Health: What kind of train is greatest to drop some pounds?

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If long-term weight loss is your goal, you need a multi-pronged approach.

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Jill Barker • Special for Montreal Gazette Some people swear that resistance training (weight training) is the key to weight loss.Some people swear that resistance training (weight training) is the key to weight loss. Photo by BERTRAND GUAY /AFP / Getty Images

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Physical activity is an essential part of any weight loss program. But more than just improving daily calorie burn, exercise helps shed fat, maintains muscle, and reduces fat stores deep in the abdomen (visceral fat) that are linked to metabolic disorders like diabetes and heart disease. Although most experts recommend exercise to improve weight loss, there is little consensus on what type of exercise is most effective for shedding unwanted pounds.

Some people swear that resistance training (weight training) is the key to weight loss. Others think that the higher calorie consumption of aerobic exercise makes it the best choice for weight loss. And then there are those who insist that exercise is a far greater role in weight maintenance than it does in weight loss.

Hoping to shed more light on exercise as a means of weight loss, a French research team reviewed and summarized the results of 149 high quality studies examining the effects of physical activity on weight loss, fat loss, visceral fat loss, body composition and weight maintenance. To be included in the review, studies had to include either aerobic training, resistance training, or high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and compare training with a no-training control group or include some other type of intervention such as diet (with the appropriate control group). and report results related to weight loss, fat loss, weight loss (muscle mass) or weight maintenance. All studies were published between 2010-2019 and included overweight or obese adults.

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The results demonstrate the value of exercise and show that regardless of the type of exercise, exercisers experienced 1.5 to 3.5 kilograms more weight loss than non-exercisers. Also of interest was a trend towards greater weight loss of around one kilogram when exercise and diet were combined compared to dieting alone.

When comparing one type of exercise with the other, aerobic exercise outperformed resistance training in almost all studies, losing around one kilogram more weight and fat in each case. When comparing HIIT training with medium-intensity aerobic exercise, high-intensity interval training led to more kilo loss when the energy expenditure was adjusted between the two types of training. If the energy expenditure was not adjusted, moderate-intensity exercise burned more weight. But before changing your workout, the weight loss difference between the two types of exercise was about 700 grams – not enough to warrant a change if you prefer one type of exercise over the other.

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When it comes to reducing the amount of belly fat around your internal organs, all forms of aerobics and aerobics combined with resistance training have resulted in significant reductions in visceral fat. The same cannot be said for resistance exercises alone, which showed limited potential for removing visceral fat. It is also clear that visceral fat stores can be significantly reduced even in the absence of weight loss, and that exercise outperforms diet alone when it comes to shedding pesky deep belly fat.

“With a moderate weight loss of five percent of the initial body weight, for example, the associated loss of visceral adipose tissue was estimated at 21 percent in response to exercise and 13 percent in response to diet,” said the French researchers.

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When it comes to maintaining muscle in times of weight loss, resistance training has proven to be the most effective at reducing the loss of lean body mass. This finding is consistent with an understanding that strength training is superior to stimulating muscle growth and maintaining or increasing lean body mass.

After all, there has been no evidence that a lot of exercise outperforms more moderate physical activity when it comes to maintaining weight. These results are in line with other recent studies suggesting exercise is important in weight maintenance, but there is likely little difference in long-term results between those who accumulate impressive minutes of exercise and those who spend less time exercising.

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What do all of these results mean for anyone looking to lose unwanted pounds? It confirms the advice of experts who recommend regular exercise, but also reaffirms their caution against investing all weight loss efforts in exercise alone. It also suggests that any type of aerobic exercise outperforms strength training or diet alone when it comes to weight loss, but that resistance training is superior in maintaining muscle mass.

The bottom line is that even small amounts of weight loss can improve overall health and longevity, so exercise has value beyond what you see on the scales and whether or not you hit your goal weight. However, if long-term weight loss is your goal, you need a multi-pronged approach. Maximizing results lies in combining regular aerobic exercise with diet changes and incorporating strategies such as goal setting, sleep improvement, and stress management into your everyday life. The bottom line is that successful weight loss involves many moving parts that aren’t just attached to your body.

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  2. A study of swimming clubs identified three different profiles of athletes: specialists with low competition, specialists with high competition and samplers. Masters programs and adult leagues must encourage participants of all ages and abilities to get involved, writes Jill Barker.

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