If you hate aerobic exercise but want to lose weight, you may be in luck.
Weightlifting is more effective than running when it comes to burning fat and reducing insulin resistance – critical components in combating obesity and type 2 diabetes, according to new study conducted on mice.
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“Our data showed that both running and weightlifting reduce fat in the abdomen and under the skin and improve blood glucose maintenance with better insulin signaling in skeletal muscle,” said Zhen Yan, the Virginia Tech researcher who led the study. “Importantly, weightlifting outperforms running in these health benefits.”
But the results do not mean people – including those on GLP-1 drugs used for diabetes and obesity – should abandon aerobic exercise, Yan said.
“The take-home message is that you should do both endurance and resistance exercise, if possible, to get the most health benefit,” he said.
Federal health guidelines recommend adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week, plus two days of muscle-strengthening activities each week.
Strength training helps people preserve and enhance their muscle mass, which naturally diminishes as people age, the Mayo Clinic says. It increases bone density, reduces the risk of osteoporosis and increases metabolism, allowing people to burn more calories.
Strength-training workouts include weightlifting, resistance-band exercises and body-weight exercises like pushups, planks, lunges and squats.
Cardio exercise like running, walking, cycling and swimming build endurance, allowing muscles to perform tasks at higher levels for lengthier periods of time, the Cleveland Clinic says.
For the latest study, scientists at Virginia Tech fed three groups of mice high-fat diets to induce obesity.
To mimic strength training, the first group of mice were placed in cages that required them to lift weighted lids to access their food. Should collars fitted for the mice engaged muscle groups used during resistance training, and the researchers gradually increased their loads.
The second group of mice had access to a running wheel to mimic endurance training. The third group had no form of exercise.
The scientists then tracked weight gain, body composition, fat distribution and insulin signaling for eight weeks.