Resistance training is a type of strength and endurance exercise that works muscles against an external force, helping preserve muscle mass and bone density. It includes exercises like squats, push-ups, shoulder presses, and more, to boost the brain and body—whether we're lifting body weight, dumbbells, barbells, or using resistance bands.
Exercise physiologists suggest starting the practice early, noting it particularly benefits women in menopause because estrogen reductions can lead to bone density loss, which increases the risk of osteoporosis and bone breaks. Resistance training complements aerobic exercises like swimming or running, which typically keep your heart rate elevated over extended periods, improving cardiovascular health.
Adult fitness recommendations include resistance training twice weekly and performing 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise—though about 80% of us don't achieve this. When done consistently, resistance training is linked with reduced depression and anxiety and elevated cognition. It improves glucose control, reduces fall risks, and supports grip strength—the amount of force someone can generate with their hand and forearm muscles—a strong predictor of broader health risks, including falling and early death.
Hours of research by our editors, distilled into minutes of clarity.
Weight-bearing training that pulls on bones, joints, and muscles can strengthen bone health. Movements like squats, rows, shoulder and chest presses, and push-ups can be started at any age (if you don't already have advanced bone loss), though ideally they should be started earlier—in one's teens or young adulthood—to stave off bone density losses that begin in your 30s.
That muscle loss, formally referred to as sarcopenia [saar-ko-pee-nee-uh], averages 3% to 5%, depending on physical activity. These losses can progress with age, but resistance training helps combat some of this natural degradation.
A study from 2025 links having higher amounts of muscle with a more youthful-looking brain age. Scientists analyzed data from more than 1,100 healthy adults around their mid-50s after they underwent full-body MRIs, comparing muscle, fat, and brain age appearances from the scans.Their findings link strength training and controlling visceral fat with improved brain health. The research didn't tease apart why this benefit occurs.
That recommendation—muscle-strengthening activities on two or more days a week working all major muscle groups—is in addition to 150 minutes weekly of moderate-intensity physical activity. Those resistance and aerobic training numbers from the US government are echoed by other medical groups. But nearly 80% of adults aren't checking the box on those goals. This failure is linked to about $117B in annual health costs and some 10% of premature mortality.
A meta-analysis concluded that resistance training for about 60 minutes per week provided the best health benefit—decreasing the likelihood of death for individuals within a specific timeframe around 27%.
In a study covering about 140,000 people across 17 countries, scientists found that for every 5 kilogram drop in adults' grip strength, it raised the risk of death by 16%. Grip strength, the research found, was a stronger predictor of cardiovascular death than systolic blood pressure.
Randomized control trials looking at structural neuroimaging and exercise suggest that resistance training in older adults induces structural brain changes that could reduce the risk of Alzheimer's Disease or mitigate its progression. The benefits have been documented when performed at least twice per week for at least six months.
Mayo Clinic put together a collection of videos demonstrating how to get started with strength training, including with exercises like step-ups, abdominal crunches, and more. The Mayo Clinic advises people to try to engage in these exercises working all the major muscles at least twice a week. It also encourages people to inhale and exhale fully between each repetition—inhaling during the less strenuous part of the exercise.
The goal with strength training is to stimulate your muscles by straining them a bit, so using any everyday items at home that you can barely lift easily will help you meet that goal. Over time, users can increase the weight they're lifting and their repetitions to provide a greater workout.
That's the recommendation in March 2026 from the American College of Sports Medicine. They reviewed existing studies on the topic and concluded that resistance training with progressively more weight and repetitions improves muscle strength, size, power, endurance, gait speed, balance, and more.
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