Women Might Lower Their Heart Risk By Lifting Weights, Study Says

Most people think of running or swimming when they want to protect their heart. But a new study says that lifting weights can also help women lower their risk of heart disease. The study was published on June 17, 2026, in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Researchers found that women who lift weights regularly are much less likely to have a heart attack or develop heart disease.

The study looked at data from more than 117,000 women who were part of a long-term health study. Researchers tracked how much the women exercised, including strength training and aerobic activities, for an average of nearly 15 years. They also kept track of how much time the women spent sitting and not moving. This made it one of the largest studies ever done on this topic.

The results were striking. Women who did two or more hours of weight training each week had a 44% lower risk of heart attack and a 20% lower risk of heart disease. The more often a woman lifted weights, the more her heart risk went down. Each extra hour of strength training per week was linked to a 14% lower risk of heart attack.

The benefits were even greater when women combined weight training with aerobic exercise. If a woman did the recommended amounts of both types of exercise, her risk of heart attack was about 45% lower than women who did no physical activity at all. Aerobic exercise includes activities like walking fast, riding a bike, or swimming. Doing both types of exercise together gave women the best protection.

The lead researcher, Dr. Tianyue Zhang, works as a visiting scientist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. She said that strength training is often left out when people talk about preventing heart disease. She added that its effects on heart health, especially in middle-aged and older women, have not been studied enough. Her team hopes this research will change that.

Current U.S. health guidelines already suggest that people do at least two days of strength training each week. They also recommend 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic exercise per week. This study gives people more reason to follow those guidelines. Health experts say adding weight training to your routine does not have to mean going to a gym — it can include push-ups, squats, or resistance bands at home.

Dr. Harlan Krumholz is the editor-in-chief of the journal where the study was published. He said that strength training has been encouraged for a long time, but this study gives strong evidence to back that up. He added that it should be included in a well-rounded health routine to support function and longevity. Even though he was not part of the study, he praised its findings as important for public health.