The data shows that being strong is as big a mediator in terms of long-term health as anything
Muscle is protective against cancer, it enhances survivorship in people with cancer, and it reduces the risk of mortality in people with hypertension, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. A new JAMA study revealed that if you can do 40 or more pushups in a row, youre 96 percent less likely to deal with heart problems in the next decade than someone who cant do 10.
Phillips expects that in five years the government recommendation regarding strength training will be beefed up: Instead of suggesting two strength sessions per week, it will recommend three to five. Strength really is a buffer to mortality, he says. And more importantly, it extends your health span, so you can maintain a higher quality of life for longer. Starting around age 40, most people begin to lose muscle mass. Its imperceptible at first but accelerates to about a pound per year by the time youre 50. Its easier to mitigate the slope of that decline by training more when youre younger than it is to try to rebound when your muscle has wasted away.
I can still walk as well as I can because I train.
Nagy is living proof of that. Hes 5-foot-6 and a solid 154 pounds-around the same weight he has always been-and has trained regularly for the past 70 years. The standing cable press and pushup are his favorite exercises, and he does them in workouts that tend to last about 90 minutes but include lots of recovery time spent joshing with his squad. Nagy took a tumble two years ago, breaking his arm and knocking out a few teeth. Being strong helped me recover better, he says. I can still walk as well as I can because I train.