Treatments and supplements · Strength training
What does strength training do after forty?
What we can tell you today: how thoroughly this has been studied.
Thoroughly studied
6 studies, of which 4 bring together the results of several trials in people. This is as strong as evidence gets.
5 Repeated evidence 4 studies
3 Small study in people 2 studies
This says how thoroughly something has been studied — not whether it works for you. What each study actually found is in the study itself, and in the plain-language write-ups we are adding.
Appears under: Living longer in good health · Sleep, energy and the brain · Menopause and hormones
The studies
- 5 Repeated evidence
Resistance training effectiveness on body composition and body weight outcomes in individuals with overweight and obesity across the lifespan: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
2022 · Obesity reviews : an official journal of the Internatio · 4,184 participants
- 5 Repeated evidence
The impact of aerobic and resistance training intensity on markers of neuroplasticity in health and disease.
2022 · Ageing research reviews
- 5 Repeated evidence
Effect of resistance training on muscle strength and rate of force development in healthy older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
2019 · Experimental gerontology
- 5 Repeated evidence
Resistance training for postmenopausal women: systematic review and meta-analysis.
2022 · Menopause (New York, N.Y.) · 452 participants
- 3 Small study in people
Efficacy of time restricted eating and resistance training on body composition and mood profiles among young adults with overweight/obesity: a randomized controlled trial.
2025 · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutritio
- 3 Small study in people
Cognitive gains and cortical thickness changes after 12 weeks of resistance training in older adults with low and high risk of mild cognitive impairment: Findings from a randomized controlled trial.
2025 · Brain research bulletin