Disclaimer: This article alone should not be taken as medical advice. Speak to a doctor about the best plan for your personal needs.
Strength training may do more than build muscle and help you feel stronger—it could also play a meaningful role in how long you live. New research suggests that you don’t need to spend hours lifting weights every day to see potential longevity benefits. In fact, researchers found that a relatively modest amount of weekly resistance training was associated with a significantly lower risk of dying from any cause.
The study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, followed nearly 150,000 adults for up to 30 years and found that people who did 90 to 119 minutes of strength training per week had a 13% lower risk of all-cause mortality compared with those who did no resistance training. All it takes is sticking to a weekly sweet spot of about 90 to 120 minutes.
Women Are Swapping Their Boring Water For This Ice Pop Electrolyte Mix!
You Don't Need To Live At The Gym
Jennifer Timmons, MD, a longevity physician and founder and medical director of Timmons Wellness, says the findings reinforce the importance of making strength training a regular habit.
"This study reinforces what we are increasingly understanding in longevity medicine, and that is the importance of strength training," Timmons says.
She recommends working the major muscle groups with compound movements two to three times per week.
"This doesn't have to be hours and hours in the gym. About 45 minutes per session, 2 to 3 times a week is sufficient," she says.
We can definitely get behind that healthy habit!
Why Strength Training Matters As You Age
According to Timmons, the benefits extend well beyond the findings of this particular study. Maintaining muscle can support mobility and balance, help prevent falls and keep bones strong as we age.
"It also helps maintain and speed up your metabolism," she says, explaining that losing muscle can contribute to burning fewer calories. "Muscles also act as a glucose sink, helping stabilize your blood sugar."
Timmons also points to research connecting larger leg muscles with a lower risk of dementia.
"Maintaining muscle as we age is one of the biggest things we can do to support healthy aging and longevity," she says.
The study was observational, so it cannot prove that strength training directly causes people to live longer. Still, its findings suggest that you don't need an extreme workout routine to potentially see meaningful benefits—just making resistance training a consistent part of your week may be worthwhile.
