Best Strength Training For Longevity: How Many Minutes A Week Should You Lift?

Strength training has so many benefits, it’s hard to keep count. It’s been linked to up to four years of extra life, can help to protect us from falls as we age, may reduce dementia risk, and could maintain your bone health… the list goes on.

A new paper published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine has added clarifying details for those hoping to see the most benefits from the activity.

After 30 years of follow-up from 147,374 participants, they found the optimum amount of lifting and resistance training per week for longevity.

This research found that the lowest risk of all-cause mortality was linked to one to two hours (60-119 minutes) of resistance training, especially if it was done alongside aerobic training.

The benefits of strength training seemed to “plateau” at two hours a week in this study, meanwhile.

Speaking to HuffPost UK previously, Dr Suzanne Wylie, GP and medical adviser for IQdoctor, said: “I would generally advise at least two sessions of strength training per week, focusing on all the major muscle groups”.

• 60-120 minutes of strength training a week was linked to 13% lower all-cause mortality risk,
• The risk of death from cardiovascular disease, like heart attack or stroke, was 19% lower,
• The risk of death from dementia was 27% lower,
• The risk of all-cause mortality was 58% lower when 90-120 minutes of strength training was combined with a high level of aerobic activity (30-45 hours a week).

You don’t always need weights to do strength training.

Dr Wylie formerly told us that strength training “might include bodyweight exercises like squats, push-ups, or step-ups, or using resistance bands or weights at home or in the gym”.

The point is that your muscles work against a form of resistance, be that a dumbbell or your own weight.

She added, “The emphasis should be on steady, safe progression rather than attempting heavy lifts immediately”.