90 Minutes of Lifting a Week Might Be the Most Important Thing You Do For Your Health

I want to talk about two studies that landed in the UK recently, because when you put them together, they make a pretty compelling case for something I've been saying here and to my clients for years.

You don't need to train more. You need to train consistently.

Let me walk you through both.

Study 1: 90 Minutes of Strength Training a Week Could Save Your Life

A study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine followed 147,374 people across three major cohorts for up to 30 years.

That's not a small sample and it's not a short timeframe so this is valuable data.

The researchers wanted to understand the relationship between resistance training (weight training, machines, resistance bands), and mortality risk.

Not just "does it help" but how much do you need, and does more always mean better? Two questions I am constantly asking myself as I programme for my clients who's time and energy are both valuable and in short supply.

Here's what they found.

People who consistently did between 90 and 120 minutes of resistance training per week were:

• 13% less likely to die early from any cause

• 19% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease (heart attacks, strokes)

• 27% less likely to die from neurological disease (dementia, Alzheimers)

And when they combined that strength training with regular cardio, the risk of early death from any cause dropped by up to 58% compared to those who did neither.

That's a very significant number.

But here's the part that will surprise the "more is better" crowd at your local CrossFit box.

The researchers also found that doing more than two hours of strength training a week delivered no additional benefit.

Read that again.

More than two hours a week, zero extra reward.

This is the law of diminishing returns in action.

Your body doesn't respond to maximum effort. It responds to consistent, adequate effort sustained over a long period of time.

Two hours a week. Done consistently. For years. That's the dose you actually need.

Study 2: Exercise Slows Your Biological Age, At a Cellular Level

The second study comes from the University of Michigan, published in the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle.

This one tracked 3,873 older adults for 12 years and measured something most studies don't, how old their cells actually were.

They used two of the most validated biological ageing clocks in science: GrimAge and PhenoAge.

These don't measure how many birthdays you've had. They measure the biological age of your cells through changes in DNA methylation. Essentially, how fast your body is ageing at a molecular level.

The key finding was this:

People who exercised regularly were biologically 1.26 to 1.70 years younger than people who didn't.

Not just fitter. Not just slimmer. Not more jacked or badasss.

Younger, at a cellular level.

What counted as exercise? Nothing extreme. Brisk walking, strength training, cycling, HIIT. Essentially anything moderate to vigorous, done consistently, all moved the needle.

And here's the part I found particularly interesting.

Both long-term activity and recent activity were independently protective.

That means the people who had been consistently active for years had an advantage, but the people who had only recently started training also showed significant benefits.

Starting later still counts. It's never too late to start, or re-start. Your body responds to what you're doing now, not just what you've done in the past.

What These Two Studies Are Really Telling Us

Put these together and a very clear picture emerges.

Consistent, moderate exercise, particularly resistance training combined with some form of cardio, doesn't just make you look better or feel stronger.

It reduces your risk of dying early from heart disease, stroke and dementia. And it slows the rate at which your body ages at a biological level.

Not by a little. But a genuinley meaningful amount.

And the dose required is not what most people think.

You don't need to be in the gym five days a week. You don't need two-hour sessions. You don't need to be doing anything extreme or selling your soul to PureGym.

You need to be doing something, consistently, as part of your ongoing lifestyle.

Why Most People Are Getting This Wrong

Here's what I see constantly with the people I work with.

I'm talking specifically about regular people, in their 30's and 40's, with families, careers and responsibilities that take up a significant chunk of their time and energy.

They're not short of good intentions.

They're just constantly falling off the wagon restarting 3-6 months later.

They spend more time optimising the plan than executing one.

They do six weeks on, then three weeks off, then start again with a whole new "better" plan.

And because the results feel slow, because they can't see things like cellular ageing reversing in the mirror, they assume the training isn't working.

But it is. Even when it doesn't feel like it.

Every session you complete is in the bank. Every week you show up adds to it.

The compounding effect of consistent training over years is what these studies are measuring, and it is profound.

The question isn't whether you have the perfect programme. The question is whether you're actually sticking to it with imperfect action.

The Practical Takeaway

If you're looking for a starting point based on what the research actually shows, here's a super simple framework:

Resistance training: 90–120 minutes per week, spread across two to three sessions. This is the minimum effective dose for mortality and longevity benefits.

Cardio: Any moderate to vigorous aerobic activity on top of that. Brisk walking counts. And it compounds the benefit significantly.

Consistency over intensity: Both studies highlight that sustained, long-term activity is what drives outcomes. Not heroic efforts followed by long gaps.

It's never too late to start: The University of Michigan study is pretty clear. Recent activity matters independently of your history. Starting or restarting now still changes your biology.

Final Thought: 90 Minutes of Lifting is the Most Important Thing You Can Do For Your Health.

Your birthday doesn't decide how old you are. The average of your actions do.

Two hours of lifting a week. Some regular movement on top of that. Done consistently, for years.

That's it. That's scientifically proven to add years to your life and drastically improve your health. It is simply put, one of the most important things you can do for your health.

Sources:

Zhang Y, Lee DH, Rezende LFM, et al. Long-term resistance training with all-cause and cause-specific mortality: assessing dose-response and joint associations with aerobic physical activity. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2026.

Ammous F, Peterson MD, Mitchell C, Faul JD. Physical Activity Is Associated With Decreased Epigenetic Aging: Findings From the Health and Retirement Study. Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle, 2026.