2025-03-01 – Health – www.theguardian.com
Hitting the gym will make you fitter and happier, but not all strength work is equal. Here are the smart choices to make – with weights and without – for all ages
Gym culture is changing. Once the preserve of musclemen whose veins looked ready to pop, now muscle-strengthening activities are being advised by the NHS for those aged 19-64 at least twice a week. That’s because an increasing body of evidence links strength work with wellbeing and longevity, including a 2024 study that showed 90 minutes of strength training a week resulted in four years less biological ageing. Maybe that’s why about 15% of the UK population is now a member of a gym. Part of the appeal is accessibility – it’s not as technical as swimming, for example – but despite its simplicity, there’s a huge amount of misinformation and conflicting advice.
Low or high reps?
Strength-training exercises are structured into a number of sets made up of repetitions. For instance, eight lifts, rest, followed…