Arnold Schwarzenegger is determined to live as long as he can. In his latest Arnold’s Pump Club newsletter (October 22, 2026), he compared the longevity benefits of strength training versus cardio. According to the bodybuilding legend, combining both could be the most advantageous option.
“Strength or Cardio? The Longest Lives Had Both – Spend any time in the strength corner of the internet, and you’ll hear that lifting is the only longevity exercise you need. Spend time in the endurance world, and you’ll hear the opposite.”
In the 1970s and early 80s, Arnold Schwarzenegger cemented himself as an all-time great bodybuilder. En route to earning seven Mr. Olympia titles, he defeated mainstays of the sport, including Sergio Oliva, Frank Zane, and Lou Ferrigno. It’s been decades since Arnold stepped onstage, but his pursuit of lifelong health and functionality remains a priority.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Weighs In on Which Kind of Training Is Best for Living Longer
In the newsletter, Schwarzenegger pointed to promising research suggesting that people who lived longest combined cardio and strength training.
“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.”
“Researchers followed nearly 147,000 health professionals for up to 30 years, tracking how much aerobic exercise and how much weight training each person did. Because they recorded both, they could see how each one related to risk of death, on its own and together. To be clear, the research was observational, so it shows which habits were linked to longer lives, not proof that exercise caused them.”
He added that regular aerobic activity alone still carried a lower risk of death compared to sedentary individuals.
“Regular aerobic activity was associated with roughly a 26% to 43% lower risk of death than barely moving, and more activity tracked with more protection. Lifting was linked to additional protection. And the main takeaway is that the lowest risk belonged to people who did plenty of both.”
Schwarzenegger cautioned that the study didn’t take into account the added muscle or strength from training, which can have a substantial impact on functionality and independence as we age.
“One detail is easy to misread. Lifting alone showed only a weak signal in this data. That doesn’t mean strength doesn’t matter. The study measured time spent lifting, not strength or muscle mass, and those are the things that protect your independence, your bones, your blood sugar, and your ability to get off the floor or carry groceries upstairs at 80. Cardio can’t build those. Lifting can’t build a strong heart and lungs in the same way. Each covers what the other misses.”
“That’s the real takeaway: exercise isn’t a competition over which program matters more. They stack and work together to build a healthier system. Strength keeps your body capable. Cardio keeps your engine running. You need both for a long life you can actually enjoy.”
If you’re already training, Schwarzenegger said to fill the gap with whatever is missing:
“So look at your week and find the missing piece. If you’re all dumbbells, add movement that leaves you breathing hard: three brisk 30-minute walks, a couple of bike rides, a swim. If you’re all running, add two full-body strength sessions. Neither replaces the other. Together, they’re where the longest lives were found.”
Schwarzenegger still makes sure to fit in a bicycle ride when he can on top of consistent resistance training. To live beyond 100, he recognizes that keeping both forms of training in his rotation will help keep him feeling young.
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