The present invention provides compositions and methods for the following: preventing and treating heart failure; preventing heart failure in a patient with a pre-heart failure condition; treating and preventing heart failure with ischemic and non-ischemic causes; treating and preventing heart failure in a subject status post myocardial infarction; reversing damage to the heart following myocardial infarction; by administering to a subject an effective amount of an adrenergic beta-agonist either alone or in combination with an effective amount of an adrenergic beta-1 antagonist. FIG. 1 is a bar graph representing relative infarct sizes, as expressed as a percentage of left ventricular circumference.