TL;DR:
Medically reviewed by Kandace Licciardi, MD, Medical Director, Amen Clinics
Did you know that the stronger you are as you age, the less likely you are to get dementia? It’s true. Strength training will not only make your body strong and fit, but it’s also one of the best activities you can do to protect and improve memory as you grow older.
Indeed, a number of studies in recent years have indicated that strength training improves memory and helps to defend against brain atrophy in patients with mild memory issues.
Strengthening your muscles additionally aids in reducing frailty and related brain injury due to falls. It all adds up to more protection against dementia and less risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). That’s a lot of brain-health bang for your muscle-building buck!
Yet, only about 17 percent of older adults engage in resistance training, according to research. That means most seniors aren’t getting the protective benefits of this form of exercise.
This blog will help you understand more about the link between strength training and dementia prevention, including the best workouts to support your brain health as you age.
Did you know that the stronger you are as you age, the less likely you are to get dementia? Building muscle improves cognition and memory function and helps to defend against brain atrophy.
Dementia is the umbrella term given to a category of progressive neurodegenerative diseases that impact important brain functions and lead to memory loss, trouble with language, cognitive impairment, and changes in personality and behavior.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common and well-known type of dementia, representing about 60-80 percent of all cases. AD affects about 6.7 million Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and that figure is expected to double by 2060.
Related: 12 Ways to Dodge Dementia
On a hopeful note, dementia does not have to be an inevitable or “normal” part of aging. There are a number of lifestyle habits you can adopt to counter modifiable risk factors for dementia.
Strength training directly counters one major risk factor for dementia: inactivity. Other dementia-fighting habits include:
Strength training (also called resistance training or resistance exercise) is a form of exercise that uses outside resistance to help build your muscles. That resistance can come from your own body weight (such as doing planks and squats), weight machines, medicine balls, dumbbells, or resistance bands.
Whereas aerobic exercise gives your cardiovascular system a workout, strength training is about building muscles. Today, much focus is placed on strengthening core muscles to improve posture, balance, and stability, as well as enhance athletic performance and prevent injuries.
Additionally, resistance training is known to help improve sleep, balance blood sugar, strengthen bones, and promote joint flexibility.
And now, brain health can be added to the list. While it is well established that aerobic exercise can help to prevent cognitive decline, the idea of weightlifting to reduce the risk of dementia is a newer concept.
Our bodies are designed to move, and our brain health benefits when we do.
Aerobic exercises such as walking, running, swimming, dancing, and sports activities get your heart pumping and your blood flowing. This, in turn, offers nearly immediate brain health benefits, such as increased blood flow, reduced inflammation, and greater neuroplasticity (neuronal growth in the brain), to name a few.
Short-term, long-term, or in any amount — aerobic exercise offers benefits to your brain, helping to protect against cognitive decline. For example, one study examining the immediate benefits of aerobic exercise found that it offered short-term boosts in cognition, memory, and other executive functioning.
Additionally, the study found that the brain benefits of regular aerobic exercise over a 6-month period in adults age 20-67 became more pronounced as age increased, suggesting that it may mitigate age-related declines.
And a study published in 2025 found that moderate to vigorous physical activity, in any amount, helps to protect against dementia. The researchers discovered that engaging in as little as 35 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week, compared to no activity, was associated with a 41 percent lower risk of developing dementia over an average four-year follow-up period.
Now researchers are suggesting adding strength training as an additional form of exercise to help prevent dementia because it builds muscle mass.
In an episode of the Change Your Brain Every Day podcast, psychiatrist and brain health expert Dr. Daniel Amen and his wife, bestselling author Tana Amen, share that strength isn’t just for looks — it’s protection for your brain, body, and longevity. According to Dr. Amen, “A lot of my patients tell me they’re not working out for their body; they’re working out for their brain.”
When it comes to maintaining your brain health, strength matters! If you’re curious about your body’s strength and muscle mass, test your grip strength. Researchers use grip strength as a means to assess muscle strength, functional capacity, and overall health.
Interestingly, grip strength and dementia risk are related. A 2021 study review found a link between muscle mass and grip strength and lower risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, as well as improved executive function and memory, and decreased depression and frailty.
Because it builds muscles, scientists have increasingly turned their interest toward resistance training as a viable, preventive and therapeutic measure against dementia.
In fact, in 2019, a consensus of medical experts from multiple countries issued a statement recommending resistance exercise as a preventive intervention for cognitive impairment.
A 2023 published review of research on strength training’s protective effects against AD reported a summary of the most significant findings in recent years. Here are key highlights of the review:
Neurotrophic factors are a group of molecules, mostly proteins, that play a critical role in healthy neuronal function and growth, influencing synaptic plasticity.
Research shows that dysregulated neurotropic factors are associated with age-related memory loss and the development of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. This means the increased release of neurotrophic factors associated with strength training contributes to its neuroprotective influence.
The researchers noted that strength training has “preventive potential” alone or in combination with other forms of exercise. And they suggest it should be recommended for people with Alzheimer’s to help prevent or slow progression of the disease.
And that’s not all. It appears that strength training protects brain structures too.
A 2024 review found that doing resistance training just twice a week for six months actually reversed structural brain changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease. It also led to improvement in cognitive function, with the greatest effects in people already experiencing cognitive decline.
A June 2025 study further confirmed that resistance training protects brain structure. For this study, a group of older individuals with MCI underwent regular resistance training sessions for six months, while the control group did not.
Compared to controls, the group that engaged in regular strength training showed:
The control group did not show these cognitive benefits or protection from atrophy.
The first step in building and maintaining muscle mass for the long haul to support your brain health is to stop what robs you of your strength. Here are several of the top “strength” robbers:
Most of the research to date shows that strength training twice a week, consistently, produces the greatest brain benefits.
If you are new or returning to resistance exercise, it’s smart to seek guidance from a certified physical therapist or personal trainer to craft a regimen suited to your age, fitness level, and fitness goals.
Committing to regular strength training may mean joining a gym and using weight machines, but it doesn’t have to. Your muscle-building routine can be simple. Start with squats, pushups, and planks if you don’t have a gym membership or any equipment. For those with mobility challenges, resistance exercises can be done at home using bands, chairs, and weights.
It’s best to do both aerobic exercise and resistance training for brain health. An ideal program might include walking, swimming, or participating in a sports activity a few days a week with two days of resistance training in between.
When regularly engaging in resistance training, consider upping your protein intake as muscle building requires more protein. Also, be sure to get adequate sleep to allow for muscle repair.
Remember, the best strength training program is the one you will do consistently.
It may be worth the effort. The research overwhelmingly suggests that incorporating strength training into your life will help to support brain health and protect against cognitive decline!
Most research shows that doing resistance training at least twice a week provides the greatest brain benefits. Consistency matters more than intensity — start with simple bodyweight exercises (like squats or planks) and build from there.
Yes. Studies show strength training helps preserve the hippocampus (the brain’s memory center), improves executive function, and reduces brain atrophy. In some cases, benefits last even a year after training stops.
Not at all. Resistance bands, light dumbbells, or even your own bodyweight (pushups, sit-to-stands, planks) can provide protective brain benefits. The key is to challenge your muscles regularly in a safe, sustainable way.
Memory loss and other mental health conditions can’t wait. At Amen Clinics, we practice precision medicine — using brain SPECT imaging and comprehensive evaluations to understand what’s really happening in your brain, not just your symptoms.
Our whole-body approach to holistic psychiatry combines cutting-edge neuroscience with natural ways to treat mental health conditions, including targeted nutrition, supplements, lifestyle strategies, therapy, and medications (when necessary). Every treatment plan is personalized to address the root causes of your struggles and support the health of your brain, body, and mind.
Don’t settle for guesswork. You deserve answers — and a plan built specifically for you. Speak with a Brain Health Advisor today at 888-546-3124 or visit our contact page to get started.
About the Reviewer
Kandace Licciardi, MD, Medical Director, Amen Clinics
Dr. Kandace Licciardi is a double board-certified psychiatrist in adult and forensic psychiatry and serves as Medical Director of Amen Clinics Dallas Metro Area. She takes a comprehensive, whole-person approach to care, integrating evidence-based psychiatric treatment with lifestyle, social, and wellness factors. Dr. Licciardi has extensive experience treating depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, psychotic disorders, and borderline personality disorder, with special expertise in early psychosis intervention. She completed her psychiatry residency at Maimonides Medical Center and her forensic psychiatry fellowship at New York University.
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