Coach watching a woman lift a barbell from the floor in a bright gym

Strength Training for Anxiety: Evidence and an 8-Week Starter Plan

11 min read

The NHS lists running, walking, swimming and yoga among activities that can reduce anxiety. Strength training has a smaller body of research behind it. A 2017 meta-analysis of 16 studies found resistance training lowered anxiety symptoms, and newer reviews point the same way.

This guide covers what those trials found, what a tested programme looked like, how strength training fits with NHS treatment for anxiety, and an 8-week plan to start. It also covers the limits of the evidence.

If you need help now
Call 999 or go to A&E if your life is at risk or you do not feel you can keep yourself safe. If you need help urgently but it is not an emergency, call 111 and select the mental health option. You can call Samaritans on 116 123 to talk to a trained volunteer. The NHS advises you to see a GP if you think you have generalised anxiety disorder.
0.31
Effect size for resistance training on anxiety symptoms, pooled across 16 studies and 922 participants
Gordon et al. 2017, Sports Medicine, versus a control group who did not train
0.50
Effect size in healthy participants in the same analysis
Gordon et al. 2017, Sports Medicine
1.02
Effect size in people aged 26 or under with raised symptoms
Marinelli et al. 2024, 10 trials, results varied widely
8 weeks
Of twice-weekly supervised training in a trial in young adults
Gordon et al. 2020, Scientific Reports
85%
Average session attendance in that trial, with no adverse events
Gordon et al. 2020, Scientific Reports
Sources: Gordon et al. 2017, Gordon et al. 2020, Marinelli et al. 2024. Effect sizes are standardised differences in anxiety scores, shown as positive numbers for a drop in symptoms.

How to read the numbers

Most figures in this guide come from meta-analyses. A meta-analysis pools the results of many trials into one estimate. Each one reports an effect size: the gap in anxiety scores between people who trained and people in a comparison group, put on a standard scale so different questionnaires line up. A larger number means a bigger drop in symptoms.

The 2017 meta-analysis and the 2020 trial below compared resistance training with a control group who did not train. In the trial, this group was on a waiting list. Resistance training means any exercise where your muscles work against a load: free weights, machines, resistance bands or your own body weight. This guide uses strength training and resistance training for the same thing.

What 16 studies found

Brett Gordon and colleagues at the University of Limerick published a meta-analysis of resistance training for anxiety in Sports Medicine in 2017. They noted aerobic exercise already had well-documented effects on anxiety, and a pooled estimate for resistance training was needed. They combined 16 studies of randomised trials with 922 participants. The mean age was 43, and 68% were female. Each study compared resistance training with a control group who did not train and measured anxiety with a validated questionnaire.

Resistance training lowered anxiety symptoms, with an overall effect size of 0.31. The effect was larger in healthy participants, at 0.50, than in participants with a physical or mental illness, at 0.19. Both groups improved. The studies did not differ from each other by a statistically significant amount.

Resistance training and anxiety, by group Effect size versus a group who did not train, larger means a bigger drop 0.31 All 16 studies 0.50 Healthy participants 0.19 Physical or mental illness 922 participants, mean age 43
Source: Gordon et al. 2017, Sports Medicine. Meta-analysis of 16 studies of randomised trials. The difference between healthy participants and participants with an illness was statistically significant.

The team also tested what might change the effect: sex, age, the type of control group, programme length, session length, how often people trained, how hard they trained, and whether they got measurably stronger. None of these changed the result by a statistically significant amount. This means the trials did not identify a best dose of training. It does not prove any dose works equally well. The authors called for trials comparing resistance training with other proven treatments for anxiety.

Inside an 8-week programme

The same Limerick group then ran its own trial, published in Scientific Reports in 2020. It recruited adults aged 18 to 40 who did not meet the study's screening criteria for subclinical generalised anxiety disorder. None had done structured resistance training before. They were randomly assigned to eight weeks of training or to a waiting list. Twenty-eight people completed the trial, with a mean age of 26.

The programme followed World Health Organization and American College of Sports Medicine guidance. Participants trained twice a week, one to one with a supervisor. Each session had eight exercises: squat, bench press, hexagon bar deadlift, seated lateral raise, bent-over row, lunge, seated curl and abdominal crunch. They did two sets of 8 to 12 reps per exercise, and the load went up as they got stronger. Before the eight weeks began, participants completed a three-week, twice-weekly familiarisation phase to learn safe technique.

The training group's anxiety scores fell compared with the waiting list, with an effect size of 0.85. Worry, measured on a separate questionnaire, did not differ between groups. Attendance averaged 85%, participants rated the effort as between somewhat hard and hard, and no adverse events occurred. Strength rose by an average of 23%, but the size of each person's strength gain was not linked with the size of their drop in anxiety.

The authors reported the largest gains over the first week and between weeks four and eight, with little change between weeks one and four. These estimates had wide margins of error, and the trial's weeks started after the familiarisation phase. This was a small trial in young adults below the screening cut-offs, so treat its numbers with caution. The authors suggested future trials add resistance training to established treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy and medication.

What newer reviews add

A 2024 meta-analysis by Ryan Marinelli and colleagues looked at people aged 26 or under with clinically raised symptoms of anxiety or depression. Across 10 randomised trials and 376 participants, resistance training lowered anxiety symptoms with an effect size of 1.02. Results varied a lot between trials. The authors rated the certainty of the anxiety finding as moderate and called for trials with longer follow-up.

In older adults, a 2024 meta-analysis by Paolo Cunha and colleagues found an effect size of 1.33 for anxiety symptoms. Results varied widely between trials, so the exact size is uncertain. A 2025 review by Harry Banyard and colleagues focused on adults diagnosed with depression or anxiety. In 11 studies that measured anxiety, exercise had a moderate effect of 0.66, and the authors concluded aerobic, resistance or mixed training were all beneficial.

These reviews used different trials, groups and methods, so their numbers do not line up as a ranking. The Banyard figure also covers all exercise types, not resistance training alone. With those limits in mind, the reviews suggest resistance training lowers anxiety symptoms in a range of age groups.

How it fits with NHS treatment

For generalised anxiety disorder, a GP might offer three main treatments: a talking therapy, usually cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), a medicine, usually a type of antidepressant called an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor), or a referral to a community mental health team. The NHS says a GP will usually advise trying talking therapies before medicine. You can refer yourself to an NHS talking therapies service without seeing a GP if you are registered with a GP and aged 18 or over, or 16 or over in some areas.

The NHS lists regular exercise among the things you can try yourself to ease anxiety. Use strength training as part of that self-help, alongside the treatment your GP or therapist recommends. None of the reviews in this guide reported a comparison with therapy or medication. If you take an antidepressant, talk to your GP before you change it. The NHS warns you might get withdrawal symptoms if you stop suddenly, and says you will be advised to reduce the dose gradually.

An 8-week starter plan

The plan below is our coaching suggestion, modelled on the 2020 trial and the NHS advice to do strengthening activities on at least 2 days a week. The trial used barbells and dumbbells in a training facility. Kettlebells, machines and resistance bands also count as resistance training.

WEEKS 1 AND 2
Learn the movements
Train twice a week on non-consecutive days. Start each session with a few light warm-up sets. Practise six to eight exercises that cover your legs, a push, a pull and your trunk, with light loads. Focus on clean technique.
WEEKS 3 AND 4
Find your working weight
Do two sets of 8 to 12 reps per exercise. Pick a load where the set feels between somewhat hard and hard, the effort the trial participants reported, while your form stays good.
WEEKS 5 AND 6
Add load in small steps
When you complete 12 good reps on both sets, raise the weight a little next session. The trial raised the load as participants got stronger.
WEEKS 7 AND 8
Keep the routine going
Hold two sessions a week and log each workout and how you feel. After week eight, keep the routine and review your loads every few weeks.

Every session in the trial was supervised. If you are new to lifting, a few coached sessions help you learn technique and set loads safely. The NHS advises you speak to your GP first if you have not exercised for some time or have a medical condition.

Common mistakes

  • Stopping medication because you have started training. Speak to your GP first, as the NHS warns of withdrawal symptoms if you stop an antidepressant suddenly.
  • Quitting when progress stalls. In the 2020 trial, the drop in anxiety slowed between training weeks one and four, then picked up again by week eight.
  • Judging progress only by strength. In the same trial, the size of a strength gain did not track the size of the drop in anxiety.
  • Skipping technique practice. The trial gave three weeks of familiarisation before training began.

Frequently asked questions

Does lifting weights help anxiety?
A 2017 meta-analysis of 16 studies found resistance training lowered anxiety symptoms compared with not training. The effect was larger in healthy participants than in people with an illness, though both groups improved.
How often should I train?
The 2020 Limerick trial used two supervised sessions a week for eight weeks. The 2017 meta-analysis found no significant difference in effect by how often people trained, so it did not identify a best frequency.
Do I need to lift heavy?
In the 2017 meta-analysis, training intensity did not change the effect by a significant amount. The 2020 trial used sets of 8 to 12 reps that participants rated between somewhat hard and hard.
Is strength training better than cardio for anxiety?
The reviews in this guide did not rank them. A 2025 review in adults diagnosed with depression or anxiety concluded aerobic, resistance or mixed exercise were all beneficial. The NHS lists running, walking, swimming and yoga as options.
Can strength training replace therapy or medication?
None of the reviews in this guide reported a comparison with therapy or medication. Use it alongside the treatment your GP or therapist recommends, and speak to your GP before you change any medicine.

The bottom line

Resistance training lowered anxiety symptoms in a meta-analysis of 16 studies, with a larger effect in healthy participants. Newer reviews found effects in young people with raised symptoms and in older adults, though results varied between trials. A tested programme used two sessions a week for eight weeks, two sets of 8 to 12 reps, and a load that rose over time. Use strength training alongside the treatment your GP or therapist recommends. If you feel unsafe, call 999. For urgent help, call 111 and select the mental health option, or call Samaritans on 116 123.

Learn to lift with a coach
DT Fitness London runs one-to-one sessions that teach technique and set loads around your current fitness, so you can train with confidence.
Book a consultation at dtfitnesslondon.com

Related reading

Sources

Back to blog