What should our exercise include if we want to strengthen our heart?
Ironman triathlons and heart surgeries have a lot going for them public affairs. At least that’s according to Dr. Jeffrey H. Newman, cardiothoracic surgeon and former triathlete, who has designed his workouts to she is working out and strengthen his heart.
Dr. Newman emphasizes that the operations span a duration of two to five hours, necessitating unwavering focus and maximum efficiency. Similarly, he highlights the importance of maintaining equivalent levels of concentration and effectiveness in triathlon.
How to exercise for a strong heart:
Some of the most helpful tips he gives include:
Consistency is the key
The Ironman triathlon consists of a swim of approximately 3.5 km, a bike of 40 km and a run of 42 km. For these marathons, Dr. Newman trained twice a day on weekdays while on the weekends he ran long distances, cycled or swam.
While you don’t need to exercise twenty hours a week to boost your heart health, Dr. Newman points out that you need to be consistent. Five to seven hours of physical activity a week with a combination of aerobic exercise and muscle strengthening will benefit your body and of course your heart.
For this, depending on your program, shape your workouts so that you exercise every day and for a while and eventually manage to stay consistent over time.
Keep your workouts easy, most days
Most triathlon workouts predominantly occur within heart rate zone two, indicating that they should be of moderate intensity and manageable over extended durations.
Working in zone two builds endurance and aerobic capacity, gradually making your heart more efficient at carrying oxygen to your muscles, which allows you to achieve more in your workouts with less effort.
Don’t forget the rest days
While the heart is one of the most important organs in the body, it is primarily composed of muscle tissue. So like the rest of the body’s muscles, your heart needs time to rest, says Dr. Newman.
A rest day could include an active recovery day where you do gentle, low-intensity activities.