Combining Strength Training With Cardio Can Help You Live A Longer, Healthier Life
A few hours of exercise a week can make a big difference.
Fast facts
Combining muscle-strengthening exercise with aerobic activity can reduce the risk of all-cause mortality.
Even a small amount of strength training each week—at least one or two days—can work.
The most important part of an exercise program is to do things you enjoy so you stick to the routine.
Aerobic exercise and strength training alone can help you live a longer, healthier life, but combining the two can be even more beneficial new research shows.
Two recent studies, both published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, found that pairing muscle-strengthening exercise with aerobic physical activity further reduced the risk of death from all causes (except cancer), not just the type of exercise.
The fact that the risk of death appears to be the lowest for those who participated in both types of studies strongly supports the current recommendation to participate in aerobic activities and strengthen muscles, write the study authors.
Although both types of exercise are recommended, data on the mortality benefits of weightlifting-150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week-or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week, and at least two days of muscle-strengthening per week-are limited. New research is set to change that.
It tells us what exercises we should be doing,-John Osborne, MD, director of Cardiovascular Medicine in Dallas, Texas, told Health.
Here's what you need to know about the benefits of weight training paired with aerobic activity and how to incorporate the two into your routine.
Strength training and aerobic exercise provide more benefits on their own
For the latest study, published in September, researchers at the National Cancer Institute used prostate and lung data. Colorectal and ovarian cancer screening was launched in 1993. The trial included more than 150,000 men and women between the ages of 55 and 74 collected from 10 different cancer centers in the United States.
In 2006, some participants engaged in weight lifting and aerobic exercise. Almost 100,000 people completed the survey and it was tracked until 2016.
While any amount of exercise can significantly improve overall health, researchers found that those who combined a weekly cardio exercise regimen with one or two days of muscle-strengthening were 41% less likely to die from causes other than cancer during the trial. he doesn't practice much. Those who engaged in aerobic activity reduced their risk by 32%, and those who only lifted weights reduced their risk by 9%.
Cardio is a big focus, and it has benefits, especially if cardio is paired with strength training at least two days a week, says Jessica Gorzelitz, Ph.D., assistant professor of public health. He spoke about Health at the University of Iowa.
Gorzelitz added that the study results showed a significant benefit among the elderly, with an average age of 71. Gender also seems to play a role.
The association was highly consistent across sex, ethnicity, and smoking status, but there was a sex effect. Both sexes benefit, but women more,- he said.
A second study published in BJSM in August showed similar results.
For the study, researchers at Brigham Young University reviewed data from more than 416,000 American adults who participated in the National Health Interview Survey between 1997 and 2014. They tracked how many people died during that window using the National Death Index. They found that a little practice goes a long way.
Compared to people who didn't exercise at all, people who exercised just one hour a week had a significantly lower risk of death.
The benefit increased up to three hours of exercise per week and then slowed down, meaning that exercising more than three hours per week has a small additional benefit, but at least the many exercises have significant benefits.
About three hours of aerobic exercise and strength training twice a week reduced all-cause mortality by 30%, regardless of the age or gender of the participants.
There's very little you can do to benefit yourself, says co-author Arden Pope III, Ph.D., professor of health economics and an honorary fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians for Health.
Current recommendations for strength training and aerobic activity
Although both studies were controlled and relied on self-reported data rather than controlled, the results were in step with federal guidelines on exercise.
Physical activity guidelines for adults published by the US Department of Health and Human Services recommend that people get at least 150 minutes (2.5 hours) of moderate-intensity physical activity each week. If you increase your activity level to high-intensity exercise, you can do just 75 minutes a week.
While 150 or 75 minutes may seem like a lot, the guidelines recommend that you do not cut your aerobic activity at once—you can reduce it to 30 minutes a day, five days a week.
Cardio or aerobic exercise is something that makes you breathe faster and your heart beat faster. Moderate exercise can be brisk walking, pushing a lawnmower, or cycling for leisure. Vigorous exercise strengthens it and can include things like running, swimming, fast cycling, or climbing.
The manual also includes recommendations for muscle-strengthening exercises. At least two days each week, you should work for every major muscle group in your body: legs, hips, back, chest, abs, shoulders, and arms. Using resistance bands, dumbbells or kettlebells, or even your own body weight, strengthens the muscles.
How combining strength training with aerobic exercise can help prevent disease
For both studies, researchers used what is called "all-cause mortality" to measure how effective two different types of exercise are in increasing longevity.
In particular, it examined the risk of people dying during the study, which could give researchers a better idea of how interventions can help people live longer, healthier lives.
We can't make people die forever, but we can slow down death from common diseases like heart disease and cancer,- said Dr. - causes mortality.
As for the protective benefits of combined cardio and strength training, researchers aren't entirely sure whether both can prevent disease, but according to Dr.
Aerobic activity is definitely good for weight loss, and it's a great tool for treating [many] conditions,- he said. These include high blood pressure, diabetes, liver disease, arthritis, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, and acid reflux.
Aerobic activity increases blood circulation and therefore the amount of oxygen in the blood. This translates downstream to increase insulin resistance and "bad" LDL cholesterol, both of which affect visceral fat - the fat that surrounds the abdominal organs. Excess visceral fat can lead to several health conditions, including heart and liver disease, said Dr. Osborne.
Weight training, on the other hand, builds muscle.
We know that 80% of glucose clearance is mediated by muscle, so things that improve muscle improve glucose processing and blood sugar, says Dr. Osborne. and type 2 diabetes.
Gorzelitz said he is currently investigating how strength training can affect the body's physiology, but the benefits are clear.
We know that people with more muscle mass and less body fat have a lower risk of death,- he said.
Incorporate strength training and aerobic activity into your routine
No studies have examined how the benefits of different types of exercise, such as running versus cycling or kettlebell training, differ, but experts agree that no particular activity is essential.
The main thing is to move, - said Dr. Osborne. Move as much as possible and as many days a week as possible. Find something that fits your lifestyle and mix it up.
Activities like lifting weights at the gym or doing kettlebells at home or jogging shouldn't be intentional, says Gorzelitz.
Everyday activities such as carrying groceries are considered strengthening exercises, and taking the stairs instead of going up is an example of aerobic exercise. Enjoying exercise and incorporating it into your routine, even if it's a little bit, is the most important thing to help you stick with it, she adds.
If you want to improve your health and live longer, the Pope says you don't need to exercise at all.
