For decades, fitness culture has pushed one simple idea: more is better. More reps, more sets, more hours in the gym. But a massive new study tracking nearly 150,000 people for up to 30 years just challenged that belief — at least when it comes to strength training and longevity.
Published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the research offers a clear, practical answer to a question many of us have wondered: how much strength training do we actually need, and is there a point where more stops helping?
A Three-Decade Study
Researchers pooled data from three major long-term health studies — the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, the Nurses’ Health Study, and Nurses’ Health Study II — covering 147,374 people followed for up to 30 years. Every two years, participants reported their aerobic activity (walking, running, swimming, cycling) and strength training (weights, push-ups, squats, lunges).
At baseline, the average age was 54. Over the follow-up period, 35,798 participants died, giving researchers a huge dataset to examine how exercise habits related to mortality from all causes, plus cardiovascular disease, cancer, and neurological disease specifically.
The Sweet Spot: 90 to 120 Minutes
After adjusting for lifestyle factors, people doing 90 to 119 minutes of strength training per week had a 13% lower risk of dying from any cause compared to those who did none. That’s roughly two to three sessions of 30-45 minutes — far less than most people assume is needed.
Crucially, going beyond 120 minutes per week showed no additional benefit. The curve flattened out completely, directly challenging the “more is always better” mindset.
Bigger Wins for Heart and Brain
The benefits became even more striking when broken down by cause of death. That same 90-119 minute range was linked to a 19% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and a remarkable 27% lower risk of dying from neurological disease.
While exercise-heart health links are well established, the strong connection to neurological health is a newer finding — suggesting strength training may protect your brain and nervous system, not just your muscles.
What About Cancer?
The pattern for cancer was different. Protection appeared at lower doses — just 1-29 minutes per week was linked to a 21% lower cancer mortality risk, and 30-59 minutes to an 18% lower risk. This suggests even small amounts of resistance training matter for cancer outcomes specifically.
The Real Game-Changer: Combining Cardio and Strength
This is the standout finding. Aerobic exercise alone — more than 7.5 MET hours per week (about 150 minutes of moderate activity) — was linked to a 26-43% lower mortality risk on its own.
But people combining 30-44 MET hours of aerobic activity with 60-119 minutes of strength training saw their risk of death drop by 45%. Those doing 45+ MET hours of cardio saw reductions of 53-58%, regardless of strength training amount.
The message: cardio and strength training appear to work together, each contributing something the other doesn’t.
Limitations Worth Noting
This was an observational study, so it shows strong associations rather than direct proof of cause and effect. Exercise habits were self-reported, and the study didn’t capture calisthenics, Pilates, or workout intensity and duration details.
Still, given the size and length of this study, the findings carry real weight — and align with current guidelines encouraging both aerobic and strength activity.
The Bottom Line
You don’t need to live at the gym. Around 90 to 120 minutes of strength training per week — paired with regular aerobic activity like brisk walking — appears to capture most of the longevity benefits researchers could find, particularly for your heart and brain. Sometimes the best health advice isn’t about doing more, but doing the right amount, consistently.
Source: BMJ Group / British Journal of Sports Medicine
Journal Reference: Yiwen Zhang, Dong Hoon Lee, Leandro F M Rezende, Yuan Ma, Edward Giovannucci. Long-term resistance training with all-cause and cause-specific mortality: assessing dose-response and joint associations with aerobic physical activity. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2026; bjsports-2025-110503.
DOI: 10.1136/bjsports-2025-110503
