Arnold Schwarzenegger Weighs in on Strength Training and Cardio for Longevity

Highlights

• Arnold Schwarzenegger recommends combining strength training and cardio for longevity, citing research that associated doing both with the greatest survival benefits.
• Strength training helps preserve muscle, mobility, and independence as you age, while cardio supports heart and lung health.
• Schwarzenegger advises filling gaps in your routine by adding cardio if you primarily lift weights, or two weekly full-body strength sessions if you focus on endurance exercise.

Arnold Schwarzenegger has spent much of his life curating a phenomenal physique with intense weightlifting. Recently, though, the 79-year-old bodybuilding legend addressed another type of exercise, cardio exercise—physical activity that raises your heart rate and makes you breathe faster for a sustained period—in his Arnold’s Pump Club newsletter. In doing so, he tackled a longstanding debate in the fitness realm: whether cardio or strength training with weights is better for longevity. According to Arnold, the answer is that the two forms of exercise need to be combined.

Although Arnold has built his iconic physique primarily with countless hours of weight training, now in his golden years, he has shifted his priorities toward maintaining strength, mobility, and cardiovascular health for the sake of longevity. Accordingly, more recently, he has incorporated cardio exercises, like bicycling and swimming, into his exercise regimen.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Explains the Rationale for Combining Cardio with Strength Training for Longevity

Schwarzenegger relayed research involving almost 147,000 health professionals who were tracked for up to 30 years. In the research, scientists examined the relationship between weight training, cardio, and the risk of mortality. The findings suggest that people who engage in both types of exercise experience the greatest benefits toward longevity.

“A large new analysis suggests both camps are half right because the people who lived longest didn’t pick a side and prioritized lifting weights and cardiovascular training,” wrote Schwarzenegger.

The research showed that regular aerobic exercise, which essentially means the same thing as cardio in everyday fitness language, was associated with a 26% to 43% lower risk of death compared to very low physical activity levels. Strength training with weights appeared to confer additional benefits when combined with cardio. In his newsletter, Arnold emphasized that the research was observational, meaning that it showed associations rather than proving that exercise directly caused the health professionals in the study to live longer.

Intriguingly, weightlifting on its own showed a weaker association with longevity. Arnold cautioned against interpreting this as evidence that building muscle is less important. Along these lines, the research tracked how much time participants spent lifting weights, rather than their actual gains in muscle mass or strength. Gains in muscle mass and strength are important as people age, because maintaining muscle can help preserve mobility, bone health, metabolism, and the ability to perform everyday activities independently. In the meantime, cardio confers benefits to the heart and lungs that weight training may not provide to the same degree.

“Strength keeps your body capable. Cardio keeps your engine running. You need both for a long life you can actually enjoy,” explained Schwarzenegger.

Arnold Recommends Adding Whatever Is Missing to Your Exercise Program

For aging people who prioritize either weight training over cardio or vice versa, Arnold offered a straightforward solution: gradually incorporate whichever form of exercise is missing into your exercise routine. For people dedicated to weight training, he suggested adding cardio activities like three 30-minute brisk walks per week, a couple of weekly bicycle rides, swimming sessions when possible, and any other activities that elevate heart rate. For runners who rarely touch weights, Arnold recommended adding two full-body strength training sessions every week.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Practices What He Preaches

Arnold adheres to his own advice, thereby practicing what he preaches. Despite undergoing four major heart-related procedures over the years, he remains committed to regular exercise, choosing weightlifting for strength and bicycling for cardio.

As an older adult, Arnold’s approach to fitness has considerably evolved since his days of dominating the bodybuilding spotlight during his younger years. However, his dedication to fitness has remained steadfast.

As someone who frequently discusses his desire to live healthy, fit, and independent into his later years of life, Arnold has also adopted the ambitious goal of living past 100. Being the man who helped make the muscle pump from weightlifting famous, Arnold understands that keeping the cardiovascular system functioning optimally with cardio is just as important as weight training.