Doing weight training each week helps us live longer, research suggests.
Experts say resistance training such as lifting or push ups are vital as we age and are urging people not to only do aerobic exercise like jogging.
Their research shows that people who did 90 minutes to two hours of resistance training a week and kept it up for the long term lowered the chance of early death from any cause by 13%. They cut the risk of dying from conditions such as heart disease and stroke by 19%.
However doing more than two hours of strength training per week was not linked to extra benefits.
View 2 ImagesStrength training can involve weights or your own body weight.(Image: Getty Images)
The new study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, included 147,374 people, followed for up to 30 years. People were quizzed every two years on the amount of time they spent on strength training and aerobic exercise.
Tom Burton, strategic lead for health and wellbeing policy at Sport England, said: “Strength-based physical activity is a powerful tool, particularly in support of healthy ageing – helping prevent or delay poor health, keeping us mobile and independent and easing pressures on overstretched health and care services.
Those who lift weights or use things like resistance bands or bodyweight exercises also had a 27% lower risk of dying from neurological disease, even when other activity such as aerobic exercise is taken into account.
Researchers said their findings support the need for people to do both aerobic exercise such as cycling, jogging and swimming, and weight-based training.
Overall, the study found the lowest risks of dying early were seen when people did a decent amount of aerobic exercise and strength training, or when aerobic activity was very high.
Current NHS guidelines say adults should aim to do strength activities that work all the major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms) on at least two days per week.
They should also do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity a week. Examples of moderate activity include very brisk walking, cycling at 10mph-12mph, or badminton. Vigorous activity includes hiking, jogging at 6mph or faster, fast cycling, basketball or tennis.
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Aerobic exercise in the study included brisk walking, running, jogging, swimming, cycling, tennis and squash, while strength training included exercises using weights or body weight, such as dumbbell work, squats and lunges.
The lowest risks were observed among those people with both high aerobic activity and strength training levels, with risks dropping by up to 58% among the most active.
Tom Burton, of Sport England, added: “Sport England research has found that active lifestyles prevent 3.3 million cases of chronic illness a year, as well as saving £6bn a year for healthcare services. Our mission is to make physical activity accessible to all. It’s the key to healthier, wealthier and happier communities.”