A 30-year study has revealed that engaging in 90 to 120 minutes of strength training per week is associated with a 13 percent lower risk of death from any cause, with the effects further amplified when combined with aerobic exercise. The findings, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, also showed that this duration of strength training reduced the risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 19 percent and from neurological diseases by 27 percent.
Study Details and Methodology
Researchers, including those from Harvard University, analyzed data from three groups of study participants, including the Health Professionals Follow-up Study spanning from 1992 to 2022. During the 30-year monitoring period, 35,798 of the 147,374 participants died. The study used repeated measures of resistance training over up to 30 years of follow-up to assess its long-term impact on mortality.
Key Findings on Strength Training
Compared with no resistance training, 90 to 119 minutes per week of resistance training was associated with a 13 percent lower risk of all-cause mortality, a 19 percent lower risk of cardiovascular mortality, and a 27 percent lower risk of neurological disease mortality, after adjusting for aerobic activity. However, no further benefits were observed beyond 120 minutes per week of strength or resistance training.
Combined Benefits with Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic activity alone at any level above 7.5 MET hours per week was associated with a 26 to 43 percent lower risk of death. The lowest risk of death was observed among those with both high aerobic activity and strength training levels every week. Specifically, participants who engaged in 30 to 44 MET hours per week of aerobic exercise plus 60 to 119 minutes per week of strength training had a 45 percent lower risk of death. Those with more than 45 MET hours per week of aerobic activity, irrespective of strength training level, had a 53 to 58 percent lower risk.
Implications for Public Health
The study underscores the importance of incorporating both aerobic and resistance training into weekly exercise routines for optimal health benefits. The authors noted that moderate long-term resistance training was associated with lower all-cause mortality, with the lowest risks plateauing at around more than 120 minutes per week of resistance training. These findings provide strong evidence for the role of muscle strengthening exercises in reducing mortality risk, complementing the well-known benefits of aerobic physical activity.
