Cardiovascular endurance exercises are better than weightlifting and other resistance exercise for improving health, study finds

Endurance exercises such as running or biking may be more beneficial to human health than resistance exercises such as weightlifting, says a Swedish study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology.

Researchers from the Karolinska University Hospital and Linköping University examined how endurance and resistance training affected the activity of mitochondria, known as the “powerhouse of the cell,” in the participants’ bodies. Increased mitochondrial activity has been linked to improved metabolic health, including “ideal levels of blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, and waist circumference,” the study notes.

Participants were assigned to one of three groups: endurance exercise, in which they cycled for 45 minutes; resistance exercise, in which they performed four sets of leg presses and four sets of knee extensions; or the control group, in which they were assigned no specific exercise. After exercising, only the endurance group showed increased mitochondrial activity in their bloodwork, and the effects appeared as early as 30 minutes into the workout and lasted as long as three hours afterward.

“This stresses it’s our own responsibility to be active and keep moving,” said co-researcher Ferdinand von Walden. “This is one small piece that adds to the importance of being a physically active individual, so stay active.”

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