The 90-minute habit: The weekly workout slashing the risk of stroke and dementia

Saturday, 20 June 2026

New research tracking 150,000 participants over 30 years shows 90 minutes of weekly strength training reduces premature death risk by 13%.

Regular resistance training lowered cardiovascular deaths by 19% and reduced mortality from neurological illnesses like dementia by 27%.

Combining strength training with aerobic exercise provided the greatest benefits, reducing premature death risk by up to 58%.

When Wellington mother-of-four Virginie ‘Shoo’ Lin developed a headache following an intensely stressful weekend, she thought little of it.

Having dealt with occasional migraines in the past, she simply assumed it would pass. However, as the pain lingered, she sought medical attention — only to receive a shocking diagnosis. It wasn't a migraine; she had suffered a stroke.

“The fatigue is like nothing that can be explained, but every stroke survivor knows it,” she explains. “A feeling of hollowness. I had to sit down to have a shower for a month because it was exhausting on both a physical and sensory level.”

Five years on from that life-altering event, Shoo has radically overhauled her health. She committed to a rigorous fitness regimen, incorporating running, Pilates, kickboxing, boxing, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) into her life. Yet, it was the introduction of strength training that truly accelerated the 45-year-old’s recovery.

“I’ve now been going religiously twice a week for the past seven months. What I noticed straight away was the improvement from week to week. I’d be able to up the weights and do more reps, so it makes it easy to stay motivated because I can see the growth.”

These days she is “feeling great”: “It’s good to look back and see how far I’ve come — from barely being able to stand in a room to being able to train multiple times a week.

“It’s made such a difference to my self-esteem, confidence, and overall mental support. Even though I primarily use strength training as a means to support other sports, I would do it 100% now as a baseline regardless.”

New research shows the importance of strength training

A major, three-decade study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine has reinforced the vital connection between resistance training, longevity, and long-term health.

Researchers tracked nearly 150,000 participants — specifically over 31,000 men and roughly 116,000 women — across three comprehensive longitudinal studies. Over 30 years, these individuals consistently logged their weekly aerobic and strength-based exercise habits.

The data revealed that investing just 90 minutes to two hours in weekly strength training reduced the risk of premature death from any cause by 13%. More specifically, regular resistance work lowered cardiovascular deaths (including heart attacks and strokes) by 19%, and cut the risk of mortality from neurological illnesses like dementia by a striking 27%.

Notably, the benefits appeared to plateau; working out with weights for more than 120 minutes a week offered no additional statistical advantage.

Redefining 'strength work'

What qualifies as strength training?

“That’s a good question,“ says Dr Nigel Harris, Professor of Exercise for Health at Auckland University of Technology’s Human Potential Research Institute. “It's activities that place some sort of overload that strengthen muscle and bone.”

Harris explains that could include the likes of lifting bags of groceries, but this study focused on “structured and semi-structured components” such as going to the gym and lifting weights, or using body weight or equipment like sandbags for press-ups and squats.

“For this research, strength training would be defined as an activity that you undertake specifically to overload your muscles in a way that is beyond what they are used to on a day-to-day basis.”

Not a surprise, but important evidence

For health experts, the results were less of a revelation and more of a confirmation.

“Totally unsurprising,” says Dr Anna Rolleston, managing director of The Centre for Health in Tauranga. “We know that resistance training is important for ageing well. It is nice to see it being presented, though, because it is often the poor cousin to aerobic exercise. It is super important for longevity.”

Harris agrees the evidence has been building for years, but says the scale of this study makes it particularly compelling. “It’s pretty powerful data,” he says.

What’s actually happening to our bodies when we do resistance training?

Resistance training strengthens the body in two key ways: muscles grow and adapt through protein synthesis, becoming stronger and more efficient, while the communication pathways between the brain and muscles improve, aiding coordination and movement.

Harris says the effects go far beyond simply building bigger muscles. “Most people associate strength training with sore muscles,” he says, “but it actually triggers a whole range of responses throughout the body.”

These include improved glucose metabolism, changes in hormone activity, and positive effects on brain function. “One of the particularly interesting aspects of this research is the effect on neurological disorders,” he says. “The mind-muscle connection is really fascinating.”

Limitations of the study

While the research provides valuable data, there are gaps. The respondents self-reported their exercise, meaning the exact type of training and its intensity were not captured. The demographic was also mainly people in their 50s and 60s, and there was a clear gender imbalance.

Still, Harris says the core message remains clear.

“When they tracked 150,000 people over 30 years, it was quite clear that you live longer if you engage in resistance training and you are less likely to suffer the worries of cardiovascular disease, neurological disorders, and so on. So that's pretty profound.”

The ultimate combo

The biggest benefits came from combining strength training with aerobic exercise. People who regularly did both saw their risk of premature death drop by as much as 58%.

“Put these things together and you have an achievable and potent mix, and that's what this research is saying,” says Harris. “Resistance training works on its own; add in regular cardiovascular exercise, and you have something that is a really potent polypill.”

The takeaway

Ultimately, the research proves it is never too late to start lifting, whether you are recovering from a health crisis like Shoo or simply looking to protect your future self.

“Encouraging people to do it, even if they've never done it before, that's something I would be really keen to get across,” says Rolleston. “The more people who start, the better it is for them long term.”