increasing the risk of heart disease. Is this true? If so, does anyone have any ideas for good cardio that doesn’t involve running?

[quote]ultimatethor wrote:
I recently read in an article on strength training that lifting heavy weights has a detrimental impact on arterial compliance, thus increasing the risk of heart disease. Is this true? If so, does anyone have any ideas for good cardio that doesn’t involve running?[/quote]

Arterial compliance? Does this mean the article is implying that heavy lifting constricts blood vessles directly leading to heart disease? I am calling bullshit and would love to see the article and the studies they pulled this from. Increased muscle size leads to an increase in blood proliferation and even new blood channels to support the growing muscle. If anything negatively effects “arterial compliance” it is obesity and the massive extra pounds of lard sucking up the individual’s blood supply as they waddle down the grocery store aisle in search of cream filled goodies while wearing a qradruple XL mumu and house slippers.

Heavy lifting is a temporary act that results in adaptation by the body to better perform the exercise later. I would love to know how they would even relate the act to heart disease considering the time it takes to form heart disease and the many other factors that contribute to it including AGE.

It sounds like great news for sedentary people who are looking for some reason to call working out “bad”. Please, post the source and the references.

[quote]ultimatethor wrote:
I recently read in an article on strength training that lifting heavy weights has a detrimental impact on arterial compliance, thus increasing the risk of heart disease. Is this true? If so, does anyone have any ideas for good cardio that doesn’t involve running?[/quote]

The only detrimental “impact” on you arteries that I could imagine is if you drop them on yourself. Yes, that could damage your arteries.

TNT

There may be some truth to this, I have read also where heavy lifting exacts a certain toll on the heart and the vessels leading to it. I think that is why creatine was such a huge discovery for the supplement world years ago, because it`s funtion is to aid in muscle function and workload, which includes the heart. I use the combo of creatine and nitric oxide, which for all intents and purposes does just that, it aids in the ability to increase workload{weighttraining), and it helps to open the blood vessels going to and from the heart, to aid in circulation, which also protects the heart itself.

[quote]Professor X wrote:

If anything negatively effects “arterial compliance” it is obesity and the massive extra pounds of lard sucking up the individual’s blood supply as they waddle down the grocery store aisle in search of cream filled goodies while wearing a qradruple XL mumu and house slippers.[/quote]

Actually, most people like you described don’t waddle down the aisles anymore. They ride around in those little motorized scooter-shopping cart things.

[quote]SLERG wrote:
There may be some truth to this, I have read also where heavy lifting exacts a certain toll on the heart and the vessels leading to it. I think that is why creatine was such a huge discovery for the supplement world years ago, because it`s funtion is to aid in muscle function and workload, which includes the heart. I use the combo of creatine and nitric oxide, which for all intents and purposes does just that, it aids in the ability to increase workload{weighttraining), and it helps to open the blood vessels going to and from the heart, to aid in circulation, which also protects the heart itself.[/quote]

Activity aids in circulation as well.

[quote]jd_dd wrote:
Professor X wrote:

If anything negatively effects “arterial compliance” it is obesity and the massive extra pounds of lard sucking up the individual’s blood supply as they waddle down the grocery store aisle in search of cream filled goodies while wearing a qradruple XL mumu and house slippers.

Actually, most people like you described don’t waddle down the aisles anymore. They ride around in those little motorized scooter-shopping cart things.
[/quote]

LMAO!

[quote]Professor X wrote:

Arterial compliance? Does this mean the article is implying that heavy lifting constricts blood vessles directly leading to heart disease? I am calling bullshit and would love to see the article and the studies they pulled this from. Increased muscle size leads to an increase in blood proliferation and even new blood channels to support the growing muscle. If anything negatively effects “arterial compliance” it is obesity and the massive extra pounds of lard sucking up the individual’s blood supply as they waddle down the grocery store aisle in search of cream filled goodies while wearing a qradruple XL mumu and house slippers.

It sounds like great news for sedentary people who are looking for some reason to call working out “bad”. Please, post the source and the references.[/quote]

Believe me, I was just as incredulous when i read the article. It came from an issue of MILO magazine, number 13.1, June of 2005 in an article called “Cardio training for strength athletes” and cited a 2004 study (I don’t have the name in from of me) that showed that heavy lifting can have a detrimental effect on the arterial walls and can increase the risk of heart disease. It went on to say that cardio had the opposite effect and was necessary for a healthy heart. Now I hate to run and I love lifting heavy, so any ideas on non-running cardio?

Why don’t you ride a bicycle?

Or just take walks on a regular basis like the article suggests.

I have decided to stop lifting and will never touch a weight again. I have heard that lifting can give you cancer, diabetes, heart disease, blindness, impotence, asthma, hang nails and in extreme cases can make your penis fall off… Screw that.

[quote]helga wrote:
I have decided to stop lifting and will never touch a weight again. I have heard that lifting can give you cancer, diabetes, heart disease, blindness, impotence, asthma, hang nails and in extreme cases can make your penis fall off… Screw that.[/quote]

It also causes tumours. I have two big ass tumours, one on each side of my neck, caused by doing shrugs and power cleans. I think the doctor refered to them as the dreaded “Trap Tumours”.

Apparently, the main side effects are finding shirts that fit you properly and weird looks from soy-boys.

[quote]ultimatethor wrote:
Professor X wrote:

Arterial compliance? Does this mean the article is implying that heavy lifting constricts blood vessles directly leading to heart disease? I am calling bullshit and would love to see the article and the studies they pulled this from. Increased muscle size leads to an increase in blood proliferation and even new blood channels to support the growing muscle. If anything negatively effects “arterial compliance” it is obesity and the massive extra pounds of lard sucking up the individual’s blood supply as they waddle down the grocery store aisle in search of cream filled goodies while wearing a qradruple XL mumu and house slippers.

It sounds like great news for sedentary people who are looking for some reason to call working out “bad”. Please, post the source and the references.

Believe me, I was just as incredulous when i read the article. It came from an issue of MILO magazine, number 13.1, June of 2005 in an article called “Cardio training for strength athletes” and cited a 2004 study (I don’t have the name in from of me) that showed that heavy lifting can have a detrimental effect on the arterial walls and can increase the risk of heart disease. It went on to say that cardio had the opposite effect and was necessary for a healthy heart. Now I hate to run and I love lifting heavy, so any ideas on non-running cardio?
[/quote]

Remember back when the guy who wrote the “Runner’s Handbook” died of a heart attack? I think he was young too.

I wouldn’t worry about it.

Of course weights are bad for you.

You could drop one and break a toe.

You could trip over a weight left out by a someone too manly to clean up after himself and hit your head or poke your eye out.

And we all know that deadlifts are a menace to the shins.

Stop lifting heavy weights now.

[quote]ultimatethor wrote:
I recently read in an article on strength training that lifting heavy weights has a detrimental impact on arterial compliance, thus increasing the risk of heart disease. Is this true? If so, does anyone have any ideas for good cardio that doesn’t involve running?[/quote]

Ha ha…every now and then you read stuff like this.

The doctors told Jack Lalane that he better quit lifting weights or something bad would happen to him. That was exactly 74 years ago…he’s still waiting.

I’ve been training for about 35 years with weights and I bet I can out run and out lift the dufus who wrote that article…

Why the heck don’t they beat the drum about soda, chips, cookies. doughnuts and the rest of the fast food garbage sold by McDonalds, Burger King and the rest of them?

(shaking head)

“Arterial compliance”…WHAT A CROCK OF CRAP!

Let me see:

Heavy lifting causes heart problems

Masturbation causes blindness and you’ll go to hell.

Technically, I should be blind, dead, and in hell right now.

[quote]helga wrote:
I have decided to stop lifting and will never touch a weight again. I have heard that lifting can give you cancer, diabetes, heart disease, blindness, impotence, asthma, hang nails and in extreme cases can make your penis fall off… Screw that.[/quote]

Only if you take a dangerous steroid like Creatine.

post a link to the article?

I also read about it… I think they refer to the decreased arterial compliance as a product of increased calcium deposition on the vessel walls (which is known to happen as we age). Theory is when you lift heavy loads blood vessels(especially the ascending aorta) feel an impact of a transient elevated blood pressure. The body compensates by making the vessl walls stronger to protect against rupture. Thing is a calcified, less compliant, aorta is bad for you in the long run since it will increase the afterload that you heart experiences.

-My take on this…well I need to read more about it, but Im keeping the weight room and cardiovascular fitness balanced.

[quote]marcusxavier wrote:
I also read about it… I think they refer to the decreased arterial compliance as a product of increased calcium deposition on the vessel walls (which is known to happen as we age). Theory is when you lift heavy loads blood vessels(especially the ascending aorta) feel an impact of a transient elevated blood pressure. The body compensates by making the vessl walls stronger to protect against rupture. Thing is a calcified, less compliant, aorta is bad for you in the long run since it will increase the afterload that you heart experiences.

-My take on this…well I need to read more about it, but Im keeping the weight room and cardiovascular fitness balanced.

[/quote]

I just talked to one of the older surgeons here who I trust as far as general knowledge and he thinks the idea is mostly bogus due to arterial breakdown due to injury and age. It would be extremely hard to make a direct correlation between “arterial complience” being decreased by weight lifting and leading directly to heart disease. The major factor in heart disease is AGE.