Research

Mixed

Higher muscular strength is independently associated with reduced all-cause and cancer mortality in middle-aged men, and reduces all-cause mortality in men with hypertension and heart failure patients, even after adjusting for cardiorespiratory fitness.

Prioritize building muscular strength through resistance training. It is not just about looks; higher strength levels are strongly linked to living longer and reducing the risk of heart disease and cancer, independent of how much you exercise aerobically. Aim for progressive overload in major muscle groups.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Muscular strength has shown an independent protective effect on all-cause and cancer mortality in healthy middle-aged men, as well as in men with hypertension and patients with heart failure.
Enrique G. Artero et al. · Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and Prevention · 2012

Why this rating

Based on multiple large prospective cohort studies with long follow-ups, though observational design limits causal inference.

Source

Effects of Muscular Strength on Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Prognosis

Enrique G. Artero et al. · Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and Prevention · 2012

DOI 10.1097/hcr.0b013e3182642688

narrative_reviewCited 445×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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