Aerobic
Exercise Trumps Resistance Training for Weight and Fat Loss
By
Duke Medicine News and Communications
DURHAM,
N.C. – Aerobic training is the best mode of exercise for burning fat, according
to Duke researchers who compared aerobic training, resistance training, and a
combination of the two.
The study, which appears Dec. 15, 2012, in the Journal of Applied Physiology,
is the largest randomized trial to analyze changes in body composition from the
three modes of exercise in overweight or obese adults without diabetes.
Aerobic exercise – including walking, running, and swimming – has been proven
to be an effective way to lose weight. However, recent guidelines have
suggested that resistance training, which includes weight lifting to build and
maintain muscle mass, may also help with weight loss by increasing a person's
resting metabolic rate. Research has demonstrated health benefits for
resistance training, such as improving glucose control, but studies on the
effects of resistance training on fat mass have been inconclusive.
The combination exercise group, while requiring double the time commitment,
provided a mixed result. The regimen helped participants lose weight and fat
mass, but did not significantly reduce body mass nor fat mass over aerobic
training alone. This group did notice the largest decrease in waist
circumference, which may be attributed to the amount of time participants spent
exercising.
Resting metabolic rate, which determines how many calories are burned while at
rest, was not directly measured in this study. While theories suggest that
resistance training can improve resting metabolic rates and therefore aid in
weight loss, in this study, resistance training did not significantly decrease
fat mass nor body weight irrespective of any change in resting metabolic rate
that might have occurred.
The combination exercise group, while requiring double the time commitment,
provided a mixed result. The regimen helped participants lose weight and fat
mass, but did not significantly reduce body mass nor fat mass over aerobic
training alone. This group did notice the largest decrease in waist
circumference, which may be attributed to the amount of time participants spent
exercising.
Resting metabolic rate, which determines how many calories are burned while at
rest, was not directly measured in this study. While theories suggest that
resistance training can improve resting metabolic rates and therefore aid in
weight loss, in this study, resistance training did not significantly decrease
fat mass nor body weight irrespective of any change in resting metabolic rate
that might have occurred.
University
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