(Radio Iowa) — Iowans aiming to improve their heart health may want to hit a weight room rather than step on a treadmill after learning about a new study from Iowa State University. D.C. Lee, associate professor of kinesiology at ISU, led the research published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. “We found that even less than one hour per week of resistance exercise lowers CVD (cardiovascular disease) risk (by) 40 to 70 percent,” Lee said.  The researchers also found spending MORE than one hour a week in the weight room did NOT yield any ADDITIONAL benefit in terms of lowering cardiovascular disease risk. According to Lee, the workout also doesn’t need to involve a bench press, heavy barbells and weight plates.

“The muscle doesn’t know whether it’s from digging, carrying heavy shopping bags, or lifting dumbbells and barbells,” Lee said. “The stimulation of muscle, I think, is the key in terms of type of resistance exercise on cardiovascular health outcomes.”  The research found the benefits of strength training are independent of running, walking or other aerobic activity. Lee is hoping THAT information encourages people to keep exercising when they aren’t seeing desired results. “People believe in order to get health benefits from exercise they have to lose weight, but we found that the benefits of resistance exercise on cardiovascular disease doesn’t really need weight loss,” Lee said. “So, if you go to the gym to lose weight – if you do resistance exercise, you can get cardiovascular benefits. You should not stop exercising because you’re not losing weight.”

The data from nearly 13,000 adults was analyzed in the study conducted by Lee and his colleagues. They found just one hour of resistance exercise per week reduced a person’s risk for a heart attack or stroke by 40 to 70 percent.

SEATTLE (AP) — Russell Wilson threw a 2-yard pass to Ed Dickson with 7:31 left for his third touchdown strike, Chris Carson rushed for two scores, and the Seattle Seahawks clinched an NFC wild-card berth with a 38-31 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night. Wilson got the better of Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes and helped lead Seattle back to the postseason after missing the playoffs a year ago. Seattle’s now made the playoffs in seven of the nine seasons with Pete Carroll in charge, and six of seven with Wilson at quarterback.

The Seahawks (9-6) can wrap up the No. 5 seed and a matchup with Dallas by beating Arizona in Week 17. Carson became the first Seattle running back since Marshawn Lynch in 2014 to have 1,000 yards rushing. Travis Kelce passed Tony Gonzalez for most yards receiving in a single season by a tight end in Chiefs history. Patrick Mahomes has 30 touchdown passes on the road, most in NFL history. Tom Brady had 29 in 2007. Kansas City running back Darrel Williams suffered a hamstring injury in the first half and did not return.
UP NEXT
Chiefs: Kansas City hosts Oakland in Week 17.
Seahawks: Seattle hosts Arizona to close out the regular season.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nick Norton scored 14 of his career-high 31 points in the second overtime and Drake beat San Diego 110-103 on Sunday night in the championship game of the Las Vegas Classic.
Brady Ellingson hit a 3-pointer for Drake in the closing seconds of regulation and San Diego’s half-court heave went wide. The Bulldogs hit seven of their last eight shots of regulation. Anthony Murphy made 1 of 2 free throws to tie it at 93 in the first overtime and San Diego got to the other end for a shot but it didn’t hit the rim at the buzzer.

Norton banked in a 3-pointer to give Drake a 103-100 lead and he made six straight free throws in the final minute. Ellingson made four 3-pointers and scored 25 points for Drake (10-2). Norton made five 3s, hit all 10 of his free-throw attempts and also had six rebounds and seven assists.

Olin Carter III led the Toreros (10-4) with 30 points. Isaiah Wright had 25 points and six assists and Isaiah Pineiro added 20 points and eight rebounds.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nick McGlynn had 19 points and a critical block in the closing seconds, Tremell Murphy scored 14 and had a late steal, and Drake held on for a 66-63 win over New Mexico State on Saturday at the Las Vegas Classic. Nick Norton scored nine of his 11 points in the second half for Drake (9-2), which is off to its best start since the 2007-08 season when the Bulldogs started 22-1 and advanced to the NCAA tournament — their last trip to the Big Dance.

The Bulldogs led by as many as 15 in the second half and Norton’s layup gave them a 48-37 lead with 10:15 to go. But Drake missed six of its next seven shots and committed four turnovers as NMSU used a 13-6 run to trim its deficit to 54-50 when Brown hit a 3-pointer with 3:27 left. The Aggies made just two of their final 18 first-half shots and Drake closed on an 8-1 run to make it 35-25 at the break.

The Atlantic/CAM wrestling team heads into the holidays on a high note after sweeping their way through the Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont Dual Tournament on Saturday. The Trojans went 4-0 on the day with wins over Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont, Wilton, Southeast Warren, and the Waukee JV. The full results are listed below.

First Round- Atlantic/CAM 53 Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont 27

138 Chase McLaren (Atlantic-CAM) over Tayton Ricard (Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont) (TF 19-4 3:46)
145 Kadin Stutzman (Atlantic-CAM) over Jacksen Kargol (Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont) (Fall 3:46)
152 Alan Angle (Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont) over Payton Fewson (Atlantic-CAM) (Fall 1:42)
160 Connor Pellett (Atlantic-CAM) over Chayse Irving (Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont) (Fall 0:55)
170 Sage Walker (Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont) over Sam Martin (Atlantic-CAM) (Fall 0:58)
182 Kenny Jimerson (Atlantic-CAM) over Conner Reed (Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont) (Fall 3:26)
195 Mitchell Williamson (Atlantic-CAM) over Mason Roberts (Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont) (Fall 1:07)
220 Cale Roller (Atlantic-CAM) over Nolan Stetter (Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont) (Fall 0:59)
285 Brandt Hughes (Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont) over Unknown (For.)
106 Garrett McLaren (Atlantic-CAM) over Dayton Menuis (Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont) (Fall 3:08)
113 Aybren Moore (Atlantic-CAM) over Caydn Hall (Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont) (Fall 2:39)
120 Joe Weaver (Atlantic-CAM) over Unknown (For.)
126 Trestin Sales (Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont) over Steele McLaren (Atlantic-CAM) (Dec 7-2)
132 Hunter McFadden (Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont) over Unknown (For.)

Second Round-Atlantic/CAM 66 Wilton 14

145 Kadin Stutzman (Atlantic-CAM) over Mea Burkle (Wilton) (Fall 0:34)
152 Payton Fewson (Atlantic-CAM) over Unknown (For.)
160 Connor Pellett (Atlantic-CAM) over Unknown (For.)
170 Sam Martin (Atlantic-CAM) over Chantz Stevens (Wilton) (Fall 4:45)
182 Kenny Jimerson (Atlantic-CAM) over Jacob Creamer (Wilton) (Fall 2:25)
195 Coy Baker (Wilton) over Mitchell Williamson (Atlantic-CAM) (Dec 9-2)
220 Cale Roller (Atlantic-CAM) over Calib Lilly (Wilton) (Fall 5:50)
285 Briggs Hartley (Wilton) over Unknown (For.)
106 Kael Brisker (Wilton) over Garrett McLaren (Atlantic-CAM) (TF 20-4 5:52)
113 Aybren Moore (Atlantic-CAM) over Gage Oien (Wilton) (Fall 2:44)
120 Joe Weaver (Atlantic-CAM) over Dalton Snider (Wilton) (Fall 3:07)
126 Steele McLaren (Atlantic-CAM) over Blake Conklin (Wilton) (Fall 1:51)
132 Jaxson Bell (Atlantic-CAM) over Unknown (For.)
138 Chase McLaren (Atlantic-CAM) over Trey Sulzberger (Wilton) (Fall 1:23)

Third Round-Atlantic/CAM 65 Southeast Warren/Melcher-Dallas 3

152 JT Rowe (Southeast Warren/Melcher-Dallas) over Payton Fewson (Atlantic-CAM) (Dec 9-2)
160 Connor Pellett (Atlantic-CAM) over Tanner Dierking (Southeast Warren/Melcher-Dallas) (TF 16-1 4:32)
170 Kenny Jimerson (Atlantic-CAM) over Seth Chumbley (Southeast Warren/Melcher-Dallas) (Fall 1:20)
182 Sam Martin (Atlantic-CAM) over Unknown (For.)
195 Mitchell Williamson (Atlantic-CAM) over Bryce Vanderlune (Southeast Warren/Melcher-Dallas) (SV-1 9-7)
220 Cale Roller (Atlantic-CAM) over Alex Hommer (Southeast Warren/Melcher-Dallas) (Fall 5:47)
285 Double Forfeit
106 Garrett McLaren (Atlantic-CAM) over Ashton Ohemus (Southeast Warren/Melcher-Dallas) (Fall 0:25)
113 Aybren Moore (Atlantic-CAM) over Unknown (For.)
120 Joe Weaver (Atlantic-CAM) over Randy Jiminez (Southeast Warren/Melcher-Dallas) (Dec 11-8)
126 Steele McLaren (Atlantic-CAM) over Unknown (For.)
132 Jaxson Bell (Atlantic-CAM) over Unknown (For.)
138 Chase McLaren (Atlantic-CAM) over Unknown (For.)
145 Kadin Stutzman (Atlantic-CAM) over Unknown (For.)

Championship: Atlantic/CAM 47  Waukee JV 24

160 Connor Pellett (Atlantic-CAM) over Tanner Spyksma (Waukee) (TF 17-2 6:00)
170 Kenny Jimerson (Atlantic-CAM) over Jace Fogle (Waukee) (Fall 3:36)
182 Griffin Gammell (Waukee) over Sam Martin (Atlantic-CAM) (Fall 3:13)
195 Jacob Martin (Waukee) over Devin McKay (Atlantic-CAM) (Dec 7-3)
220 Cale Roller (Atlantic-CAM) over Cael Thorson (Waukee) (Dec 4-2)
285 Kyler Medhurst (Waukee) over Unknown (For.)
106 Garrett McLaren (Atlantic-CAM) over Elijah Hofbauer (Waukee) (Fall 0:59)
113 Aybren Moore (Atlantic-CAM) over Caden Bell (Waukee) (Fall 1:18)
120 Joe Weaver (Atlantic-CAM) over Aiden Tallant (Waukee) (Fall 4:44)
126 Steele McLaren (Atlantic-CAM) over Ben Park (Waukee) (Fall 1:19)
132Jaden Engstrom (Waukee) over Unknown (For.)
138 Cody Anderson (Waukee) over Chase McLaren (Atlantic-CAM) (Dec 6-5)
145-Kadin Stutzman (Atlantic-CAM) over Andrew Hembry (Waukee) (Fall 3:38)
152 Payton Fewson (Atlantic-CAM) over Chris Yates (Waukee) (Dec 8-1)

Josh Pettepier set a new school record by knocking down 11 three pointers on Friday night to lead Exira-EHK to a 72-46 win over Boyer Valley. Pettepier broke his own record of 10 three point makes in a game during his sophomore season.

The Spartans raced out to a 19-7 lead by the end of the first quarter and grew the lead to 17 points by halftime. Pettepier was a big part of the separation in the second quarter as he hit 6 of his threes in that period. Josh finished the night with 33 points to lead all scorers. The Spartans are off to a great 7-1 start to the season.

Boyer Valley was led by 19 points from Lucas Berens. The Bulldogs are now 4-5 on the season.

Listen to a postgame interview with Josh Pettepier talking about his record-setting night below.

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The Exira-EHK girls basketball team forced the Boyer Valley Bulldogs into 12 first half turnovers and pulled away for a 63-32 win on Friday night in Elk Horn. The Spartans outscored the Bulldogs 19-8 in the second quarter and led by twenty at halftime.

The Spartans were led by 15 points from both sophomore Tatum Grubbs and freshman Macy Emgarten. They improved to 6-4 heading into the holiday break.

Boyer Valley had one player in double figures, Chelsey Fundermann finished with 10 on the night. The Bulldogs are now 2-8 on the season.

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IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Once it became apparent that Savannah State posed no threat, Iowa seemed content to let Jordan Bohannon shoot his way out of a season-long slump. Bohannon responded with his best game of the year — a positive sign with the bulk of the Big Ten season just over a week away. Joe Wieskamp scored a career-high 24 points, Bohannon had 18 on six 3s and the No. 23 Hawkeyes blew past Savannah State 110-64 on Saturday for their fourth straight victory.

Tyler Cook scored 16 points in 17 minutes for the Hawkeyes (10-2). They played without center Luka Garza, who recently sprained his ankle. The injury isn’t expected to be serious, but Iowa coach Fran McCaffery doesn’t know when Garza will return. “He’s hurting, so we’ll see,” McCaffery said. “It’s a matter of how he responds.” Iowa also was without backup point guard Connor McCaffery (concussion protocol), but none of that mattered against the overwhelmed Tigers (3-11).

The Hawkeyes have one more tuneup before Big Ten play resumes in 2019. Iowa, which is 0-2 in the league after losing at home to Wisconsin and on the road against Michigan State, opens at Purdue before hosting No. 25 Nebraska.
UP NEXT: Iowa hosts Bryant on Dec. 29.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) — Wyatt Lohaus sank a late jumper for the lead and A.J. Green made two free throws in the final seconds to keep Northern Iowa on top in a 64-62 win over North Dakota on Saturday.

The teams were tied 60-60 when Lohaus made the outside shot for a 62-60 Northern Iowa lead with 1:16 to play. Green was fouled with seven seconds left and made both free throws, taking it to 64-60.
Shandon Goldman led the Panthers (5-7) with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Trae Berhow added 12 points and six rebounds, Green finished with 10 points, six rebounds and six assists and Lohaus chipped in eight points and five rebounds.

The Panthers jumped to a 14-5 start and led 32-29 at the break but North Dakota kept it tight early in the second half and went ahead 55-50 on a Cortez Seales layup with 5:35 remaining.
Conner Avants scored 19 points and grabbed five rebounds for the Fighting Hawks (6-7). Seales finished with 10 points and five rebounds.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Drake has promoted defensive coordinator Todd Stepsis to head coach.
The Bulldogs announced the promotion Friday of the 41-year-old Stepsis, who spent the past five seasons running Drake’s defense. Stepsis replaces Rick Fox, who resigned on Dec. 10.

Stepsis, who previously spent six seasons as the defensive coordinator at Saginaw Valley State, led a defense that ranked ninth nationally in 2018 in scoring defense at 19.1 points a game and ninth in total defense at 296 yards per outing.