MensHealth
  • News
  • Health
  • Fitness
  • Sex
  • Nutrition
  • Style
  • Weight Loss
  • Life
  • Podcasts
  • Subscribe
  • Motoring
  • Video
MensHealth
  • News
  • Health
  • Fitness
  • Sex
  • Nutrition
  • Style
  • Weight Loss
  • Life
  • Podcasts
  • Subscribe
  • Motoring
  • Video
Bjornsson Deadlifted 1,026 pounds On The Elephant Bar To Win 2020 Arnold Classic
Watch 0:10

Bjornsson Deadlifted 1,026 pounds On The Elephant Bar To Win 2020 Arnold Classic

{headline}

{headline}

Chris Hemsworth Is Positively Jacked While On Holiday Down Under

Chris Hemsworth Is Positively Jacked While On Holiday Down Under

Why It Really Is Mind Over Muscle

Why It Really Is Mind Over Muscle

10 Health And Fitness Instagram Accounts That Are Inspiring Us To Take On 2021

10 Health And Fitness Instagram Accounts That Are Inspiring Us To Take On 2021

How Lewis Hamilton Uses Altitude Training To Get ‘His Mind And Body Right’

How Lewis Hamilton Uses Altitude Training To Get ‘His Mind And Body Right’

{headline}

{headline}

Hugh Jackman Showed Off His Abs During a Shirtless New Years Polar Bear Plunge

Hugh Jackman Showed Off His Abs During a Shirtless New Years Polar Bear Plunge

Training One Arm Will Reportedly Boost Muscle Growth In The Other

Training One Arm Will Reportedly Boost Muscle Growth In The Other

Here's How To Out-Train A Full Day Of Sitting

Here's How To Out-Train A Full Day Of Sitting

{headline}

{headline}

How To Conduct An At-Home Heart Health Test

How To Conduct An At-Home Heart Health Test

These Are The Worst Training Mistakes You Can Make, According To Bodybuilders

These Are The Worst Training Mistakes You Can Make, According To Bodybuilders

How Surf God John John Florence Rehabbed His ACL In Record Time

How Surf God John John Florence Rehabbed His ACL In Record Time

This Guy Trained Like Chris Hemsworth For 90 Days, And His Results Were Insane

This Guy Trained Like Chris Hemsworth For 90 Days, And His Results Were Insane

8 Rules Of Muscle-Building, According To A Bodybuilder

8 Rules Of Muscle-Building, According To A Bodybuilder

Mike Tyson Just Announced His First Opponent

Mike Tyson Just Announced His First Opponent

Lewis Hamilton On The Physical and Mental Pressure To Stay Fit

Lewis Hamilton On The Physical and Mental Pressure To Stay Fit

  1. Home
  2. Fitness

Lifting Weights As You Age Cuts Your Risk Of Early Death By 46%

Discover the science of how strength training keeps you young - by Ali Eaves
  • 10 Jul 2017
Lifting Weights As You Age Cuts Your Risk Of Early Death By 46%

The secret to a longer life may be a barbell: strength training as you age reduces your risk for death, according to a study from Penn State College of Medicinein the US.

Researchers surveyed people age 65 or older about their exercise habits and then tracked them for 15 years. Nearly a third of the study participants died during that period.

RELATED: this simple 15-minute workout will build head-to-toe muscle

Less than 10 percent of the subjects strength trained, but those select few were 46 per cent less likely to die during the study than everyone else.

Sure, you could argue that older people who lift must be in better health to begin with. But even after adjusting for BMI, chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension, and habits like total physical activity, drinking and smoking, lifting was linked to a 19 per cent reduced risk of death.

Strength training can keep you active and independent in your golden years, says study author Dr Jennifer Kraschnewski. Not only does it strengthen your muscles, resulting in better stamina and balance, but it also increases your bone density. 

Together, those factors reduce your risk for falls and fractures—major causes of disability for older people. 

Plus, you’ll burn more calories throughout the day just by having more muscle mass on your frame, which helps you maintain a healthy weight, Kraschnewski says.

So if you’re already lifting, don’t retire your dumbbells. 

Want to start? Strength training can be safe for just about anyone, but if you’re over age 65 and inactive, talk to your doctor about any special precautions you should take, she says. Consider enlisting a trainer to create a program designed around any creaky knees or tight hips.

Don’t think that your age will hold you back, though. 

“Older adults have the ability to achieve strength similar to those decades younger by engaging in simple strength training routines,” says Kraschnewski.

This story was originally published on menshealth.com

Subscribe Now-

Subscribe Now
Subscribe Now

Subscribe Now-

Subscribe Now
Subscribe Now

Recommended to you

Bjornsson Deadlifted 1,026 pounds On The Elephant Bar To Win 2020 Arnold Classic
Watch 0:10

Bjornsson Deadlifted 1,026 pounds On The Elephant Bar To Win 2020 Arnold Classic

{headline}

{headline}

Chris Hemsworth Is Positively Jacked While On Holiday Down Under

Chris Hemsworth Is Positively Jacked While On Holiday Down Under

Why It Really Is Mind Over Muscle

Why It Really Is Mind Over Muscle

10 Health And Fitness Instagram Accounts That Are Inspiring Us To Take On 2021

10 Health And Fitness Instagram Accounts That Are Inspiring Us To Take On 2021

How Lewis Hamilton Uses Altitude Training To Get ‘His Mind And Body Right’

How Lewis Hamilton Uses Altitude Training To Get ‘His Mind And Body Right’

{headline}

{headline}

Hugh Jackman Showed Off His Abs During a Shirtless New Years Polar Bear Plunge

Hugh Jackman Showed Off His Abs During a Shirtless New Years Polar Bear Plunge

Training One Arm Will Reportedly Boost Muscle Growth In The Other

Training One Arm Will Reportedly Boost Muscle Growth In The Other

Here's How To Out-Train A Full Day Of Sitting

Here's How To Out-Train A Full Day Of Sitting

{headline}

{headline}

How To Conduct An At-Home Heart Health Test

How To Conduct An At-Home Heart Health Test

These Are The Worst Training Mistakes You Can Make, According To Bodybuilders

These Are The Worst Training Mistakes You Can Make, According To Bodybuilders

How Surf God John John Florence Rehabbed His ACL In Record Time

How Surf God John John Florence Rehabbed His ACL In Record Time

This Guy Trained Like Chris Hemsworth For 90 Days, And His Results Were Insane

This Guy Trained Like Chris Hemsworth For 90 Days, And His Results Were Insane

8 Rules Of Muscle-Building, According To A Bodybuilder

8 Rules Of Muscle-Building, According To A Bodybuilder

Mike Tyson Just Announced His First Opponent

Mike Tyson Just Announced His First Opponent

Lewis Hamilton On The Physical and Mental Pressure To Stay Fit

Lewis Hamilton On The Physical and Mental Pressure To Stay Fit

MensHealth
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Terms
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Statement
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Terms
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Statement

Brands

  • Women's Health

Our Network

  • Paragon Media Pty Ltd
© 2021 Are Media PTY LTD
Get more from Men's Health

Magazine Subscription Offer

Subscribe Now-

Shop This Offer
Subscribe Now