Two 20-Minute Strength Sessions a Week Cut Health Risks, Expert Says

1 articles · Updated · The Independent · Aug 22

Two 20- to 30-minute strength-training sessions a week can deliver major gains in health, fitness and longevity, according to exercise scientist Brad Schoenfeld.
Three conditions drive those benefits: train consistently on non-consecutive days, make the final repetitions hard, and work all major muscle groups in each full-body session.
Research cited by Schoenfeld suggests it is not too late to start: in one 1990 study, 10 frail adults aged 90 or older improved strength and mobility after eight weeks, with two no longer needing walking sticks.
Muscle loss begins at about 0.5% a year in sedentary adults from their 30s and 40s, he said, making earlier training valuable, though even people 75 and older still show significant gains in strength, function and independence.