Cardio Vs. Weights: Cardio Ups Lifespan. Adding Weights Works

cardio exercise weights live longer woman jumping at sunset

Photo: Cdoncel, Unsplash

Cardio Exercise Increases Lifespan. Adding Weights Helps Even More:

Most of us at HT have a few things in common. We’re fairly-sexy for nerds, and we also want to live better and longer lives.

So studies and research like the work that went around the world to find the longest-living people should be right at home here.

Although those people had some great environmental habits, they also had some x-factors.

But the Great American Response of, “Can’t I just take a pill for that?” didn’t really work for that amazing set of studies.

And until “exercise in a pill” is available, this NCI work is going to make you want to get your aerobics gear and running shoes back on, too.

-At least you could soften the blow by listening to Electric Callboy…

The Short Answer:

Most of the time, westerners just want to take a pill to fix their health problems.
Dr. David Sinclair may have gotten the closest to that for the problem of aging.
But most of the studies on How To Live To 100 involve many positives in the same place.
They also show there are a few x-factors to living longer also.
Intermittent-fasting, calorie-restriction, olive oil, and autophagy are all really good ones.
100,000 subjects were followed for 9.5 years based on their responses to exercise questionnaires.
They answered questions about both cardio and weight-bearing exercise.
Subjects who did at least 150 minutes/week of cardio exercise alone had a 24-34% reduced risk of early mortality.
Those who did only weight-bearing exercise 1-6x/week had between 9-22% reduced risk of early-mortality.
People who did both had almost halved their risk at a 41-47% reduction.
The subjects who accomplished this were had an average age of 71 and were overweight with an average BMI of 27.8.
As with the culture & location-based super-ager studies, there may be some x-factors that contribute, too.

Read on to find out the details…

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There Are Very Few Pills You Can Take, But Several Things You Can Do:

So yes, it’s true Dr. David Sinclair’s team has found what looks to be an amazing discovery when it comes to living longer.

And Aging is now beginning to be classified more as a disease, and one that will become a lot more treatable; probably as it should.

Furthermore, it’s looking like intermittent-fasting is another recent innovation that seems like it extends lifespan, too.

Especially through the autophagy process.

-But now we’re starting to get into things you’d have to -do-, not pills you could take.

100,000+ Results On The Benefits Of Different Exercises:

And on that note of taking action, here is what the recent work found:

A large-scale study of more than 150,000 Americans was started in 1993.

Among the lifestyle factors reported in this work was the amount subjects exercised.

Out of that total group, about 100,000 people had their final responses on different types of exercise included in the analysis.

Interestingly enough, we already have basic guidelines on how much cardio to get, which amounts to about 30 minutes/day.

Dr. Mike Evans put out an absolutely killer video on all the health issues that just this bit of work helps you avoid.

But the really interesting bit is the NCI group didn’t just look at cardio exercise.

They checked in on weight-bearing exercise too!

But Weight-Bearing Exercise Is Where Things Start To Get Interesting:

In the 9.5 years of follow-up, the subjects were classified into four groups based on how much moderate to vigorous cardio exercise they did.

These were tiered as you might imagine from 0-low, all the way up to 4-“I’M TELLING EVERYONE WITHIN EARSHOT ABOUT CROSSFIT! AAAAAAAGGGGHHH!”

Although the numbers are still mind-blowing, for subjects who did regular cardio they were as you might expect,

People who did that exercise at least 150 minutes/week had about a 24-34% lower risk of early mortality.

Here’s where things get interesting.

Although working out with weights alone was associated with a 9-22% reduced risk of early mortality (based on frequency).

It gets WAY better when subject combined the two!

A Surprising Result For People Who Do -Both- Kinds Of Exercise:

Because almost 1/4 of the subjects lifted weights, with about 15% of them doing it 1-6 times/week.

And out of that group of lifters, 24% of them were -also- doing the minimum 150 minutes of cardio each week and 8% even exceeded that.

That’s where the best results of the study surfaced. Because those lucky ducks had between 41-47% reduced risk of early mortality from any cause *(except The Big C)!

Oh, and by the way, it gets even better!

These Exercise-Longevity Results Aren’t Just For 30-Year-Olds:

The average age of the subjects was 71, and their average BMI was 27.8, which is classified as overweight!

So if someone who is overweight and over 70 can -still- just about halve their risk of early mortality from any cause*,

Then the potential for anyone in better condition with better BMI, lower body-fat %, and on better eating plans like intermittent-fasting might just be amazing!

(not to mention the fact that exercise into old age improves both your muscles and your nervous system at the same time.)

Some Limitations, But The Evidence Is Overwhelming At This Point:

Now for the limitations.

This was (as most diet & exercise studies that don’t involve voluntary incarceration) an observational-study.

It was also based on self-reported data.

So as usual, it can establish correlation but in the strictest-sense, not actual causation.

Although at this point, the numbers & correlations are so well-traveled, the preponderance of evidence should make the argument clear.

A Few Other Factors Might Have Influenced The Results, Too:

The study authors note, along with others who study longevity, that the social nature of gyms may also help as quality networks of that type are frequently associated with people who live longer.

Also, weight-bearing exercise often results in a higher muscle-mass and a leaner body, which is also correlated with longer lifespan, too.

So if Dr. Mike Evans’ excellent video on getting 30 minutes of exercise doesn’t convince you that you can & should break out the workout gear,

Well how about a near one half reduction in the likelihood of early mortality to get you motivated!