The benefits of physical exercise for the brain have long been known, but most studies focused on aerobic exercise—running, swimming—and its effects on specific structures, such as the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory. Strength training remained poorly studied, and most importantly, no one had tested whether it could slow brain aging as a whole, rather than simply improve the performance of a particular region.
“The results of the studies have been conflicting, and strength training has been particularly understudied,” explains the new study's author, Professor Agustín Ibáñez of the Global Brain Health Institute and Director of the Latin American Institute of Brain Health. “We wanted to answer a very practical and pressing question: can a real-world intervention like strength training impact brain aging?”
For their assessment, the scientists used a so-called “brain clock”—a computer model that analyzes brain images and determines biological age based on the degree of wear and tear. If the model estimates a brain to be younger than a person's chronological age, it means they are aging more slowly. The model was trained using functional MRI data from 2,433 healthy adults.
“Brain clock” has shown that strength training really does make the brain “younger.”
The experiment involved 309 healthy individuals aged 62–70 years, randomly divided into three groups. The first group performed intense strength training three times a week under the supervision of an instructor. The second group trained moderately—one session with a trainer and two sessions on their own per week. The third group led a normal lifestyle without any additional exercise. The experiment lasted a year, with follow-up measurements taken not only during the experiment but also two years after its conclusion.
The results were impressive. Both training groups experienced a reduction in brain age by 1.4–2.3 years compared to the control group, and this effect was maintained two years later. The scans also revealed strengthened connections between the prefrontal regions of the brain, which are responsible for planning and attention. This “rejuvenation” affected the brain as a whole, not just individual networks.
“We expected changes in specific networks, but instead we saw a distributed pattern throughout the brain,” says Ibáñez. “This points to systemic mechanisms—vascular, metabolic, anti-inflammatory.”
Slowing brain aging doesn't require setting records or training with professional trainers to the point of exhaustion. Home workouts with light weights are sufficient, as long as they're done regularly.
Importantly, even moderate exercise produced a noticeable effect. “We're not talking about elite fitness training under the guidance of champions,” the scientist emphasizes. “Even moderate but regular strength training measurably impacts how the brain ages.” However, Ibáñez cautions against being overly enthusiastic about the results: unfortunately, exercise can't turn back time and isn't a substitute for medical care, and the brain clock is just one tool reflecting the brain's overall resilience, not a fully-fledged timekeeper.
Previously, scientists described the best strength training plan .