Some of the infomercials were correct
This is not medical advice.
They were correct for the wrong reasons. They just wanted to sell a product, so they said, “It only takes 20 minutes per day, 3 times a week!”
When I was younger, I was far more skeptical, but am now starting to see some truth in that.
When I was younger, I was eager to spend an hour per day or more, lifting weights and exercising, and saw the benefits of that routine. But hours benefited vanity and/or sport preparation. Health benefits are a different prescription of exercises time and intensity.
I came across this article describing how there are studies showing that too much strength training will start to lower life expectancy. There are links to the studies listed at the bottom of the article. It appears that the sweat spot of benefits is 1 hour per week, or as the infomercials stated, “20 minutes, 3 times per week!”
This is going to sound great for people who really weren’t enthused about strength training or weightlifting, and piss off those of us who are addicted to weight lifting and exercise.
Meathead corner
There are different ways of looking at this. Maybe you don’t want to live forever. Maybe you want to accomplish things that involve extremes in human performance.
Anecdotally we see proof in the theory above. The shorter life span of former NFL lineman, some retired bodybuilders or boxers, etc.
But those people were very motivated to achieve some greatness in sport, and is was more about the quality of their time on Earth, than a number.
The reasons why?
I don’t think we know exactly the reasons why excessive weightlifting would cause lower lifespans. My guess is cumulative stress. Exercise is a good stressor on the body, but it is still a stress.
If everyone did something…
I am convinced that if everyone did one hour of strengthening a week, we would have a drastically lower number of customers (patients) and a much better quality of healthcare. Our overwhelming number of patients is partially what causes prices to rise, and one on one time for care to decrease.
Although, much of our technological innovation is driven by sheer numbers and profits. So pick your poison.
The people who live the longest…
…have this ideal balance by having enough muscle to thrive, yet don’t carry too much muscle or fat. There are studies that claim that decreased overall caloric consumption is a factor of longevity.
The flip side to that is all the seniors I meet who have lost their appetite, and don’t eat enough calories and don’t have enough muscle for survival.