The Question
It has been shown that moderate to light aerobic activity, as supervised or detailed by your health care provider, is useful in preventing progression of heart failure. However, whether or not a weight lifting regimen would provide the same benefits has been a source of controversy. Weight training can prevent physical deconditioning, which can lead to exercise intolerance, but it is thought that the strain of weight training puts the heart at risk. Should a heart failure patient use weights to keep fit?

The Findings
A study released in December 2000 showed no significant rise in adverse events associated with the strain of weight lifting in heart failure patients. This suggests that physicians may not need be as concerned with their heart failure patients using mild weight training in addition to their aerobic activities. However, it should be noted that the number of patients used in this study was fairly small (n=34) and may not be representative of all heart failure patients. Also, the exercises performed were structured for specific degrees of exertion that may not be mimicked outside of the clinical setting safely. No heart failure patient should ever begin or alter a course of physical training without the explicit instructions and observation of a health care professional.