HARROGATE — A new study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that adults who engage in 90 to 120 minutes of weight training per week have a lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, neurological conditions, and all causes combined. The research showed a 13% lower risk of death from any cause among those who met this weekly strength training threshold.
Specifically, individuals who trained for 90 to 119 minutes each week had a 19% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and a 27% lower risk of death from neurological disease, according to the study. However, exceeding 120 minutes of weekly strength training did not further reduce mortality risk.
The analysis combined data from three long-term studies—the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1992–2022), the Nurses’ Health Study (2002–2021), and the Nurses’ Health Study II (2003–2021)—enrolling a total of 147,374 participants. Over a 30-year follow-up period, 35,798 participants died. Participants reported their physical activity levels, including both strength training and aerobic exercise, every two years.
Strength training was defined as exercises using weights or body weight, such as press-ups, squats, and lunges. Aerobic activities included brisk walking, running, swimming, cycling, tennis, and stair climbing. The study found that combining high levels of aerobic exercise with strength training was associated with up to a 58% lower risk of death from any cause compared to inactivity.
Additional findings indicated that even lower levels of weekly strength training conferred benefits for cancer mortality: 1–29 minutes per week was linked to a 21% lower risk of cancer death, and 30–59 minutes per week to an 18% lower risk. The average age of participants at the start of the studies was 54.
Researchers noted that the study is observational and cannot establish causation. Limitations include reliance on self-reported activity data, the exclusion of certain strength training forms like calisthenics and Pilates, and a lack of information on session intensity or duration.