Strength training deserves at least equal billing with cardio for heart health, especially in women: it's linked to lower cardiovascular disease risk, and helps blood sugar, joints, and bones.
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A cohort of 117,025 women (Nurses' Health Study, JACC 2026) found that ≥2h/week of resistance training was associated with a 20% lower risk of major cardiovascular disease (44% lower for heart attack specifically), with each additional weekly hour linked to a further 5% risk reduction. Another cohort of 35,754 women (Women's Health Study) found a 17% lower cardiovascular risk and 30% lower type 2 diabetes risk with strength training alone. But the framing that 'strength matters more than cardio' oversimplifies: in both cohorts, the lowest risk was achieved by combining strength training WITH aerobic activity, not strength training beating cardio outright. Resistance training is genuinely underrated and delivers a real, independent benefit — especially for women — but presenting the two as rivals rather than complements slightly overstates the case.
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