If you're wondering how much exercise you actually need, here's the good news: most adults receive the majority of the health benefits associated with exercise from just 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week plus two days of strength training. In the age of endless information and the creation of the "influencer," finding the answers to seemingly basic health questions has somehow gotten more difficult. The answer often depends on what the person giving the answer is trying to sell. This is not necessarily a new phenomenon, but perhaps just more prevalent. If you remember the classic '90s movie There's Something About Mary, the hitchhiker pitches his revolutionary fitness video he calls "7-Minute Abs," to which Ben Stiller's character replies, "Unless, of course, somebody comes up with 6-Minute Abs. Then you're in trouble, huh?"
How much exercise one needs depends on their goals. If someone wants to look like prime Arnold Schwarzenegger, then they'd better plan for hours and hours per week at the gym — and a very disciplined diet. However, if someone is asking about exercise for general health benefits, then there are a few universal truths one can apply. According to the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (in alignment with the WHO/ACC/AHA), it is recommended that adults perform 150–300 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, 75–150 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity, or a combination of both — plus two sessions per week of resistance training targeting all major muscle groups.
What Counts, and How Hard?
Not all movement is created equal — intensity matters. Exercise intensity is often measured in METs (metabolic equivalents), where one MET is roughly the energy you burn sitting quietly. The table below shows common activities and how they're classified. Vigorous activity counts double: 1 minute of vigorous effort is worth about 2 minutes of moderate.
| Activity | METs | Intensity |
|---|---|---|
| Walking moderately (2.5 mph) | ~3.0 | Moderate |
| Steady Vinyasa yoga | 3.0–4.5 | Moderate |
| Gardening / yardwork | ~4.0 | Moderate |
| Bicycling, light (<10 mph) | ~4.0 | Moderate |
| Brisk walking (3.5 mph) | ~4.3 | Moderate |
| Level walking (4.5–5.0 mph) | ~5.0 | Moderate |
| Swimming (leisure) | ~6.0 | Vigorous |
| Hiking | ~6.0 | Vigorous |
| Tennis (singles) | ~7.0 | Vigorous |
| Bicycling, moderate (12–14 mph) | ~8.0 | Vigorous |
| Swimming (crawl stroke) | ~8.0 | Vigorous |
| Running (6 mph / 10-min mile) | ~9.8 | Vigorous |
| Running (>6 mph) | 10+ | Vigorous |
The Dose–Response: More Movement, Less Risk
Based on a review of 13 prospective cohort studies, the Advisory Committee concluded that the majority of the mortality benefit is achieved by reaching and maintaining 150 minutes per week of moderate activity. The great news is that any amount of activity beyond doing nothing has been shown to provide health benefits and reduced mortality risk. Additionally, it's never too late to start — even previously inactive middle-aged and older adults who begin exercising gain substantial longevity benefits, irrespective of past inactivity.
Previously inactive adults who increased their physical activity over time had significantly lower mortality — it is never too late to benefit from becoming more active.
Mok et al., BMJ 2019
Weekly Exercise vs. Mortality Risk Reduction
Benefit rises steeply through the first 150 minutes, then flattens into a plateau above ~450 minutes.
Data: Arem et al., 2015 (661,137 adults, 14.2-year follow-up).
How one achieves the recommended amount of activity can come in multiple forms. Any combination of moderate activities throughout the week can be used to hit the 150-minute threshold — or vigorous-intensity activity, which counts 2-for-1. Whether someone chooses three 50-minute sessions or a more basic approach — a brisk 10-minute walk on a lunch break plus 20 minutes after dinner throughout the week — both work. The latter plan might not look sexy compared to Instagram, but it would still be effective from a cardiovascular standpoint. A more complex plan including a weekly run, a yoga class, and going to the gym is great — but not required.
What About Strength Training?
Regarding the other piece of the recommendation — resistance training — what about that? The majority of the studies above examined aerobic exercise specifically, which is why the resistance-training recommendation is listed separately. Should resistance training count toward that magic 150-minute number? Possibly. If you're doing a set of curls and sitting on your phone between sets, then not so much. But if you're performing high-effort resistance training with a consistently elevated heart rate and heavy breathing, then that session absolutely provides cardiovascular benefit in addition to strength benefit.
Large studies linking activity minutes to mortality measured total moderate-to-vigorous physical activity — defined by elevated heart rate, breathing, and sweating — regardless of whether it came from running, cycling, or lifting weights.
Zhao et al., British Journal of Sports Medicine 2019
In other words, what matters most is the total volume and intensity of your movement — and consistency! — not whether a barbell or a treadmill was involved. This holds true for adults of all ages and can be achieved by performing exercises that target the major muscle groups twice a week for two sets. Here's a sample full-body session, grouped into blocks the way we structure workouts in the Prescribed app:
| Block | Exercise | Sets × Reps |
|---|---|---|
| A | Goblet Squat | 2–3 × 8–10 |
| A | DB Biceps Curl | 2–3 × 8–10 |
| A | DB Bench Press | 2–3 × 8–10 |
| B | DB RDL | 2–3 × 8–10 |
| B | Cable Row | 2–3 × 8–10 |
| B | DB Lateral Raise | 2–3 × 8–10 |
| C | Forward Plank | 2–3 sets · 20–60 sec |
| C | Dead Bug | 2–3 × 10 |
Why It Works
Now that we understand the "how much," what about the reason why? Simply put, increasing cardiovascular fitness — regardless of your current level — leads to a longer life with more disease-free years. A small 1-MET increase in fitness is associated with a ~15% reduction in cardiovascular events (heart attack and stroke) and death. That's a similar benefit to taking a statin, one of the most commonly prescribed cholesterol medications.
How long it takes to improve that number depends on your starting point — the most out-of-shape individuals improve the quickest with consistent training, sometimes in just a few weeks. And when it comes to the type of training, the combination wins. Compared to people doing no routine activity, individuals who regularly combine aerobic and resistance exercise have a 40–46% lower risk of all-cause and cardiovascular death — versus 18–29% for either modality alone.
Lower Risk of Death: Combined Training Wins
Reduction in all-cause & cardiovascular mortality vs. no routine activity.
Approximate midpoints from pooled cohort data (López-Bueno et al., JAMA Internal Medicine 2023; Momma et al., BJSM 2022). Combining modalities roughly doubles the mortality benefit of either alone.
If someone created a single pill that could promise this, they'd be rich. Unfortunately, nobody gets rich from telling people to walk after dinner, strength train a couple of days each week, and eat more vegetables. That advice isn't flashy, but decades of research suggest it works.
Putting It Together
You don't need a complicated plan — you need a repeatable one. Here's a simple weekly template that comfortably clears the 150-minute threshold while including two strength days:
| Day | Activity |
|---|---|
| Monday | 30-minute walk / jog / bike |
| Tuesday | Resistance training |
| Wednesday | Rest / light activity |
| Thursday | 60-minute walk / jog / bike |
| Friday | 30-minute walk + resistance training |
| Saturday | 30-minute walk / jog / bike |
| Sunday | Rest / light activity |
The Bottom Line
So what does this all mean? Simply put: any activity is better than no activity, and consistency beats complexity every day of the week. If you see someone online doing some exotic exercise (likely shirtless or in a sports bra), don't feel like you're missing out. If your goal is to carry your best self into your latest years, then achieving at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity spread throughout your week — plus a couple of days where you stress your muscles (bodyweight is great!) — has been shown to be the most bang for your buck. In a world where "hacks" are all the rage, nothing beats a simple, consistent routine over time.
References
- Arem H, Moore SC, Patel A, et al. Leisure time physical activity and mortality: a detailed pooled analysis of the dose–response relationship. JAMA Internal Medicine. 2015;175(6):959–967.
- López-Bueno R, Ahmadi M, Stamatakis E, Yang L, Del Pozo Cruz B. Prospective associations of different combinations of aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity with all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality. JAMA Internal Medicine. 2023;183(9):982–990.
- Mok A, Khaw KT, Luben R, Wareham N, Brage S. Physical activity trajectories and mortality: population based cohort study. BMJ. 2019;365:l2323.
- Momma H, Kawakami R, Honda T, Sawada SS. Muscle-strengthening activities are associated with lower risk and mortality in major non-communicable diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2022;56(13):755–763.
- Piercy KL, Troiano RP, Ballard RM, et al. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. JAMA. 2018;320(19):2020–2028.
- Wang Y, Nie J, Ferrari G, Rey-Lopez JP, Rezende LFM. Association of physical activity intensity with mortality: a national cohort study of 403,681 US adults. JAMA Internal Medicine. 2021;181(2):203–211.
- Wasfy MM, Lee IM. Examining the dose–response relationship between physical activity and health outcomes. NEJM Evidence. 2022.
- Zhao M, Veeranki SP, Li S, Steffen LM, Xi B. Beneficial associations of low and large doses of leisure time physical activity with all-cause, cardiovascular disease and cancer mortality: a national cohort study of 88,140 US adults. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2019;53(22):1405–1411.
