A HEALTHY HEART WITH STRENGTH EXERCISE:

Cardiac rehabilitation highly recommends strength training as part of recovery after a heart attack or heart surgery. Even without heart disease the benefits of strength training are well documented for the cardiovascular system.

One of the most notable benefits is how the muscles internal metabolic machinery is maintained or enhanced. Strength-based exercise keeps your muscles ready and able to use the nutrients the heart and blood vessels deliver, not to mention, removing the waste that muscles produce. Without these peripheral adaptations, the heart has no real destination to send blood because the muscular system is unable to efficiently extract what it needs. 

Strength based exercise has also been shown to lower blood pressure on its own, and to an even greater extent when coupled with aerobic exercise.