{"id":484171,"date":"2026-06-09T16:26:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T16:26:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/484171\/"},"modified":"2026-06-09T16:26:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T16:26:08","slug":"resistance-training-may-boost-longevity-but-how-much-do-you-need","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/484171\/","title":{"rendered":"Resistance training may boost longevity. But how much do you need?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Science shows that regular strength training<\/a>\u2014whether it be weight lifting or other forms of resistance work\u2014can boost mental health, stave off disease and increase bone and muscle mass, all of which adds up to a longer, healthier life<\/a>. But how much strength training you need to achieve those benefits is less clear.<\/p>\n

Both the World Health Organization<\/a> (WHO) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services<\/a> recommend that most adults do at least two sessions of \u201cmuscle strengthening activity\u201d per week, as well as 150 minutes of cardio, to see health benefits such as a lower risk of death.<\/p>\n

More recent research builds on those recommendations: last week a study<\/a> found that people who performed between 90 and 119 minutes of resistance training each week had a 13 percent lower death rate from any cause than people who did none. In other words, people who worked regularly over time to strengthen their muscles tended to live longer, the study found.<\/p>\n

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Two hours of resistance training may sound like a lot. But even doing as little as half an hour or less each week is linked to a lower risk of dying from any cause, says Edward Giovannucci, one of the paper\u2019s co-authors and a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. And performing any more than 120 minutes of resistance training doesn\u2019t seem to accrue additional benefits, Giovannucci and his team found.<\/p>\n

The reasons why resistance training may help us live longer may be as much about the physical effects as they are about the mental effects. Weight lifting is known to increase glucose metabolism and boost bone density, for example, which could help people stay healthy even as they age. In turn, aging healthily means greater independence and quality of life, Giovannucci says.<\/p>\n

\u201cImportantly, 90 to 120 minutes per week should not be interpreted as a strict target or threshold,\u201d says Yiwen Zhang, the paper\u2019s lead author and a postdoctoral research fellow at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. The research didn\u2019t take a detailed look at the kind of resistance training people were doing or at questions such as how intense the training was or how long the participants rested between sets or movements. \u201cFuture research is needed to refine these recommendations,\u201d Zhang says.<\/p>\n

Still, the finding jibes with previous research. Although exact takeaways vary from study to study, in general, the scientific literature indicates that \u201canywhere from 30 to 60 minutes\u201d of muscle strengthening exercise per week can result in a reduction of about 10 to 20 percent in all-cause mortality, says Zachary Pope, an assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma, who was not involved in the new paper.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s just muscle strengthening alone\u2014the benefits grow when you incorporate cardio.<\/p>\n

A 2022 study<\/a> by Pope and his colleagues found that one hour a week of muscle-strengthening exercise could reduce the risk of death from any cause. When people combined strength training and \u201caerobic activity,\u201d or cardio with around one to two times per week of strength training, they saw a 40 percent<\/a> lower risk of death compared with people who didn\u2019t exercise.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I had to recommend a minimum effective dose of aerobic physical activity plus muscle strengthening exercise, I would say no less than one hour per week of aerobic physical activity,\u201d Pope says. \u201cIf you can, combine that with completing muscle strengthening exercises at least two times per week.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other experts agree that it\u2019s best to do both cardio and resistance training for longevity. \u201cThe evidence is clear on this one,\u201d says Jess Gorzelitz, an assistant professor at the University of Iowa, who studies behavioral interventions to promote exercise. \u201cIt\u2019s not saying that you should do strength training instead of aerobic exercise. It\u2019s not saying switching aerobic for lifting; it really is a combination of the two,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

And again, any exercise makes a difference. \u201cEven if it is one workout a month, once a week, a couple minutes while you\u2019re waiting to pick your kids up from daycare\u2014the evidence is very clear that something is better than nothing,\u201d Gorzelitz says.<\/p>\n

To get started with strength training<\/a>, Gorzelitz recommends considering what level of activity can be \u201csustainable\u201d and will fit into your schedule and preferences. And you don\u2019t need fancy equipment or an expensive gym membership.<\/p>\n

\u201cStart small,\u201d Pope recommends. \u201cYou can start in your home.\u201d A set of resistance bands or body-weight exercises such as squats, planks and push-ups are all more than enough to get going.<\/p>\n

\u201cMuscle strengthening activities are for everyone,\u201d Pope says.<\/p>\n

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