Frequent strength training in middle-aged and older adults is associated with a reduced risk of premature death from cardiovascular disease and any other cause, with the sole exception of cancer, a new US study shows. When combined throughout the week with aerobic exercise, there are additional health benefits.

Researchers led by Dr. Jessica Gorselik of the University of Iowa, who published a related publication in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, analyzed data from almost 100,000 people with an average age of 71, of whom about 28,500 died in a decade. Almost one in four (23%) trained with more or less weight, and 16% did it on a regular basis (one to six times a week). Also, every third (32%) was engaged in aerobics.

Resistance exercise has been found to reduce the risk of death by 9-22%, depending on how often they are used: eg. once or twice a week, the risk of death was reduced by 14%.

Aerobic exercise without resistance was associated with a 24-34% reduction in risk of death, while the largest reduction of 41-47% was in those who combined aerobic exercise with resistance.

In addition to weights, there are other ways to strengthen muscles, such as push-ups, Pilates, etc.

Link to scientific publication: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2022/08/08/bjsports-2021-105315

Source: RES-EMI