Poliquin - Healthy. Lean. Strong.

Dec 9

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Strength train with heavy lifts to improve cardiovascular health and insulin sensitivity. Resistance training is well known for helping to prevent and treat diabetes. New research shows that a steady-state low resistance protocol will improve insulin sensitivity, but that a higher intensity heavy weight protocol provides best results. Additionally, the high-intensity protocol will produce greater muscle hypertrophy and beneficial metabolic alterations in muscle tissue, while improving heart health.

The study, published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, was performed using rats, and it compared a variety of metabolic and cardiovascular markers in a sedentary control group, a low-intensity group, and a high-intensity training group. The study lasted eight weeks and the rats were submitted to three training sessions a week. The rats performed the “training” by being taught to rapidly climb a ladder that was at an incline of 80 degrees. The low-intensity steady-state training group climbed the ladder over and over with just body weight and no weight added. The high-intensity heavy weight group climbed the ladder over and over with 10 percent of body weight added to the tail, meaning that as the rats gained muscle and body weight over the course of the study, the resistance was progressively increased.

Both trained groups had much greater insulin sensitivity after training, but the high-intensity group’s improvements were substantially more pronounced. Additionally, the pancreas and other tissues became more sensitive to glucose after completing the training program in the high-intensity group only. This greater control of blood glucose by means of better insulin sensitivity indicates that high-intensity strength training programs with heavier lifts are preferable for preventing diabetes and supporting a lean body composition. The ability to contract muscle when lifting depends on the availability of glucose within the muscle, meaning that the more resistant your cells are to insulin, the greater difficulty you’ll have meeting the energy requirements during exercise.

Strength train with heavy weights and you will improve insulin health, and thereby have a greater work capacity and be able to lift heavier weights with greater ease. Plus, by training heavy—women, this is beneficial for you too—you’ll have more lean mass and less body fat. Greater insulin sensitivity will also support a leaner physique.  The research supports this—both trained groups increased the maximal load they were able to carry up the ladder as measured by a maximal load test, and they had improvements in body composition and muscle development.

Cardiovascular benefits from training were also evident in the high-intensity group with an increase in heart rate variability. This indicates a variety of cardiovascular health markers including better cardiac muscle tone and better respiratory function, meaning that strength training does provide cardiovascular benefits, which is significant because strength training is commonly ignored in favor of aerobic training for cardiovascular health. Rather than truly improving heart health, aerobic training negatively influences health by elevating cortisol and increasing oxidative stress.  

Take away from this study the understanding that a periodized strength training program that incorporates heavy lifts is ideal to support well being and the best physique. Use large muscle groups that challenge your entire body. A steady-state low resistance program will produce health benefits and may be most suitable for beginners or people with special concerns. Strength training has no negatives and numerous positives in the form of better heart health, improved insulin sensitivity, and elevated energy.

 

References:

 Deus, A., Oliveira, C., et al. Metabolic and Cardiac Autonomic Effects of High-Intensity Resistance Training Protocol in Wistar Rats. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. November 2011. Published Ahead of Print.

 

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