Any strength training is better than none at all

This is the key finding of a comprehensive overview study recently published in the journal "Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise".

A team from Canada's McMaster University in Hamilton analyzed 137 studies on the effects of strength training with a total of more than 30,000 participants 17 years after the last survey of this kind and, according to their own information, included more different people and types of training than ever before.

Gym is not a must

The findings are simple: "The best strength training program is the one that you actually stick with," emphasizes study author Stuart Phillips. "It's far more important to train all major muscle groups at least twice a week than to chase after a 'perfect' or complex training plan." Whether with dumbbells, elastic bands or just your own body weight - muscle building and more strength and endurance can be achieved with consistency. Going to the gym is not necessarily required.

For professional athletes and very highly trained amateur athletes, more specific exercise plans make sense, but for the average adult, the message is simple: find a type of strength training that you enjoy - and stick with it!

The greatest positive effects are seen when you switch from no strength training to some type of strength training, the authors write.

Important for healthy ageing

The study also dispels some widespread assumptions: it is not necessary to train to the point of absolute exhaustion in order to build up strength and muscles, they say. This is more likely to lead to injury risks. Frequent variation of the training plan is also less important for the average athlete than previously assumed.

Strength training also has clear positive consequences for long-term quality of life: according to the analysis, walking speed, balance and sleep quality improve, while the risk of cardiovascular disease decreases.