By 12REPS | Written by Will Duru
Research on muscle strength and mortality shows a consistent pattern. People who do muscle-strengthening activities, and people who test stronger, tend to have a lower risk of death. These studies show an association, not proof that muscle itself makes you live longer.
This article explains what the main studies found, what they cannot tell us, and what it means for your training.
What Does Mortality Risk Mean?
Mortality simply means death. All-cause mortality is the risk of dying from any cause during a study’s follow-up period.
Studies usually report relative risk. A “15% lower risk” means a group’s risk of dying during the study was 15% lower than the comparison group’s. It does not mean you gain 15% more years of life.
What the Research Says About Strength Training and Mortality
A 2022 meta-analysis in the British Journal of Sports Medicine pooled 16 cohort studies. A cohort study follows a large group of people over time and records their health. Compared with people who did no muscle-strengthening activities, people who did some had:
- About a 15% lower risk of death from any cause.
- About a 17% lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
- About a 12% lower risk of cancer overall.
- About a 17% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
People who did both muscle-strengthening and aerobic activities had about a 40% lower risk of death from any cause than people who did neither.
More Is Not Always Better
The largest risk reduction, about 10% to 20%, appeared at around 30 to 60 minutes of muscle-strengthening activity a week. The authors said the effect of larger amounts is unclear.
The authors also rated the certainty of the evidence as very low for most outcomes. Most studies came from the US and relied on people reporting their own activity.
Stronger People Tend to Live Longer
Other research looks at how strong people are, not how often they train. A 2018 meta-analysis combined 38 cohort studies with about 1.9 million people.
- Higher handgrip strength was linked with a 31% lower risk of death from any cause.
- Higher knee extension strength (straightening the leg against resistance) was linked with a 14% lower risk.
Grip strength is quick to measure, so researchers often use it as a simple marker of overall strength. A strong grip is not the goal on its own. It is more likely a sign of general strength and health.
What About Older Adults?
A 2022 study in JAMA Network Open followed 115,489 US adults aged 65 and over for about eight years. Compared with people who did strength exercises 0 to 1 times a week:
- Those who did them 2 to 3 times a week had a 17% lower risk of death.
- Those who did them 4 to 6 times a week had a 21% lower risk.
- Those who did them 7 or more times a week showed no clear benefit.
People who met both the strength and aerobic guidelines did best. In most combinations, their risk was about 30% to 40% lower than people who met neither. The authors suggested that 2 to 6 strength sessions a week may be optimal.
Association Is Not Cause
All of these studies are observational. Researchers recorded what people did, rather than assigning them to train. That means other factors could explain part of the link.
- Healthier people may train more. Someone with a serious illness may be less able to lift weights. This is called reverse causation.
- Other habits travel together. People who strength train may also eat better, smoke less or sleep more.
- Self-reported activity is not exact. People often misremember how much they exercise.
Researchers adjust for these factors where they can, but they cannot remove them all. Even so, the pattern is consistent across large studies. And trials show that strength training does improve strength and physical function in older adults, according to a Cochrane review.
| Study | Who was studied | Main finding | Main limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Momma et al., 2022 | 16 cohort studies | 12% to 17% lower risk of death and major diseases | Very low certainty; self-reported activity |
| García-Hermoso et al., 2018 | About 1.9 million adults | Stronger grip linked with 31% lower risk of death | Observational; shows association only |
| Webber et al., 2022 | 115,489 adults aged 65 and over | 2 to 6 strength sessions a week linked with 17% to 21% lower risk | Self-reported activity; possible confounding |
What This Means for Your Training
You do not need hours in the gym to reach the amounts linked with lower risk in these studies. Here is a practical approach based on the guidelines:
- Strength train on 2 or more days a week. The World Health Organization recommends muscle-strengthening activities that work the major muscle groups on at least 2 days a week.
- Keep sessions manageable. In the 2022 meta-analysis, the largest risk reduction appeared at about 30 to 60 minutes a week in total.
- Pair it with aerobic activity. In both large activity studies, the lowest risk came from doing strength and aerobic exercise together.
- Add balance work if you are older. The NHS advises adults aged 65 and over to do activities that improve strength, balance and flexibility on at least 2 days a week.
- Progress steadily. Add a little weight or a repetition over time. Our guide to progressive overload explains how.
For help splitting your sessions across the week, read how often you should lift. If you have a health condition, take medication or have not exercised for a while, check with your doctor before you start.
It Is Not Too Late to Get Stronger
You can build strength at any age. The Cochrane review of 121 trials found that older adults made large strength gains with progressive resistance training. They also got better at tasks such as rising from a chair.
Muscle will not stop the clock. But the research suggests strength is worth building and keeping. For more, read our guide to strength training for longevity. You can also learn how resistance training helps older adults stay independent and what research says about strength training and brain health.
If you want a plan you can follow, the 12REPS app builds sessions around your goal, your equipment and your time. It shows a trainer demonstration for each exercise and remembers your last weights, so each session has a clear target.
Sources
- Muscle-strengthening activities are associated with lower risk and mortality in major non-communicable diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2022. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/56/13/755
- Muscular strength as a predictor of all-cause mortality in an apparently healthy population: a systematic review and meta-analysis of data from approximately 2 million men and women. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 2018. https://academica-e.unavarra.es/entities/publication/f5e06f47-c805-485a-bbf0-fe3e00edfd08/full
- Association of Muscle-Strengthening and Aerobic Physical Activity With Mortality in US Adults Aged 65 Years or Older. JAMA Network Open, 2022. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2797402
- Progressive resistance strength training for improving physical function in older adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2009. https://www.cochrane.org/evidence/CD002759.progressive-resistance-strength-training-improving-physical-function-older-adults
- Physical activity (Be He@lthy, Be Mobile initiative). World Health Organization, accessed 2026. https://who.int/initiatives/behealthy/physical-activity
- Physical activity guidelines for older adults. NHS, 2024. https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/physical-activity-guidelines-older-adults/
