We all know we’re supposed to exercise. But how often do we actually stop and ask why? Not in a vague, “it’s good for you” sort of way, but in a specific, evidence-based, this-is-what-the-data-says sort of way? A landmark study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine has done exactly that, and the findings are hard to ignore.

Researchers from Tohoku University and Waseda University in Japan conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis, pulling together data from sixteen large-scale prospective cohort studies involving hundreds of thousands of adults. Their focus was muscle-strengthening activity, things like weight training, resistance exercises, and bodyweight work, and its relationship with the risk of dying prematurely and developing major non-communicable diseases. The results were striking.

What the science actually found

People who engaged in regular muscle-strengthening activity had a 10 to 17% lower risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, cancer overall, diabetes, and lung cancer, all independent of whether they did any aerobic exercise on top. That last point is worth repeating: these benefits showed up even when the researchers accounted for running, cycling, swimming, and other cardio-based activity. The lifting was doing something extra, something distinct.

The findings on diabetes were particularly eye-catching. Those who did regular strength work had a 17% lower risk of developing the condition, with the sharpest risk reduction happening in the first 60 minutes per week of activity. Further proof that you don’t need to spend hours in the gym. Even a modest, consistent habit can move the needle significantly.

The sweet spot: 30 to 60 minutes a week

Perhaps the most practically useful finding was around dose. For all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, and cancer, the researchers found a J-shaped relationship between the amount of strength training and health outcomes. In plain English, the benefits were greatest at around 30 to 60 minutes per week, and remained meaningful up to about 130 minutes per week. Beyond that, the picture became less clear.

This is genuinely encouraging news. You are not being asked to overhaul your life. Two or three half-hour sessions a week, done properly and done consistently, appears to sit right in the zone where the evidence is strongest. That is entirely achievable for most people, whatever their starting point.

Better together: strength and cardio combined

The study also looked at what happens when people do both strength work and aerobic exercise, compared to doing neither. The results were compelling. Combining the two was associated with a 40% lower risk of all-cause mortality, a 46% lower risk of cardiovascular disease, and a 28% lower risk of dying from cancer. These are substantial numbers, and they suggest that while strength training on its own is clearly beneficial, pairing it with regular cardio creates something greater than the sum of its parts.

If you have been wondering whether to prioritise one over the other, the answer seems to be: don’t choose. They both matter. A brisk walk, a swim, or a bike ride alongside two sessions of resistance work each week is not just “good”; it is, according to this evidence, close to optimal.

What this means for you

Research like this matters because it shifts the conversation around strength training away from aesthetics and towards something far more fundamental: survival, independence, and quality of life. If you are in your 40s, 50s, or beyond, the evidence is increasingly clear that lifting something heavy on a regular basis is one of the most meaningful investments you can make in your future health. Not eventually. Now.

The researchers are careful to note the limitations of the evidence, and rightly so. Most of the studies were conducted in the United States, and as with all observational research, other factors can never be entirely ruled out. But the direction of the findings is consistent, and the magnitude of the benefits is meaningful enough to act on.

Thirty minutes a week. That is the starting point the science points to. It is less than a single episode of most television dramas. The only question is what to do with that information. It’s your call. However, if you want to start adding years to your life, but are not sure how or where to start, please get in touch. I’d love to help. Click the gold button below to get a chat in the diary. 

Source: Momma H, Kawakami R, Honda T, Sawada SS. 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.