Weight Training Linked to Lower Mortality Risk in Multiple Studies

Recent scientific research has examined the relationship between weight training and mortality risk, focusing on older adults in the United States. Findings from several large studies indicate that engaging in weight or resistance training is linked to lower risk of death from all causes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.

The NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study, which included over 216,000 participants with an average age of nearly 70, found that any amount of weight training was associated with lower risks of all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality compared to no weight training. This study also reported that the combination of weight training and aerobic exercise produced the greatest reduction in mortality risk, while weight training alone did not show benefits for those who did not participate in aerobic activities.

Additional research, including a systematic review and meta-analysis, identified that resistance training was linked to a 15% reduction in all-cause mortality, a 19% reduction in cardiovascular mortality, and a 14% reduction in cancer mortality. The review found the largest benefit, about a 27% reduction in all-cause mortality, among individuals who performed approximately 60 minutes of resistance training per week.

Long-term data from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study showed that moderate weekly weight training, specifically 1 to 59 minutes per week, was associated with a 14% lower risk of death from any cause. Those who engaged in 60 to 149 minutes per week had an 8% lower risk, but no additional benefit was observed for those exceeding 150 minutes per week, suggesting a J-shaped relationship between training duration and mortality risk.

What the numbers show

• 216,339 older adults participated in the NIH-AARP study
• 15% reduction in all-cause mortality was linked to resistance training in a meta-analysis
• 60 minutes per week of resistance training provided the greatest benefit in some studies
• One weekly muscle-strengthening session was associated with a hazard ratio of 0.89 for mortality

National survey data from the U.S. National Health Interview Survey, covering 1997 to 2014, supported these findings by showing that muscle-strengthening exercise performed once per week was linked to lower mortality risk. However, performing such exercise seven times per week did not show a benefit, indicating that more frequent sessions do not necessarily yield greater risk reduction.

Summaries from Harvard Health and Time magazine highlighted that weight lifting alone was associated with a 9% to 22% lower risk of death in older adults, and that combining strength training with aerobic exercise further increased longevity benefits. In one study, older adults who performed strength training two to six times per week and also completed 2.5 hours of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic activity weekly were about 30% less likely to die during the study period compared to those who did less strength training.

A study reported by Time found that weight lifting once or twice per week without other exercise was associated with a 9% lower risk of death, excluding cancer. When 1–2 days of weight lifting were combined with aerobic exercise, the risk reduction increased to 41%.

Research published in early 2026 indicated that women who performed weight training for one hour three times per week had biological age markers, measured by telomere length, that were about 7.8 years younger than those who did not engage in strength training. This suggests a potential link between regular resistance exercise and biological indicators of aging.

* This article is based on publicly available information at the time of writing.