A recent long-term study indicates that engaging in 90 to 120 minutes of strength training each week could be the sweet spot for lowering death risk. This research, cited in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, monitored individuals for up to 30 years.
The findings were even more promising when strength training was paired with aerobic exercises. Interestingly, no extra benefits were noted for those exceeding 120 minutes of strength training weekly. This amount was linked to a 19% decrease in death risk from cardiovascular issues and a 27% decrease from neurological diseases.
Strength Training and Long-Term Health
While we know aerobic activities can extend life, the effects of muscle-strengthening exercises on overall mortality and specific causes of death haven’t been as clear. The researchers aimed to see if strength training alone, or its combination with aerobic exercise, could affect these risks.
To delve deeper, they scrutinized three significant studies conducted over thirty years: the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1992-2022), the Nurses’ Health Study (2002-21), and the Nurses’ Health Study II (2003-21). In total, the studies encompassed 147,374 participants (31,540 men and 115,834 women).
Every couple of years, participants shared how much time they dedicated weekly to both strength training and aerobic activities. Aerobic exercises included brisk walking, running, swimming, cycling, and more. Strength training involved using weights or body weight for exercises like push-ups, squats, and lunges.
Initially, participants averaged about 54 years in age. Those who did more strength training tended to be younger, lighter, and healthier overall, often engaging in more aerobic activities than those who didn’t do any strength training.
What the Researchers Found
Around 74% of participants exceeded the recommended 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise weekly, which equals about 7.5 MET hours over time. METs are a measure of calories burned during activity as compared to rest.
Almost half (46%) of the participants reported doing some sort of strength training.
Throughout the 30-year follow-up, 35,798 participants passed away. The researchers identified that higher weekly strength training levels were linked to reduced mortality risk.
Upon adjusting for various influencing factors, participants who engaged in 90-119 minutes of strength training weekly had a 13% lower risk of dying from any cause. No further reductions were seen beyond the 120-minute mark.
This same 90-119 minute range correlated with a 19% lower risk of death from cardiovascular conditions and a 27% lower risk concerning neurological diseases.
Interestingly, cancer-related benefits were visible even with lesser amounts of strength training. Participants who managed 1-29 minutes weekly had a 21% lower risk of dying from cancer, while those doing 30-59 minutes had an 18% lower risk.
The Power of Combining Cardio and Strength Training
In comparison to individuals who did less than 7.5 MET hours of aerobic activity weekly without any strength training, those engaging in strength training alone for 1-59 or 60-119 minutes weekly enjoyed a 7-11% lower mortality risk.
Aerobic exercise by itself also showed substantial advantages. Any amount above 7.5 MET hours weekly linked to a 26-43% reduction in death risk.
The lowest mortality risk was in those combining high levels of aerobic and strength training. Participants achieving 30-44 MET hours of aerobic activity alongside 60-119 minutes of strength training had a 45% lower death risk.
Even more notable reductions were seen for those hitting 45+ MET hours of aerobic exercise per week. In this group, death risk plummeted by 53% to 58%, regardless of their strength training routine.
Important Limitations
The researchers pointed out that the study was observational, which means it doesn’t conclusively prove that strength training directly caused the reduced mortality risks.
They acknowledged a few limitations as well. Exercise behavior was self-reported, which can lead to inaccuracies. The analysis didn’t account for certain strength training forms, like calisthenics or Pilates. Also, information about the length and intensity of individual workouts was not collected, which might have impacted the findings.
Despite these factors, the researchers concluded:
“Our findings regarding diverse dose-response relationships between prolonged resistance training with all-cause and cause-specific mortality imply that varying amounts of resistance training may be necessary to enhance outcomes.”
“The observed trend that incorporating resistance training further diminished mortality risk across all levels of aerobic activity up to 45 MET hours/week endorses current guidelines promoting both types of activity to maximize mortality benefits.”
