You do not need to build your week around the gym. In an Iowa State University analysis of 12,591 adults, lifting weights for less than an hour a week was linked to a 40 to 70 percent lower risk of cardiovascular events, including heart attack and stroke.
The finding, published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, came from the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study. Participants were followed for a mean of 5.4 years for cardiovascular events and 10.5 years for all-cause mortality.
The protective association held whether or not people also met the aerobic activity guidelines.
Just as striking was the ceiling. Spending more than 60 minutes a week on resistance training added no further heart benefit, and a single session was enough to be linked to lower risk.
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Where the sweet spot shows up again
A separate systematic review in the journal Preventive Medicine reached a similar conclusion. It pooled ten studies of adults from the general population.
The 2022 meta-analysis found that any amount of resistance training was linked to a 15 percent lower risk of all-cause mortality and a 17 percent lower risk of cardiovascular death.
The dose-response curve was not linear. The maximum reduction in mortality risk, about 27 percent, appeared at roughly 60 minutes of resistance training per week, and benefits diminished at higher volumes.
The American Heart Association reviewed this evidence in its 2023 scientific statement on resistance exercise training and cardiovascular disease, published in Circulation in December 2023.
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The statement concluded that resistance training lowers blood pressure, improves cholesterol profiles and enhances insulin sensitivity. It named the practice an essential component of cardiovascular risk reduction.
What 60 minutes actually looks like
The AHA statement lays out a practical template. A single set of 8 to 12 repetitions to fatigue, using moderate loads of 40 to 60 percent of a person's one-repetition maximum, across 8 to 10 exercises that target the major muscle groups, performed twice a week.
For a beginner, that can mean two short sessions on the living room floor. Squats, push-ups and a row done as two sets each take roughly 5 to 10 minutes, and the Iowa State analysis found even small amounts counted.
"People may think they need to spend a lot of time lifting weights, but just two sets of bench presses that take less than 5 minutes could be effective," said Duck-chul Lee, associate professor of kinesiology at Iowa State University.
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Lee added that the mode is less important than the load.
"Lifting any weight that increases resistance on your muscles is the key. My muscle doesn't know the difference if I'm digging in the yard, carrying heavy shopping bags or lifting a dumbbell," he said.
Anyone with existing heart disease, high blood pressure or joint problems should talk to a doctor before starting a resistance program.
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