--- title: Resistance Training May Help Relieve Depression description: Resistance training, such as weight lifting, may reduce depressive symptoms, according to a new review in JAMA Psychiatry. canonical: https://time.com/5271079/resistance-training-depression/ author: Jamie Ducharme article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-05-09T16:38:17.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T20:13:27.322Z article:section: Health og:title: This Type of Exercise May Help Relieve Depression og:description: According to a new study og:url: https://time.com/5271079/resistance-training-depression/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt95ea28e151daf36f/698878c7ab6d7709df6a7f07/weighs-2-fitness-exercise-strength-health-betterment-body-image.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2500 og:image:height: 1406 og:image:alt: Weighs-2-fitness-exercise-strength-health-betterment-body-image-motto-stock og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: This Type of Exercise May Help Relieve Depression twitter:description: According to a new study twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt95ea28e151daf36f/698878c7ab6d7709df6a7f07/weighs-2-fitness-exercise-strength-health-betterment-body-image.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # This Type of Exercise May Help Relieve Depression > Sponsored content. 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Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement.  by [Jamie Ducharme](https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. May 9, 2018 4:38 PM UTC  Molly Cranna for TIME  by [Jamie Ducharme](https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. May 9, 2018 4:38 PM UTC Strength training is good for your body and your mind, according to a new review of more than 30 previously published studies. The paper, [published in the journal _JAMA Psychiatry_](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2680311), found that resistance exercise training (RET), such as [weightlifting](http://time.com/4824531/strength-training-women-exercise/) and strength training, is associated with a significant reduction in depressive symptoms. It also, of course, comes with physical benefits, like [making bones stronger and preventing chronic conditions](http://time.com/4803697/bodybuilding-strength-training/). Brett Gordon, the paper’s first author and a postgraduate researcher in the department of physical education and sports sciences at Ireland’s University of Limerick, stops short of calling resistance training a [cure for depression](http://time.com/4876098/new-hope-for-depression/), but he says the findings are compelling, especially since it’s accessible, affordable and possible to do at home. And it seems to work as well as the frontline treatments for depression—antidepressants and behavioral therapies—Gordon says in an email to TIME. Because the study was based on past research, however, it wasn’t possible to tell from this paper exactly why that might be the case, or to prove a definitive cause-and-effect relationship. But other research suggests that by increasing blood flow to the brain, [exercise can change the structure and function of the brain](http://time.com/4752846/exercise-brain-health/), create new brain cells and trigger the release of mood-enhancing chemicals like endorphins. Gordon and his colleagues analyzed 33 clinical trials—including nearly 2,000 people in total**—**that examined the effects of resistance exercise training on symptoms of depression. Across the board, they found that strength training was associated with improvements in depressive symptoms such as low mood, a loss of interest in activities and feelings of worthlessness, regardless of a person’s age, sex, health status, specific exercise routine or improvements in physical strength. “Interestingly, larger improvements were found among adults with depressive symptoms indicative of mild-to-moderate depression compared to adults without such scores, suggesting RET may be particularly effective for those with greater depressive symptoms,” Gordon says. Since the researchers saw improvements associated with a wide range of strength-training programs, Gordon says he can’t name a single best exercise regimen for your mental health. (There was, however, some evidence to support the effects of supervised routines shorter than 45 minutes.) He recommends following [the guidelines](https://www.acsm.org/docs/brochures/resistance-training.pdf) provided by the American College of Sports Medicine: doing strength training at least two days per week by performing eight to 12 repetitions of eight to 10 different strength-building exercises each time. While the current review specifically examined resistance training, plenty of evidence suggests that other forms of physical activity, such as [aerobic exercise](http://time.com/4841790/exercise-brain/), cardio and [yoga](http://time.com/4696933/yoga-breathing-depression-2/), may also [improve depressive symptoms](http://time.com/4966319/exercise-depression-study/). A secondary analysis included in the _JAMA_ paper also found no significant difference in the effects of RET versus aerobic exercise for alleviating depressive symptoms**,** Gordon says. Of course, the factors that dictate mental health are complicated. Lifting weights may not be enough to wipe out depressive symptoms entirely, and it can be difficult to find the energy or motivation to start a new exercise regimen if you’re already struggling with depression. Nonetheless, Gordan says the new review adds weight to the argument that resistance training can be a powerful tool for improving mental health. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5271079/resistance-training-depression/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5271079/resistance-training-depression/"},"headline":"This Type of Exercise May Help Relieve Depression","datePublished":"2018-05-09T16:38:17.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T20:13:27.322Z","description":"Here's another reason to lift weights","url":"https://time.com/5271079/resistance-training-depression/","keywords":["Exercise & Fitness","onetime","healthytime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt95ea28e151daf36f/698878c7ab6d7709df6a7f07/weighs-2-fitness-exercise-strength-health-betterment-body-image.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jamie Ducharme","jobTitle":"Ducharme is a contributor to TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt95ea28e151daf36f/698878c7ab6d7709df6a7f07/weighs-2-fitness-exercise-strength-health-betterment-body-image.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Weighs-2-fitness-exercise-strength-health-betterment-body-image-motto-stock","caption":"Weighs-2-fitness-exercise-strength-health-betterment-body-image-motto-stock","creditText":"Molly Cranna for TIME","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/exercisefitness/","name":"Exercise & Fitness"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5271079/resistance-training-depression/","name":"This Type of Exercise May Help Relieve Depression"}}]}] ```