Weight training can save your life!

Although many people are still skeptical about weight training, have you ever thought about the fact that it might save your life? You got that right! Weights can actually save lives! A new Japanese scientific study confirms the benefits of exercise to our health. Muscle strengthening reduces the risk of premature death. In fact, 30 to 60 minutes of muscle strengthening exercise each week is enough to reduce the risk of death from any cause by 10% to 20%! Such exercises can include use of free weights and dumbbells, push ups, abs, deep squats, but also more physically demanding movements, such as digging and shoveling. On the one hand, the benefits of weight training are obviously different to those coming from aerobic training.

The combination of aerobic exercise and muscle strengthening has been estimated to reduce the risk of death from any cause by 40%, cardiovascular death by 46% and cancer death by 28%. The researchers, led by Dr. Haruki Moma of Tohoku University School of Medicine, published their findings in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. They evaluated 16 surveys from many countries (USA, Britain, Australia, Japan, etc.). The surveys concerned people from 18 to 97 years old, over a period of up to 25 years. Muscle strengthening has been associated with a 10% to 20% reduction in the risk of death from any other cause, as well as in death specifically caused by heart disease, stroke, some cancer types and diabetes. No reduction in the risk of intestine, kidney, bladder and pancreas, cancer was found. On the other hand, the hypothesis of whether muscle training that exceeds one hour per week offers extra benefits, still remains unknown. With information from ANA – MPA