Cardio has been lauded for its role in supporting overall health and longevity, but the secret to living a long, fit, and vibrant life as you age entails more than just running, biking, swimming or hiking.
These forms of exercise are phenomenal for burning calories and improving the function and health of your heart, lungs, and circulatory system, but they aren’t very effective for building and maintaining strength in your skeletal muscles as you age.
Resistance exercise (“lifting weights”) is what our muscles (and mind) need to build strength and maintain lean muscle mass as we age. Let’s look at 4 big benefits of strength training for longevity.
Build/Maintain Lean Muscle
1upLean muscle mass has also been identified as a key biomarker for longevity.[1] The more muscle we have, the more resilient we are. We’re also at a lower risk for injury since we have greater strength and more protection since muscle helps protect our bones.
Increased muscle mass is also associated with better insulin sensitivity and glucose utilization/storage and a lower risk of diabetes, which is important considering the rising rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome around the globe.[2]
However, age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia) is a serious concern as we age. It increases the risk of falls and fractures and is associated with cognitive impairment, sleep disorders, and respiratory complications.[3]
To combat age-related muscle loss, we need to do two things:
- Eat enough protein (at least one gram per pound of bodyweight each day)
- Perform resistance training (ideally 2-4 times per week)
If you’re new to the gym or looking for help figuring out the right type of strength training workout, download the 1UP Fitness App where we provide customized workouts built around your preferences and goals for FREE! Within the app, you’ll also be able to access our extensive exercise library in case you want to look up how to perform specific exercises and you can also easily track your nutrition to make sure you’re getting enough protein each day.
Boost Metabolism
Metabolism naturally slows the older we get. This is why it seems that it’s easier to gain weight the older we get. Our metabolic rates naturally lower, in part, due to aging. However, they also are lower due to the fact that many individuals are less physically active the older they get and they also lose muscle mass.
On the flip side, the more physically active you are, the more calories you will burn each day. And, when you engage in resistance training, you build (or maintain) muscle mass. The more muscle mass you have, the higher your metabolism is, even at rest!
All of this is to say that if you want to limit fat gain and weight creep with each passing year, make sure you’re performing resistance training!
Improved Mood & Quality of Life
We’ve all seen movies, cartoons, or advertisements of the grumpy old man hunched over on his porch yelling at kids. This doesn’t paint a pretty picture of aging.
But, strength training can help you stay fit, happy, and mobile as you age.
A 2023 meta analysis published in the highly respected journal Sports Med concluded that resistance training increased range of motion. Furthermore, if training with external loads (such as dumbbells, kettlebells, barbells, etc.), stretching before or after training may not be necessary to improve range of motion.[4]
Another meta-analysis from 2023 concluded that resistance training also improves markers of depression in older adults.[5]
A previous meta-analysis concluded that resistance training improves health-related quality of life, including physical functioning, bodily pain, general health, mental health, emotional role function, social function, and vitality.[6]
Greater Life Expectancy
We know that staying physically active plays an important role in longevity. What you may not know is that the type of exercise you perform can have a pretty big impact. Strength training helps increase life expectancy by helping combat high blood pressure, excess body fat, high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and high cholesterol -- all of which are tied to heart disease.
A 2019 systematic review and meta-analysis of 11 studies found that strength training was associated with a 21% lower all-cause mortality. When strength training was combined with cardiovascular training, all-cause mortality was lower by an impressive 40%![7]
A subsequent meta-analysis performing “any amount” of resistance training reduced the risk of all-cause mortality by 15%, cardiovascular disease mortality by 19%, and cancer mortality by 14%.[8]
Takeaway
Strength training, lifting weights, resistance training, whatever you want to call it, is critical for longevity. It helps build muscle, reduce stress, improve mental health, maintain mobility, and decrease the risk of injury from falls.
If you’re new to strength training, remember to take things slow and steady. It may be helpful to sign up for a few personal training lessons to familiarize yourself with the gym, equipment and exercises you’ll be performing. Focus on compound exercises and progressive overload to continue to challenge yourself, build strength, and avoid plateaus. And make sure you’re eating right (including plenty of protein each day) and using the right supplements to help you perform and recover from your strength training workouts, including our best-selling pre workout and post workout recovery formulas, 1UP Pre Men, 1UP Pre Women, and 1UP Pure Rebuild.
References
- Srikanthan P, Karlamangla AS. Muscle mass index as a predictor of longevity in older adults. Am J Med. 2014 Jun;127(6):547-53. doi: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2014.02.007. Epub 2014 Feb 18. PMID: 24561114; PMID: PMC4035379.
- Srikanthan P, Karlamangla AS. Relative muscle mass is inversely associated with insulin resistance and diabetes. Findings from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 96(9):2898-903
- Chen N, He X, Feng Y, et al. Effects of resistance training in healthy older people with sarcopenia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Eur Rev Aging Phys Act 18, 23 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s11556-021-00277-7
- Alizadeh S, Daneshjoo A, Zahiri A, Anvar SH, Goudini R, Hicks JP, Konrad A, Behm DG. Resistance Training Induces Improvements in Range of Motion: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Med. 2023 Mar;53(3):707-722. doi: 10.1007/s40279-022-01804-x. Epub 2023 Jan 9. PMID: 36622555; PMCID: PMC9935664.
- Khodadad Kashi S, Mirzazadeh ZS, Saatchian V. A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Resistance Training on Quality of Life, Depression, Muscle Strength, and Functional Exercise Capacity in Older Adults Aged 60 Years or More. Biol Res Nurs. 2023 Jan;25(1):88-106. doi: 10.1177/10998004221120945. Epub 2022 Aug 13. PMID: 35968662.
- Hart PD, Buck DJ. The effect of resistance training on health-related quality of life in older adults: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Health Promot Perspect. 2019 Jan 23;9(1):1-12. doi: 10.15171/hpp.2019.01. PMID: 30788262; PMCID: PMC6377696.
- Saeidifard F, Medina-Inojosa JR, West CP, Olson TP, Somers VK, Bonikowske AR, Prokop LJ, Vinciguerra M, Lopez-Jimenez F. The association of resistance training with mortality: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2019 Oct;26(15):1647-1665. doi: 10.1177/2047487319850718. Epub 2019 May 19. PMID: 31104484
- Shailendra P, Baldock KL, Li LSK, Bennie JA, Boyle T. Resistance Training and Mortality Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Am J Prev Med. 2022 Aug;63(2):277-285. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2022.03.020. Epub 2022 May 20. PMID: 35599175.
