Death Risk Stopped Falling Past a Modest Weekly Dose of Strength Training

CATEGORY: EXERCISE & MOVEMENT

When it comes to lifting weights for a longer life, more is not always better. A large study that followed nearly 150,000 adults for up to 30 years found that roughly 90 to 120 minutes of strength training per week was the sweet spot for lowering the risk of death—and that pushing beyond about two hours a week added no further benefit.¹

Harvard Pooled Three Cohorts of Doctors and Nurses

Investigators at Harvard pooled data from three long-running studies of doctors and nurses, tracking how much resistance training (using weights or your own bodyweight) people did and recording deaths over the decades. Because this is an observational study—meaning it followed people’s habits rather than assigning them to exercise—it can show a strong link but cannot prove that strength training alone causes longer life. Still, the size and length of the study make the pattern compelling.¹ Across 147,374 participants followed for up to 30 years, the researchers recorded 35,798 deaths, the pool of events these comparisons were drawn from.¹

19% Lower Heart Deaths, 27% Lower Neurological Deaths

Compared with doing no strength training, about 90 to 119 minutes per week was tied to a 13 percent lower risk of dying from any cause, a 19 percent lower risk of dying from cardiovascular (heart and blood vessel) disease, and a 27 percent lower risk of dying from neurological disease, such as dementia. Above 120 minutes a week, the risk did not drop any further—the benefit simply leveled off. That is genuinely good news: you do not need to live in the gym to capture the payoff.

Cancer Benefit Appeared Only at 1 to 60 Minutes

For cancer deaths specifically, the lower risk showed up only at smaller amounts of strength training—roughly 1 to 60 minutes a week—and not at higher volumes. The researchers aren’t certain why, but it is a reminder that the ideal “dose” can differ depending on which health outcome you are looking at.

Lowest Death Risk With Strength Plus Aerobic Exercise

The lowest death risk of all belonged to people who combined strength training with plenty of aerobic exercise like brisk walking, cycling, or swimming. Each type of exercise contributes something different—aerobic activity supports the heart and circulation, while strength training builds muscle, supports metabolism, and may protect the brain—so doing both gives you the most complete protection.

16 Pooled Studies Peaked at 30 to 60 Minutes

Other research places that peak lower. A pooled analysis of 16 studies linked the lowest risk to roughly 30 to 60 minutes of muscle-strengthening activity a week—about 10 to 20 percent lower risk of death, heart disease and cancer—and no clear added benefit above that.² A separate study of nearly 100,000 US adults linked weightlifting alone to 9 percent lower death risk, and weightlifting plus aerobic activity to roughly 40 percent lower.³

Key Takeaways

• About 90 to 120 minutes of strength training per week—for example, three 30-to-40-minute sessions using weights, machines, or bodyweight—was the range linked to the lowest death risk.
• Beyond roughly two hours a week, the longevity benefit flattened out—more was not linked to further gains.
• Combining strength work with regular aerobic exercise was linked to the largest reduction in death risk.

References

1. Zhang Y, Lee DH, Rezende LFM, Ma Y, Giovannucci E. Long-term resistance training with all-cause and cause-specific mortality: assessing dose-response and joint associations with aerobic physical activity. Br J Sports Med. 2026 Jun;60(12):874-883. link
2. Momma H, Kawakami R, Honda T, et al. Muscle-strengthening activities are associated with lower risk and mortality in major non-communicable diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2022;56(13):755–763. link.
3. Gorzelitz J, Trabert B, Katki HA, et al. Independent and joint associations of weightlifting and aerobic activity with all-cause, cardiovascular disease and cancer mortality in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2022;56(22):1277–1283. link.