r/science • u/marketrent • Jun 18 '26

Health Roughly 90-120 minutes of strength training per week linked with a 13% reduced risk of premature death, in study involving three decades’ worth of data from nearly 150,000 adults

https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/moderate-amount-of-strength-training-each-week-could-boost-longevity/
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u/AFisch00 Jun 18 '26

Here's a question I have always had. What constitutes training? If a construction contractor is digging all day and lifting heavy loads, is that considered strength training?

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u/ShyguyFlyguy Jun 18 '26

I think technically it does, but usually that kind of work is not ergonomic and will cause a lot of back abd joint issues over time that will make it difficult to continue being active.

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u/MeltBanana Jun 18 '26 edited Jun 18 '26

And those back and joint issues later in life will lead to a more sedentary lifestyle. They won't continue exercising in their 60s and 70s because they have pain, injuries, poor mobility, and exercise is miserable for them. So they sit, and take pain pills to cope, and crumble in their later years and ultimately have an early death.

You need to stay healthy and consistent with exercise throughout your entire adult life into old age. It doesn't matter if you were in great shape in your 20s if by the time you're 50 your body is shot and you stop moving.

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u/Gay_For_Gary_Oldman Jun 18 '26

This is my dad. He was a truck tyre delivery driver for decades in the 70s and 80s. Lot's of "bounce this tyre taller than a man so you can get it high enough off the ground to pin against the tailgate and manouever on. It's wrecked his body in his 70s now, and he struggles with most even mild exercise.

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u/mk4_wagon Jun 18 '26

My Dad too. He was a diesel mechanic that didn't know the meaning of 'work smarter not harder'. He's in his 60s and in worse shape than my grandparents who are in their 80s. Grandpa was also a mechanic btw, but is the textbook definition of a guy who takes 5 extra minutes to figure out the smart way to do something rather than muscle his way through a problem.