Lifting weights doesn’t make you a lunkhead; research says it makes the brain younger and improves cognition. Who wouldn’t want a younger sharper brain? But wait…

This doesn’t mean you need to bulk up or look like a bodybuilder in order to boost your brain’s health and functioning. 

Exercise and brain science have always known that working out the body causes positive changes to the brain through multiple pathways. But now, a study shows there’s even more to this.

New research shows that people with more muscle and less visceral fat — the fat stored deep around organs — tend to have brains that look younger biologically.

The findings were presented at the Radiological Society of North America annual meeting in 2026.

“Healthier bodies with more muscle mass and less hidden belly fat are more likely to have healthier, youthful brains,” explains Cyrus Raji, MD, senior author of the study and a professor of radiology and neurology at Washington University School of Medicine. 

A younger brain can be visualized on an MRI.

How MRI Tracks Brain Aging

Brain age is an estimate of how old your brain looks based on MRI scans. Body MRI can measure muscle mass, which reflects overall health and resistance to frailty.

Structural brain scans may also show risk factors for Alzheimer’s, including muscle loss.

It’s well-known that aging leads to loss of muscle tissue, which then leads to more internal belly fat.

The study, however, showed that these body metrics directly relate to aging of the brain. In short, muscle and visceral fat indicate brain health.

The study looked at 1,164 healthy adults (52% women) across four sites, with an average age of 55.

Whole-body MRI scans measured muscle, visceral fat, subcutaneous fat and brain structure. An AI algorithm analyzed the scans to estimate brain age.

Results of the Study

Results showed that a higher visceral fat to muscle ratio was linked to older looking brains, while more muscle was linked to younger looking brains.

Subcutaneous fat — fat just under the skin — didn’t affect brain age. But keep in mind that the more overweight someone is, the more likely they’ll have significant levels of deep abdominal fat.

Don’t Let Instagram and TikTok Poison You

There’s a lot of rhetoric surging on these platforms advising women to avoid workouts and mindful eating — and instead to just let their bodies be, to accept their bodies as is, that they’re “perfect just the way you are.”

Well, this doesn’t cut it for brain health or having a younger brain. But another way to view this is to consider that nobody’s asking for perfection — whatever that is.

The irony is that many women who are considered to have perfect bodies actually have low muscle mass. 

If you’re overweight or suspect you may have excess visceral fat, and, if you haven’t been doing any strength training — you absolutely need to get pumping at the gym, even if you’re not visibly overweight (whether a commercial gym, the local rec center or your own home) if you care about your current and future brain function.

The Thing About Brain Function

Cognitive ability can stealthily decline, just like hearing and vision can. A person doesn’t realize it in the early stages and easily blames glitches on external factors — if they even detect the blips at all.

Don’t wait until you’re struggling with balancing your checkbook or multi-tasking to start doing something about your brain health. Get hopping on this NOW.

If this means joining a gym or buying several pairs of dumbbells, then do so! If this means buying a scale, getting a calorie tracking app and measuring portions of food, then that’s what you do for brain health.

Just don’t get obsessive about weigh-ins or counting calories. Be mindful, not maniacal. Gun for the top brain standard, not the alleged beauty standard.

The study points out that building lean muscle and reducing deep abdominal fat are realistic goals. Don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise. Remember, it’s about your brain health.

Exercise Improves Mental Performance Even a Day Later

Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified by the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness, where she was also a group fitness instructor, she trained clients of all ages and abilities for fat loss and maintaining it, muscle and strength building, fitness, and improved cardiovascular and overall health.

Top image: ©Lorra Garrick