While aerobic exercise has long taken the lead in physical activity guidelines, researchers are finding that biceps curls and bench presses might be equally important for health and longevity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Strength training \u2014\u00a0exercise that increases muscle strength\u00a0by making muscles work against a weight or force (such as gravity) \u2014 was added to the\u00a02010 Global Recommendations on Physical Activity for Health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a recent\u00a0meta-analysis\u00a0combining 16 studies and data from over 1.5 million subjects, muscle-strengthening activities were associated with almost a 20 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, lung cancer and all-cause mortality.Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cStrength training confers a host of health benefits independent of aerobic exercise,\u201d said Daniel J. McDonough, a researcher at the University of Minnesota\u2019s School of Public Health and co-author of a large\u00a0study\u00a0that looked at the effect of aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercise on mortality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n