We all know that heart health benefits from aerobic exercise such as walking, running, biking or swimming. But now a blockbuster report says that strength training may be just as important as aerobic exercise for the ticker. According to Reader’s Digest, you only need to exercise your muscles for an hour a week to reap the rewards.

In the study, published in “Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise,” researchers analyzed the health, hearts, and exercise habits of more than 13,000 adults.

They focused on both fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular events such as strokes, heart attacks as well as deaths from all causes.

The researchers discovered that people who strength train regularly had a much lower risk for all three conditions. Lifting weights for less than an hour each week reduced the risk of a heart attack or stroke by 40 percent to 70 percent.

“People may think they need to spend a lot of time lifting weights but just two daily sets of bench presses that takes less than five minutes could be effective,” says Duck-chul Lee, Ph. D, associate professor of kinesiology at Iowa State University.

Lee says his findings suggest you don’t have to hit the recommended guideline of 30 minutes of aerobic activity daily to lower your heart disease risk.

“The results are encouraging,” he says. “But will people make weightlifting a part of their lifestyle? Will they do it and stick with it? That’s the million-dollar question.”

Lee admitted that while cardio exercise is easier to it into one’s lifestyle, it’s essential to try to find some time to participate in resistance training. This can include everyday lifestyle activities such as lifting heavy shopping bags or gardening. Simple pushups are also great and you don’t need any expensive equipment to flex those pecs and save your heart.