Lifting weights three times a week can shed 8 years off your biological clock, says new research
Lifting weights in the gym three times a week may give you the body of a person almost eight years younger, a new study suggests. Yep, really. Of course, this isn’t the first study to prove that regular exercise could have an impact on your biological age, but this might be the most significant. Here’s all you need to know.
The study’s methods
The study examined the impact of weight training on ageing in a random sample of 4,814 men and women, aged 20 to 69, in the US. Researchers analysed the length of 'telomeres'—the protective DNA caps at the ends of chromosomes, akin to shoelace aglets, which prevent genetic material from unraveling or becoming damaged.
The study’s authors wanted to determine whether weight training could impact the length of these telomeres. They did this by taking blood samples from the participants and measuring the length of telomeres in their blood cells. Participants were also asked to report how often they engaged in ‘exercises to strengthen their muscles’.
The study’s findings
‘In this national sample, 90 minutes per week of strength training was associated with 3.9 years less biological ageing, on average,’ the study reads.
‘The findings showed that for each 10 minutes spent on strength training per week, telomeres were 6.7 base pairs longer, on average. Therefore, 90 minutes per week of strength training was predictive of telomeres that were 60.3 base pairs longer, on average. Because each year of chronological age was associated with telomeres that were 15.47 base pairs shorter in this national sample, 90 minutes per week of strength training was associated with 3.9 years less biological ageing, on average. This interpretation suggests that an hour of strength training three times per week (180 total minutes) was associated with 7.8 years less biological ageing.’
What does this mean for us?
The results are compelling proof of just how beneficial consistent strength training can be, and the study goes on to explain exactly how it could reduce biological ageing.
‘As strength training mitigates some of the damage caused by such chronic diseases, reversing muscle loss, raising resting metabolic rate, promoting fat loss, and improving cardiovascular health, it is logical that strength training may limit disease and slow the aging of cells,’ the summary reads. ‘In short, by reducing the effects of chronic disease and metabolic risk factors, resistance training appears to slow the biological ageing process and reduce cell senescence, which is evidenced by longer telomeres.’
There’s plenty of evidence to support the aforementioned benefits, but this is one of the first to pinpoint specifically how long and how often you should strength train to yield the pros, and exactly how many years it could reduce your biological age.
For someone who struggles to stick to a routine, this could be particularly useful – having a concrete programme to stick to with a tangible goal in mind could help you stay accountable, but it’s worth keeping in mind that the time spent strength training was self-reported. As the study’s authors note, this can mean an increase in ‘measurement error’, meaning that you may benefit from the same pros with less or more training time.
It's also worth considering that time spent strength training was only taken from the previous 30 days, so long-term strength training information couldn’t be evaluated. This could be a good sign – some participants may not have strength trained prior to the intervention, yet still experienced big benefits. But this wasn’t determined beforehand.
Nonetheless, the study was undertaken on a large demographic, and it did control for lifestyle variables including age, sex, race, income and household size.
People in the study who lifted weights most often had telomeres containing around 225 more pieces of DNA than those who didn’t lift weights. We can’t ignore that.
More fitness stories:
What is Pilates? 34 exercises, benefits + 15 best online classes
Weight training for beginners: Benefits, tips, lingo + workouts
20 best HIIT workouts for all levels, from 5 to 45 minutes long
Cut through the noise and get practical, expert advice, home workouts, easy nutrition and more direct to your inbox. Sign up to the WOMEN'S HEALTH NEWSLETTER
You Might Also Like
