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Get strong,

Thrive longer

Just two 15 minute strength-training sessions a week provide surprising health benefits

Which is more important for healthy aging; exercises that work the heart and lungs, or muscle-pumping strength training?

Both are valuable, of course, but many experts now say that strength training may be the key to prevent in disability as you age. Yes, declining muscle mass undermines your strength. But it also contributes to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and other chronic illnesses by slowing the body's metabolic rate, which allows fat to accumulate even if you stick the same diet. And the decline begins surprisingly early usually by about age 40. Between the ages of 50 and 70, strength can drop by 15 percent per decade- even faster in the later years.

The good news is that strength training can halt much of the decline that was long considered an inevitable part of aging. And it can restore muscle power to levels you had decades earlier. No matter how old you are, your muscles will respond quickly to resistance training. In clinical trials, women and men in their 80s and old who started resistance training gained strength as rapidly as younger adults. And the latest research suggests that regularly challenging your muscles may spur changes at the cellular level that could slow some of the causes of aging.

A recent study of about 9,000 men ages 20 to 82, for example, found that those with the greatest leg and arm strength were nearly 25 percent less likely to die prematurely than those with the least strength. The benefit stood out even after accounting for differences in aerobic fitness, suggesting that muscle training provides protection beyond that from heart and lung endurance.

The six exercises described on the facing page provide a thorough strength training routine that can yield substantial benefits with just two 15-minute sessions per week. Below we outline why strength training is so important.

PUMPS UP THE HEART

The cardiovascular benefits of strength training are so pronounced that it has become a standard part of heart-attack rehabilitation. In a recent trial, for example, researchers randomly divided 72 men and women with heart disease into two groups. One did aerobic exercises five days a week; the other did three days of aerobics plus two days of strength training with dumbbells and elastic bands. Even though the weight lifting groups did about 30 percent less aerobic training, they reached the same level of aerobic fitness by the end of the seven-month study.

And strength training added several benefits not seen in the aerobics-only group: significant reductions in body fat and substantial gains in muscle strength and endurance. Other clinical trials have found that resistance training can reduce high blood pressure.

WARDS OFF DIABETES

Aerobic training and resistance exercise improve the body's ability to manage blood sugar. But combing the two provides the greatest benefits, according to a study published this year. The study looked at 136 people between the ages of 60 and 80 at high risk of type 2 diabetes because of excess weight. The researchers concluded that resistance training helps by shifting the balance of body mass toward more muscle and less fat, which may allow the body to control blood sugar more efficiently.

BUILDS BONE

The skeleton needs to be stressed by weight or resistance to stay healthy. Walking, dancing, and other weight bearing aerobic activities can build bone in the hips. But strength-training exercises appear to be the most effective for other sties. Exercises targeting the back and abdomen, for example, may help prevent spinal fractures. Leg exercises can be especially important because they also improve balance and can prevent falls. But people with severe osteoporosis, however, should ask a physical therapist for exercises that don't overly stress their bones.

PREVENTS CANCER

The same study that linked muscle strength to improved overall mortality in about 9,000 men noted an even greater reduced risk of death from cancer. The researchers theorize that strength training protects against malignancies by boosting metabolism, which could prevent the buildup of fat.

INCREASES MOBILITY

Strength training can make it easier to handle everyday tasks, such as lugging groceries and climbing stairs. A related bus lesser-known benefit is the relief of joint pain. In a recent clinical trial of weight training for people with knee arthritis, for example, pain scores were cut nearly in half and walk speed over uneven ground increased by nearly 50 percent after eight weeks. No improvements were seen in the control group.

Resistance training strengthens the ligaments, muscles, and tendons which makes ankles, hips, and knees more stable. It also reduces stress on the joints, which may protect cartilage from age related degeneration. Moreover, pressure on the joints during resistance training may further protect the hips and knees by spurring the growth of new cartilage.