Influence of strength training on cardiac risk prevention in individuals without cardiovascular disease

Abstract

It has widely been shown that exercise, particularly aerobic exercise, has extensive cardioprotective benefits and is an important tool in the prevention of coronary heart disease (CHD). The present investigation aimed to determine the multivariate impact of strength training, designed to prevent the development of CHD, on the Framingham Risk Assessment (FRA) score. Twenty-eight healthy untrained men with low CHD risk (mean age 28 years and 7 months) participated in an eight-week (3-d/wk) strength training programme. Self-administered smoking records, resting blood pressures, total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC), FRA scores and absolute 10-year risks for CHD were determined at the pre-test and post-test. After the eight-week period, no significant (p > 0.05) differences were found in number of cigarettes smoked daily, systolic blood pressure, TC, HDLC, FRA scores and absolute 10-year risks for CHD in both the strength-trained (n = 13) and non-exercising control (n = 15) groups. The data indicate that strength training did not reduce the risk of developing CHD and absolute 10-year risk for CHD as assessed by the FRA score.