Exercise and Heart Health: Understanding Cardiac Hypertrophy

Question
Hi!

In many medical disorders, a hypertrophied heart (both concentric and eccentric) is considered bad. Why is exercise ok?

Does aerobics result in eccentric hypertrophy and weight lifting in concentric hypertrophy of the heart?

If so, are they contraindicated together?

Thanks, Robert. I hope to start an exercise regimen and can't find answers to my question elsewhere, probably due to my wanting an actual explanation.

Answer
you are mixing metaphors with respect to the heart.....  

yes, hypertrophy is bad, but the bad hypertrophy comes from the heart's adaptive response to major insults, like longstanding hypertension or valvular heart disease, or chronic anemia, etc.

Yes, you will get some hypertrophy from exercise and that is a beneficial adaptation.... you won't hypertrophy your heart to a level of bad functioning through exercise, only improve it... so no excuses on the exercise :)