Many people know that regular exercise is good for health, but there is often confusion about how much exercise is needed and which type provides the greatest benefit.
Walking, running, cycling, and swimming are often recommended because they improve heart and lung health.
However, another form of exercise is becoming increasingly important as people age: strength training.
Strength training, sometimes called resistance training, includes activities that make muscles work against resistance.
This can involve lifting weights, using resistance bands, performing body-weight exercises such as push-ups and squats, or using gym equipment.
In addition to building muscle, strength training helps maintain bone strength, improve balance, and support daily activities.
As people grow older, muscle mass naturally declines. This process can begin as early as middle age and gradually accelerate over time.
Losing muscle can make everyday tasks more difficult and increase the risk of falls, fractures, and loss of independence. For this reason, health experts increasingly encourage adults to include strength training in their weekly routines.
A major study published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine has provided new insight into how much strength training may be best for long-term health.
Researchers analyzed data collected over as many as 30 years from three large studies involving more than 147,000 men and women.
Participants regularly reported how much time they spent doing strength training and aerobic exercise.
Aerobic activities included walking, running, cycling, swimming, stair climbing, tennis, and other activities that raise the heart rate. Strength training included weightlifting and exercises using body weight.
At the beginning of the study, participants were around 54 years old on average.
Researchers tracked their health and exercise habits over many years to determine how different levels of activity influenced the risk of death from all causes as well as specific diseases.
The results revealed a clear pattern. People who performed between 90 and 119 minutes of strength training each week experienced the greatest benefits.
Compared with people who did no strength training, they had a 13 percent lower risk of death from any cause. They also had a 19 percent lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and a 27 percent lower risk of dying from neurological diseases.
Interestingly, doing more than 120 minutes of strength training each week did not appear to provide additional benefits. This suggests that when it comes to strength training, more is not always better. A moderate amount may be enough to achieve most of the health advantages.
The researchers also found evidence that strength training may help reduce the risk of dying from cancer.
The strongest benefit appeared at relatively low amounts of exercise. Participants who performed between one and 29 minutes of strength training each week had a 21 percent lower risk of cancer death, while those who exercised for 30 to 59 minutes had an 18 percent lower risk.
One of the most important findings involved combining strength training with aerobic exercise.
Aerobic exercise alone provided substantial benefits, reducing the risk of death by 26 to 43 percent depending on the amount performed. However, the greatest benefits occurred when people combined both forms of exercise.
The lowest mortality risk was seen among participants who performed high levels of aerobic activity together with about one to two hours of strength training each week. These individuals had up to a 58 percent lower risk of death compared with those who were inactive.
The findings support current exercise recommendations that encourage adults to perform both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities. While walking and other aerobic exercises improve cardiovascular fitness, strength training helps preserve muscle, maintain physical function, and support healthy aging.
The study has several strengths. It followed a very large number of participants for decades, allowing researchers to observe long-term health outcomes. However, it also has limitations.
Because it was an observational study, it cannot prove that strength training directly caused the lower mortality risk. Participants reported their own exercise habits, which may not always be completely accurate. Information about workout intensity was also unavailable.
Even so, the results provide valuable guidance for people seeking a practical exercise goal. Many adults believe they need to spend hours in the gym to gain meaningful benefits.
This study suggests that around 90 to 120 minutes of strength training each week may be enough to support longer life and better health, especially when combined with regular aerobic activity.
Looking at the findings overall, the study offers strong evidence that strength training deserves a central place in healthy aging strategies.
The results are particularly convincing because of the large sample size and lengthy follow-up period.
Future studies may help clarify the ideal training intensity and frequency, but the current evidence suggests that a balanced exercise program combining cardio and strength work is one of the best investments people can make in their long-term health.
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