Lifting weights on a regular basis could lower risk of early death, new study finds

US researchers found that people doing both aerobic and muscle exercises were more likely to live longer than those who did just one or the other.

Although getting the heart rate up on a regular basis is known to make people fitter and healthier, as well as helping to prolong their lives, less is known about the effects of weightlifting or muscle-strengthening exercises on how long people live.

The US study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, asked more than 150,000 people in their 60s and 70s about their exercise routine then followed them up.

Researchers found that those who took the recommended 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week lived longer than those who didn’t, but it was even better for those who combined regular aerobic exercise with muscle-strengthening activities once or twice a week.

The study found that they had a 47% lower risk of dying from any cause, apart from cancer, over the next nine years than those who were not active at all.

Doing weightlifting by itself also lowered the risk by up to 9-22% and aerobic exercise by 24-34%, with examples of aerobic exercise including brisk walking, running, cycling and swimming.

The study also found that women benefited more from weightlifting than men.

The research team, from the National Cancer Institute in Maryland, and the University of Iowa, said that muscle-strengthening exercises could make the body leaner and bones stronger, which then led to a healthier life in old age.

Although the study was large it was observational and could not prove that it was the weightlifting that led to people living longer.

The study also relied on participants remembering how much exercise they had done over the past year at one single point.

However, researchers did try to remove other factors which might have had an influence on the outcome, such as education, race, ethnicity and race, but still found the same result.

Although the study focused only on weights, the researchers said other types of exercise would also apply such as push-ups, squats, burpees and pilates.

Study author Dr Jessica Gorzelitz explained: "Our finding that mortality risk appeared to be lowest for those who participated in both types of exercise provides strong support for current recommendations to engage in both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities.

"Older adults would probably benefit from adding weightlifting exercises to their physical activity routines."