Resistance Training and Healthy Aging: What the Evidence Says About Longevity in Your 30s, 40s, and 50s

Men's Fitness via Yahoo ^ | July 27th, 2026 | K.D. Moore

[Mariner]

Most men don't think much about aging until something forces the issue: a lift that used to feel easy, stairs that leave you winded, or a waistline that expanded despite no real change in habits. Fortunately, the research on longevity and healthy aging is largely consistent on what to do. Resistance training, plainly lifting weights regularly, is one of the most well-supported interventions available for extending both lifespan and health span, the stretch of years you spend actually capable of doing the things you want to do. This is not a supplement pitch or a training trend. It is the current body of evidence built over decades of research, and it applies directly to both men and women who may be beginning to feel the effects of aging.

The Clock Starts Earlier Than Most Men Realize

Muscle loss, clinically known as sarcopenia, does not wait for retirement. Muscle mass typically declines by 3% to 8% per decade starting around age 30, with the rate of loss accelerating after age 60. Peak muscular strength and power are usually reached between the ages of 25 and 35, after which decline is slow at first, then speeds up with advancing age. By the time most people notice a real difference in how they move, feel, or perform, the underlying process has likely been running for a decade or more.

[Mariner]

I'm 70yrs old and my weekly load is approximately 15,000 pounds.

I don't know if that's good or bad, but I do know every person, both men and women benefit from this Fountain of Youth.

[Jonty30]

Ahnold moved a million pounds a workout.

[Mariner]

“Ahnold moved a million pounds a workout.”

A million per week is accurate.

[TheThirdRuffian]

I haven’t added it up but 5x5 deadlifts today at 315, 315, 405, 495, and 545 probably get me close. Did a bunch of other stuff but it involved machines and no clue how to add that.

Do something comparable 3-4 days a week

Plus cardio in AM, every day.

[Jonty30]

Arnold Schwarzenegger often claimed that during the peak of his bodybuilding career he moved around 500,000 pounds (about 227,000 kg) of total weight in a single workout. This figure refers to total training volume (tonnage)—the sum of all the weight lifted across every exercise, set, and rep—not the weight of any single lift.

For example, a workout like this could add up quickly:

Bench press: 5 sets × 10 reps × 315 lb = 15,750 lb
Incline bench: 5 × 10 × 275 lb = 13,750 lb
Dumbbell flyes: 5 × 12 × 70 lb each = 8,400 lb
Plus numerous additional chest, back, shoulder, arm, and leg exercises.

Arnold’s competition-era workouts were legendary for their volume:

Often 20–30 working sets per major muscle group.
2–3 hours per session, sometimes twice a day.
Around 80–100 total sets in a day during contest preparation.
Was 500,000 pounds realistic?

Yes. If you total the tonnage from 80–100 sets using moderate-to-heavy weights, 400,000–600,000 pounds in a marathon workout is plausible for an elite bodybuilder training with Arnold’s style. Modern bodybuilding coaches, however, generally consider that amount of volume excessive for most lifters because recovery tends to become the limiting factor.

Arnold himself has since acknowledged that he trained for up to five hours a day in his prime, but has said that his current approach emphasizes shorter, smarter workouts that are easier on the joints.

[newfreep]

I’m on the upper side of my 70s and have always been an athlete including chosen as an Outstanding Amateur Athlete in the Greater Dayton,OH area.

At 37, when I finished my BS/MBA as a single dad w/2 pre-teen daughters, I gifted myself a fitness club membership...and have been going ever since.

For decades I’ve done HIIT/Cardio on an elliptical - typically 30-40 minutes - 3x/week.
I do free weights & machines 3x/week.
I drink 70-90oz of water/day
Lots (daily) of grass fed organic beef 93% lean 8oz grilled burgers.
I actively continue my entrepreneurial business 6 days/week.
...and still 5’9 and 150lbs.

Whew...I’m exhausted from typing all that...

[DeplorablePaul]

I bought a bowflex in 2001 and have used it regularly since. Currently I do 14 exercises, covering all the muscle groups, to muscle failure, four times a week. Takes about 20 minutes. I have gotten good results.

[Fester Chugabrew]

At age 66 I was inspired by a friend same age as me. After months of daily gym - both strength and cardio - together with dietary discretion and good sleep habits, the difference has been noticeable.

Now at 68, I’m still at it, but find it difficult to resist calorie intake. They say fat/muscle ratio is more important than BMI. This morning I was at 30.6% fat with a goal of reaching 25%.

I can tell there is too much fat on me, but need to deal with it steadily. No magic or medical tricks, and cannot let zeal overtake common sense.

My weight lifting is nearly all machine, taking care to pace the reps, keep good form, and get just a little burn out of it.

Sit ups this morning were 3 sets, 20 reps on a 10% reverse incline. Those felt good.

[Mariner]

“Lots (daily) of grass fed organic beef 93% lean 8oz grilled burgers.”

I’ve been doing those lately but only about 3x per week.
Mostly because the only steak that’s affordable is barely edible.

I’m still eating a bunch of chicken breast, eggs and Greek yogurt.

[Fester Chugabrew]

My gym has 110 lb. dumbells. I just stare at them in wonder.

[Uncle Miltie]

Is the math for “weekly load”

Reps per Machine
x Machines per day
x Weight per machine
x Visits to the gym per week

If that’s the math ...

I’m at 252,000.

[Uncle Miltie]

Reps per Machine = 35
x Machines per day = 24
x Weight per machine 70 (average)
x Visits to the gym per week 4

= 252,000 pounds moved per week.

That’s before yard chores.

[Uncle Miltie]

5’11”, 174 pounds, 64 Years, Levi’s waist size 33, sport jacket size 42.

[Uncle Miltie]

When I took on weights, I went from a standard Pre-Diabetic blood sugar rating of 116 and took it down to a standard of 85. I continued the whole time to eat a ton of protein and very few carbs.

Blood pressure went from around 160 / 96 to 125 / 78 or so.

[Uncle Miltie]

I once bought pants in size 38 because they fit. I now buy Levi’s (which are vanity sized) in 33. Actual taped circumference is 36, but no pants I know of are sized based on tapes; they all vanity size more or less.

I custom made leather belts for myself snugly on the middle of 5 holes about 5 years ago. I’m now loose on the tightest hole, which is a measured 2.25” reduction.

[Mariner]

the math is:

sets x reps x weight

per week

Pretty sure an old man like us is not at 252,000.

[Uncle Miltie]

sets x reps x weight

Sets: I do one set of 25, stretch for a minute, then one set of 15 at a higher weight. So purely on “sets”, I do 2.
Reps: 40 Reps, as discussed, 25 then 15.
Weight: 70 Pounds (some machines as low as 30 pounds, some as high as 150, averaging about 70 pounds)

But how do you take into account I do those same sets, reps and weight on 24 separate machines per visit, and visit 4 days a week?

It seems my original math shows how many total pounds I pump per week.

[Uncle Miltie]

Fixing the “Reps” to 40, which is my 25 first set plus my 15 second set for each machine:

Reps per Machine = 40
x Machines per day = 24
x Weight per machine 70 (average)
x Visits to the gym per week 4

= 288,000 pounds moved per week.

[Uncle Miltie]

ChatGPT’s math:

Here’s what we have so far:

4 workouts
24 machines per workout
Average weight: 70 lb
2 working sets per machine

Next question: On average, how many repetitions do you perform per set?

For example: 8, 10, 12, 15, 20, etc.

20

Excellent. Now we have enough to calculate your estimated weekly volume load.

Using the standard formula:

Volume Load = Weight × Reps × Sets × Exercises × Workouts

Your numbers are:

Weight = 70 lb
Reps = 20
Sets = 2
Machines = 24
Workouts = 4

Calculation:

Per set: 70 × 20 = 1,400 lb
Per machine: 1,400 × 2 = 2,800 lb
Per workout: 2,800 × 24 = 67,200 lb
Per week: 67,200 × 4 = 268,800 lb
Your estimated weekly training load

≈ 268,800 pounds (about 134.4 tons) of total volume load.

This is a solid metric to track over time. If next week you increase the average weight, reps, sets, machines, or workouts, your weekly load will increase accordingly.

[Uncle Miltie]

It’s probably cheating to use machines, which have pulleys, and so these are not dead weight lifts.