Weight lifting damages the heart, cardiologist said

Correct me if I'm wrong but this evidence suggests that resistance training spikes blood pressure.

Is there actually any evidence to suggest that it is implicated in causing damage to heart leading to clinical illness?

I found little data about this. Generally RT is considered safe by the AHA (but they advise against holding your breath while lifting and never recommend high intensity RT, as I wrote above).

From the statement: "Studies of cardiac morphology and function have consistently shown that the alterations associated with RT are physiological, although certain cardiac effects exist on a continuum between normal and pathological."

"Intensive RT characteristically increases left ventricular (LV) wall thickness and mass, with little or no change in LV diameter. Although statistically significant, the increase in wall thickness is modest, and values are generally in the upper range of untrained, normal subjects."

"In contrast to the increase in central arterial compliance associated with aerobic training, the effects of RT on this parameter have varied. Central arterial compliance was unaltered by whole-body RT in a prospective study of young healthy men. In contrast, an increase in arterial stiffness with RT has been demonstrated in the aorta and carotid arteries in association with an augmented central pulse pressure. In these studies, peripheral SBP was mildly increased but in the normal range, and DBP and mean BP were normal. Although it has been suggested that increased stiffness of large arteries may be an adaptation to obviate excessive expansion during severe isometric activity, the clinical implications of this finding are currently unclear. In summary, the influence of RT on both peripheral and central arterial compliance remains inconsistent and controversial at this time."

Fuether evidence that while Rippetoe may know a lot about compound lifts, he is pretty much a dumbass about everything else.

Since this thread is still meandering about, it's important to restate that the problem here is NOT that heavy lifting poses a cardiac risk to healthy individuals.

It's that 2 cardiologists who spoke to the OP hold opinions that are not only counter to the accepted tenets of exercise physiologists but are at odds with their own professional standard.

ANY exercise, especially vigorous exercise, imposes various physiologic loads on the body. By definition, during exercise there is always a transient increase is risk of an untoward acute medical event.

For most people, that transient risk is FAR, FAR outweighed by the fitness and health benefits of exercise. For young, healthy individuals, the "risk" from exercise itself is extremely low.

For someone with an underlying medical condition, however, the transient risk during exercise could pose an increased threat. In that case, the exercise might have to be modified or even contraindicated. But you can't compare that to a healthy person and use that comparison as an excuse to scoff at or ignore physiologic facts.

Interesting read. I look at this issue like this: Many of us exercise in order to try and stay fit and healthy for life. Hopefully a long and active life, (but none of us are guaranteed anything, but we can increase our odds). Strength is an important part of that equation. But, like most things, overall moderation may be the key. In studies of the places where people live the longest, natural exercise is part of their lifestyle. Like Sardinian sheep herders for instance - walking all day around steep, rocky terrain and having to pick up and help sheep out of situations. But, must of their time is spent in very moderate exercise - hiking around.

Contrast the way that many of us lift. We arrive at the gym from sitting at a desk all day. Within a few minutes, we are laying on a bench and straining hard, holding our breath as we lift. Many years of this is probably not good. Kind of like jumping in a car on cold mornings and revving the engine at high rpm. As we age, many things can erode in our cardiovascular system - arteries, heart walls, valves etc. This unnatural increased pressure will eventually take it's toll.

We should probably add much more time to the warm up phase of our exercise and increase gradually. We should probably practice good breathing through all exercises (look at some of the yoga logic on this) and not do the breath holding maneuver (I'm bad about this). And also, for a long and healthy life, mostly moderate weight lifting vs. high intensity, heavy lifting as a regular practice.

For those like the OP, that have an identified health issue, it might be best not to regularly lift weights. Or to use a highly modified and more aerobic (lower weights, good breathing) weight routine. All the best to you OP.

Since this thread is still meandering about, it's important to restate that the problem here is NOT that heavy lifting poses a cardiac risk to healthy individuals.

It's that 2 cardiologists who spoke to the OP hold opinions that are not only counter to the accepted tenets of exercise physiologists but are at odds with their own professional standard.

ANY exercise, especially vigorous exercise, imposes various physiologic loads on the body. By definition, during exercise there is always a transient increase is risk of an untoward acute medical event.

For most people, that transient risk is FAR, FAR outweighed by the fitness and health benefits of exercise. For young, healthy individuals, the "risk" from exercise itself is extremely low.

Agreed. The general consensus is that resistance exercise is relatively safe for young and healthy individuals. Just avoid the Valsalva maneuver.

Reading the AHA statement though it seems that there are still some gray areas - mainly because "most studies of RT have enrolled selected, low-risk individuals, and many are too small to provide reliable estimates of event rates on a population-wide basis". Not everyone is young and perfectly healthy, and I'm not talking about serious issues or cronic heart diseases: high blood pressure is a really widespread condition, diabetes too, retinopathies are not uncommon in people of a certain age, and so on.

I can't speak to all the details of the AHA statement since I didn't memorize it, but there is no question that overall health status always needs to be taken into consideration. My biggest problem with the one cardiologist was his saying that heavy lifting was bad for everyone regardless of age or condition.

"Heavy" can also be somewhat relative. Compared to some one who is not only doing nothing but 15-rep sets and not even working to fatigue, just going to 10 reps and fatigue will result in dramatic improvements -- and many adults never have to go any heavier than that. And that level is safe for a large majority of adults over 50.

Interesting read! ( I hold my breathe while lifting, it's a terrible habit!!)

From the CDC, which encourages senior citizens to work out with weights:

http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/growingstronger/index.html?s_cid=tw_ob276

Recommended set and rep range - 2 x 10, and their description of what constitutes a good workout is going to fall below the 80% 1RM.

Ask yourself these questions after each exercise.
Were you able to complete two sets of ten repetitions in good form?
No: Reduce the weight to an amount that you can lift ten times in good form; rest for one or two minutes, then repeat for a second set.
Yes: Please continue to question two.
After completing ten repetitions, do you need to rest because the weight is too heavy to complete more repetitions in good form?
Yes: You are working at the proper intensity and should not increase weight.
No: Please continue to questions three and four to determine how to safely increase the intensity of your workout.
Could you have done a few more repetitions in good form without a break?
Yes: If you can do only a few more repetitions (not the entire next set of ten without a break), then at your next workout you should do the first set of repetitions with your current weight and your second set with the next weight up. For example, if you're currently using one-pound dumbbells, use two- or three-pound dumbbells for your second set.
Could you have done all twenty repetitions at one time, without a break?
Yes: At your next session, use heavier dumbbells for both sets of repetitions.

And several recommendations about breathing out on contraction.

So their advice fits in with the advice found by OP. Which is surprising, I didn't think this government agencies talked to one another.

Since this thread is still meandering about, it's important to restate that the problem here is NOT that heavy lifting poses a cardiac risk to healthy individuals.

It's that 2 cardiologists who spoke to the OP hold opinions that are not only counter to the accepted tenets of exercise physiologists but are at odds with their own professional standard.

ANY exercise, especially vigorous exercise, imposes various physiologic loads on the body. By definition, during exercise there is always a transient increase is risk of an untoward acute medical event.

For most people, that transient risk is FAR, FAR outweighed by the fitness and health benefits of exercise. For young, healthy individuals, the "risk" from exercise itself is extremely low.

Agreed. The general consensus is that resistance exercise is relatively safe for young and healthy individuals. Just avoid the Valsalva maneuver.

Reading the AHA statement though it seems that there are still some gray areas - mainly because "most studies of RT have enrolled selected, low-risk individuals, and many are too small to provide reliable estimates of event rates on a population-wide basis". Not everyone is young and perfectly healthy, and I'm not talking about serious issues or cronic heart diseases: high blood pressure is a really widespread condition, diabetes too, retinopathies are not uncommon in people of a certain age, and so on.

Sorry about your surgery, the hassle of recovery and the all the pain and worry all of that causes.
Thanks for an interesting thread - I think that here is a place were generalizations are likely to be of limited value. So it makes sense to dive into some of the details of cardio pathology.

First off - it's correct to asume that Resistance Training and volume loading of the heart are generally good for the individual without heart disease. Most cardiologist only see sick hearts - so it might be a factor in your doctors' opinion that weight training is dangerous for anyone. I would not take that on with too much belief. For you? I'd suggest you discuss with another doctor what type of exercise you may or may not carry out.

From the point of view of cardio physiology work (valve design and material testing, 20 years ago) - the Valsalva Maneuver will increase some risks while not affect others at all It's used as a detection tool where value issues such as forward leakage or hypertrophy exists - where there is a valve narrowing or valves that close incompletely, the maneuver actually reduces the disfunction.

The Valsalva Maneuver can be quite useful in allowing someone to reach a better PR, or to protect your back during a heavy lift, etc. but it does have some risks. Personally, I've stopped using it after having burst blood vessels in my eyes (most likely related, maybe due to my improper use but also reported in the literature).

For someone like me, beginner/intermediate lifter not going for a 1RM max there really is no need for the maneuver. Inhale/easy and exhale/hard part. If you practice it, it should be a short sec part of a lift to avoid oygen reduction and reduce pressure gradients.

Thank you for all the info in this thread. Being one of the folks where RT is contraindicated (severe pulmonary hypertension and congestive heart failure) I was angry about not being able to lift as I have read so much about the benefits. Finally we have gotten my pulmonary hypertension under control to a point where I can start very moderate RT! I will probably never "lift heavy" as they say, but this is a start, and with supervision (I get in trouble unsupervised) maybe I will get close!