A study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that 90-120 minutes of weekly strength training is associated with a reduced risk of death from all causes, cardiovascular disease, and neurological disease.
Study Overview
The research analyzed data from 147,374 participants across three large US cohorts over up to 30 years. Participants included 31,540 men and 115,834 women, with an average age of 54 at study entry.
Self-reported data on strength training and aerobic exercise was collected every two years. A total of 35,798 deaths occurred during the follow-up period.
The research is observational and cannot establish causation.
Key Findings on Strength Training
All-cause mortality: 90-119 minutes per week was associated with a 13% lower risk of death from any cause.
Cardiovascular disease mortality: The same amount was linked to a 19% lower risk.
Neurological disease mortality: A 27% lower risk was associated with this level of training. Neurological deaths were primarily due to dementia.
Cancer mortality: A lower risk of cancer death was observed only at lower levels of strength training:
- 1-29 minutes per week: 9-21% lower
- 30-59 minutes per week: 12-18% lower
No additional benefit was observed beyond 120 minutes (two hours) per week of strength training.
Combined Exercise Benefits
The lowest all-cause mortality risk was observed in participants who combined strength training with aerobic exercise.
- Aerobic activity (above 7.5 MET hours/week, meeting or exceeding guidelines of 150 minutes of moderate exercise) was associated with a 26-43% lower all-cause mortality risk.
- The strongest association with reduced mortality (45-58% lower risk) was seen in those with high aerobic activity combined with any level of strength training.
- Among participants with high aerobic activity, adding more resistance training did not further reduce mortality.
Background and Context
Participants who reported doing strength training tended to be younger, weigh less, have a healthier lifestyle, and engage in more aerobic exercise.
- 74% of participants met or exceeded the recommended 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise.
- 46% reported doing some strength training.
Strength training in the study included exercises using weights or body weight, such as press-ups, squats, and lunges. Aerobic activities included brisk walking, running, jogging, swimming, cycling, tennis, squash, outdoor work, and stair climbing.
Limitations of the Study
- The study is observational and cannot establish causation.
- Data on exercise was self-reported by participants.
- Some activities, such as calisthenics and Pilates, were excluded from the analysis.
- No information was available on session duration, intensity, or specific types of strength training exercises.
- The study authors adjusted for factors including diet, smoking, and aerobic activity, but residual confounding may exist.