We’ve heard it before – running, biking, even brisk walking can raise our heart rate and help us live longer.
But a new study suggests that you may not have to do cardio to reap the benefits of a workout.
Researchers found that if you’re 65 or older, muscle strengthening exercise can lower your risk of death.
A National Health Interview Survey of more than 115,000 people, conducted from 1998-2018, found that doing strength-based workouts between 2 and 6 times a week, significantly decreased risk of death.
The benefits depended on the amount of exercise, meaning more exercise provided more benefit.
That is, until you hit 7 or more workouts a week, at which time, there was no longer a significant benefit.
This suggests that there’s really no reason to overdo it, and aiming for 4-6 workouts a week with a rest day may be optimal.