Mike O'Hearn is pushing back on claims that heavy lifting secretly putting your heart at risk.

In a conversation with Generation Iron's Vlad Yudin, bodybuilder, fitness instructor, and part-time meme legend, Mike O'Hearn was seen defending heavy lifting against serious accusations.

When Yudin asked him if heavy lifting had any negative impact on heart health in the long run because it can grow just like a muscle, O'Hearn replied with a confident "No."

Mike O'Hearn defends weightlifting with full force

He explained that after an interview with a renowned cardiologist and heart surgeon from Tennessee, he learned that weightlifting actually helps improve cardiovascular health.

As a person ages, so does their heart, and with time, blood circulation also slows down. According to certain studies, weightlifting has been observed to improve circulation compared to cardiovascular exercises like jogging or running a marathon.

He further challenged the notion by reiterating that anybody can be prone to cardiovascular problems, irrespective of their lifestyles.

"Some of the guys that I know, from the old days, Steve Davis and these other guys, from Gold's, you know, 75-80 years old, they are moving better than everybody else in that age. They are healthy at that age. Is there an abuse to it? Yeah, I think so, but you also look at the other side, and you see marathon runners drop dead from heart attacks at 35 and 40 years old."

O'Hearn's own philosophy on fitness includes minimal but effective workouts paired with a consistent, healthy diet and intermittent cardio.

The only thing missing from the whole interview was O'Hearn's iconic stare with a slowed version of "What is Love?" playing in the background.

How weight lifting influences cardiovascular health

Although it might not be a popular option, heavy lifting has been known to improve the heart health of people. It lowers the risk of developing heart problems by 17%.

According to sports cardiologist and director of the Cardiovascular Performance Program at Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr J. Sawalla, Guseh, strength training is known to lower blood pressure gradually.

One session might increase heart rate significantly, but over time, controlled stress from lifting weights makes the blood vessels more efficient and the heart stronger.

Combining aerobics with weight lifting can improve HDL 'good' cholesterol and lower LDL 'bad' cholesterol.

Written by

Ruwa Javed

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu