“A long-running study suggests that 90 to 120 minutes of strength (resistance) training each week may be the ideal range for reducing the risk of death. The research, published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, followed participants for up to 30 years.
The benefits were even greater when strength training was combined with aerobic exercise. However, researchers found no additional advantage from doing more than 120 minutes of strength training per week. That level of exercise was linked to a 19% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease and a 27% lower risk of death from neurological disease.
Strength Training and Long-Term Health
While the life-extending benefits of aerobic exercise are well established, the impact of muscle-strengthening activities on overall mortality and specific causes of death has been less clear. Researchers wanted to determine whether strength training alone, or combined with aerobic exercise, could influence those risks.
To investigate, they analyzed data collected over three decades from three major studies: the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1992-2022), the Nurses’ Health Study (2002-21), and the Nurses’ Health Study II (2003-21). Together, the studies included 147,374 participants (31,540 men and 115,834 women).
Every two years, participants reported how much time they spent each week doing strength training and aerobic exercise. Aerobic activities included brisk walking, running, jogging, swimming, cycling, tennis, squash, strenuous outdoor work, and stair climbing. Strength training included exercises using weights or body weight, such as press ups, squats, and lunges.
At the start of the study, participants were an average of 54 years old. Those who reported higher levels of strength training were generally younger, weighed less, followed healthier lifestyles, and engaged in more aerobic activity than those who did no strength training.
What the Researchers Found
About three quarters (74%) of participants exceeded the recommended 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise per week, equivalent to 7.5 MET hours over the long term. METs measure how many calories are burned during physical activity compared with resting.
Nearly half (46%) of participants reported doing some form of strength training.
Over the 30-year follow-up period, 35,798 participants died. Researchers found that higher long-term levels of weekly strength training were associated with a lower risk of death.”