A large analysis published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and reported by Medical News Today found that women who do at least two hours of strength or resistance training a week had substantially lower rates of heart attack compared with women who did no resistance training. The finding matters because cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in women worldwide, and identifying practical prevention strategies could change outcomes.

The study, described in Medical News Today, used data from the Nurses’ Health Study and Nurses’ Health Study II, following more than 117,000 women who periodically reported their weekly strength training and aerobic exercise. Investigators compared self-reported activity to later occurrences of major cardiovascular events, including myocardial infarction, and examined how adding resistance work related to risk.

Context

Public health guidelines already recommend regular aerobic activity for cardiovascular health, and growing research has examined the role of resistance training. Strength training is accessible and addresses muscle and bone health as well as metabolic risk factors. Women face unique cardiovascular risks across the life course, and historically they have been underrepresented in cardiovascular research. This analysis sought to clarify whether resistance training provides distinct heart protection for women and whether it adds benefits beyond aerobic exercise.

Evidence

In the pooled cohort, women who performed two or more hours of strength training per week had a 20 percent lower risk of a major cardiovascular event and a 44 percent lower risk of a heart attack versus women who did no resistance training. The authors reported a dose response: each additional hour of resistance training per week was associated with a roughly 5 percent lower risk of major cardiovascular disease and about a 14 percent lower risk of heart attack.

The analysis also examined combinations of activity. Women who met the standard recommendation of about 150 minutes a week of aerobic exercise and added two or more hours of weekly resistance training had as much as a 45 percent lower likelihood of heart attack compared with sedentary women. Participants who met both the aerobic and resistance recommendations and limited sedentary TV time to under two hours a day had the lowest overall risks for cardiovascular events, heart attack, and stroke in this dataset.

Authors and clinicians who spoke about the findings noted plausible biological pathways. Increasing muscle mass through resistance work can improve insulin sensitivity, reduce harmful visceral fat, and support cardiometabolic health, which are all linked to lower cardiovascular risk. For women, preserving lean muscle also offsets age-related declines that can worsen metabolic risk.

What to keep in mind

The study is observational. That means it can identify associations but cannot prove that strength training directly caused the reduced risks. The physical activity data were self-reported every few years, which introduces measurement error. People who do resistance training may also follow other healthy behaviors, such as better diets or lower smoking rates, and researchers can adjust for many but not all potential confounders. Residual confounding is a key limitation.

Other limitations include the cohort composition and setting. The Nurses’ Health Studies are extremely valuable for long-term research, but participants were health professionals who may not reflect the full diversity of the general population. The study does not provide specific guidance on exact resistance training programs, intensity, or whether certain modes of strength work are more beneficial than others.

Finally, while the analysis reported a dose response, the incremental benefit per hour likely depends on exercise intensity and participant health status. These results indicate associations across the group studied, not guaranteed outcomes for any individual.

Why this matters

These findings strengthen the case that resistance training should be considered alongside aerobic exercise in strategies to reduce cardiovascular risk in women. For many people, strength training is a practical, time-efficient way to improve metabolic health and preserve muscle with aging. The large sample and consistent patterns of association make the results noteworthy, and they reinforce public health recommendations that encourage both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities.

The bottom line

The JACC analysis reported by Medical News Today suggests that adding about two hours a week of resistance training is associated with substantially lower heart attack risk for women, and that combining resistance with aerobic activity corresponds to even greater benefit. These are observational findings, so they are best interpreted as supportive evidence that strength training can be a valuable part of a heart-healthy lifestyle.

If you are considering starting or changing an exercise routine, especially if you have existing health conditions, talk with a qualified clinician or certified fitness professional to design a safe program that fits your needs. Strength training can often be adapted for different fitness levels, and even modest, consistent amounts appear to be linked to measurable benefits.