Research continues to show how the health benefits of weight training go far beyond cultivate the ideal body for the beach. The latest study to shed light on this topic explores the links between muscle-strengthening activities and risk of death, finding that as little as 30-60 minutes of this activity per week could have a significant impact on our longevity.
The research was conducted by scientists in Japan and involved a systematic review of 16 studies on the exercise habits of adults without serious health problems. This covered the muscle-strengthening activities of hundreds of thousands of men and women between the ages of 18 and 97, and allowed the researchers to gain new insights into the mortality risk associated with different lifestyles.
While research has found that regular muscle strengthening carries a lower risk of death overall, the authors of the new study really wanted to dig into what the ideal amount might be. Their systematic review found that a maximal effect was linked to 30-60 minutes of muscle-strengthening exercise per week, which reduced the risk of death from any cause by 10-20%.
Examples of muscle strengthening include lifting weights, exercises with resistance bands, push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and even heavy yard work with a shovel. The team also found that engaging in this type of activity for up to 60 minutes a week was associated with a strong reduction in diabetes risk. Interestingly, the research also found no conclusive evidence that doing more than an hour of muscle strengthening had any added benefits.
Combining muscle-strengthening activities with aerobic exercise was found to have even more profound effects. This combination was associated with a 40% decrease in risk from any cause, a 46% decrease in risk of death from cardiovascular disease, and a 28% decrease in risk of death from cancer.
There are some study limitations worth noting, with the literature reviewed based on subjective assessments of muscle-strengthening activities, rather than close observation in a clinical setting, and the majority being conducted in the US. The authors hope to conduct more research in more diverse populations to really solidify the findings.
The research was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
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