Lifting weights eased depression in under-26s

Most of the evidence for exercise as a mental health treatment centres on aerobic activity, and much of it comes from adults. Whether resistance training on its own can reduce depression and anxiety symptoms in young people is a distinct and practical question, because lifting is accessible, scalable and deliverable in schools, clinics and community settings. This review set out to determine the treatment effect of resistance training specifically, in people aged 26 or younger whose symptoms were already clinically elevated rather than in the general population. That focus on symptomatic young people makes it a genuine treatment question, not a wellness one.

The researchers searched MEDLINE, PsychINFO and PubMed for randomised controlled trials published in English between January 1980 and September 2023. Eligible trials had to include at least 4 weeks of resistance training and participants aged 26 years or younger with clinically elevated anxiety and depression symptoms. A random-effects meta-analysis compared symptom change in the training groups against control groups. Ten trials qualified, covering 376 participants, 209 of them female and 127 male, across educational, clinical and community settings, and study quality and certainty of evidence were formally assessed.

Resistance training was associated with a large and statistically significant reduction in depressive symptoms, with a pooled effect of -1.06, and a similarly large reduction in anxiety symptoms at -1.02. The benefit was not uniform: the trials varied substantially in how big the effect was for both outcomes. On quality, six trials had a low risk of bias and four raised some concerns. The certainty of the evidence was rated high for depressive symptoms and moderate for anxiety symptoms.

This puts resistance training alongside better-studied aerobic exercise as a credible non-drug option for youth mental health, and the high certainty rating for depression is notable for a field where evidence is often graded down. The pooled effects here are large by the standards of exercise and mood research. The gaps are equally clear: none of the trials followed participants long term, so nobody knows whether improvements persist after a programme ends, and the variation between trials leaves open which formats work best.

For a young person, or anyone who cares for one, this is a reason to see strength training as more than a physique pursuit: the pooled trial evidence suggests it can meaningfully reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety when symptoms are elevated. It also matters that the trials worked across schools, clinics and community settings, suggesting the effect is not confined to one environment. This is evidence about an option, not a substitute for professional care.