Flex appeal: Upper body strength could protect women’s hearts

Here’s yet another reason women should do strength training: The British Heart Foundation says people with stronger upper body muscles (chest and back) could face a lower risk of heart attack and early death. Scientists at the University of Edinburgh used AI to analyze heart scans from 1,722 patients experiencing chest pain (most were in their 50s) and found that those with “good-quality skeletal muscle” were less likely to have a heart attack or die in the decade after the scan. “I’m now personally interested in exercises like cycling, planks and pilates,” says Professor Michelle Williams, senior author of the study, adding that she now hits the gym twice a week whenever possible and tries to walk for an hour a day. “We need far more research to better understand how exercise may affect muscle density,” she says, “and how this may relate to heart health.”