A new study has found that lifting weights for a moderate amount of time each week could be linked to living longer.

The research, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, analyzed whether resistance training was associated with a lower risk of death over time.

The team reviewed data from more than 147,000 adults in the United States who took part in three major health studies that stretched across three decades. More than 35,000 participants died during that time.

Those involved self-reported their exercise habits, detailing how many minutes per week they spent doing resistance workouts such as weightlifting, alongside aerobic activities like walking, biking or swimming.

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Researchers compared the time spent on resistance training with death rates from all causes, along with specific outcomes such as cardiovascular, cancer, respiratory and neurological diseases.

The results pointed to a clear benefit among people who performed a moderate amount of resistance training, even after adjusting for age, smoking, alcohol use, dietary quality, family history and time spent doing aerobic exercise.

The strongest benefit appeared at around 90 to 119 minutes per week, a range that corresponded to a 13 percent lower risk of death from all causes.

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Within that group, participants had a 19 percent reduced risk of dying from heart disease and a 27 percent lower risk of death from neurological disease.

Doing more than 120 minutes of resistance training per week, however, did not appear to offer additional reduction in overall death risk.

Smaller amounts of strength training were also tied to notable benefits. Those who logged just 30 to 59 minutes per week had a 12 percent decreased risk of death from cancer.

The lowest mortality risk overall appeared among people who paired higher aerobic activity with moderate to high levels of resistance training.

The authors emphasized that these findings show only an association rather than proof that strength training directly causes longer life. They also cited limitations such as self-reported data, which could be inaccurate, and the lack of measurement for exercise intensity.

They additionally noted that while sufficient aerobic or resistance training alone was linked to lower mortality, aerobic activity seemed to have the stronger effect overall.

For people already engaging in heavy aerobic exercise — roughly five to six hours of jogging or about 11 hours of brisk walking each week — adding resistance training did not reduce mortality risk any further.

Fitness trainer Kenny Santucci, owner and host of the “Strong New York” podcast, explained that combining movement with muscle-building remains vital.

He advised gym-goers to add more strength-based exercise and consider lifting “a little bit heavier.”

“Strength training should be the basis of what you do,” Santucci said, adding that activities such as cycling can be part of a routine but should not replace strength work for those focused on building muscle or improving aesthetics.

He recommended working at about 60 to 80 percent of capacity, pushing toward fatigue with controlled intensity.

“Hard doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a better workout,” he said. “If you’re training at levels of intensity, then you’re reproducing good outcomes.”

According to Santucci, building muscle depends on applying external resistance to challenge muscle tissue, while proper nutrition — particularly adequate protein — supports the process.

The findings from the study and insights from experts like Santucci both highlight the potential value of integrating manageable, consistent resistance training into a balanced fitness approach.