Strength Training for Fat Loss?

“If you want to burn fat you need to run and bike and swim and sweat until you just can’t anymore!” This has long been the common sentiment towards training with the goal of achieving lower body fat levels. A new study published in October 2023 begs to differ, however. (A link to the free full text will be provided below in the “sources” section, and I strongly suggest that you check it out.) The study to which I am referencing came away with some key results that suggest strength training may be the best exercise to increase lean mass and lower fat mass. The aim of this study was to see the efficacy of strength training, aerobic training, and a combination of the two on reducing A1C levels and combating sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass) in normal-weight type 2 diabetes patients. Normal-weight type 2 diabetes patients are those with the disease whose BMI falls into “normal” ranges, the study says that about 20% of those with type 2 diabetes fall into this category. Now, I am going to avoid getting too far down the type 2 diabetes rabbit hole as there is so much information regarding the disease that it would take me a month to do it justice. What I want to focus on is the “normal-weight” part of the study and how the different training methods affected lean mass and fat mass in participants. There were three groups: a strength training group (only did strength training), an aerobic group (only did aerobic training), and a combination group (did both strength and aerobic training). Each group was asked to exercise 3 times a week and stick to their prescribed regimen. After 9 months, the results were honestly astonishing. One could expect that the strength training group would have had the largest increase in lean muscle, and this is exactly what happened as there was an average increase of 0.15 kg of lean mass while the other two groups showed a decrease in lean mass. What was shocking was the fact that the strength training group also had the biggest decrease in fat mass. Losing 1.1 kg, while the aerobic and combination lost just 0.72 kg and 0.82 kg, respectively. The fact that this took place in “normal-weight” participants is very interesting as it means these results may be applicable to the “average” person who is neither overweight or underweight. Now, this study was designed mainly to see the effects different training methods had on A1C levels and sarcopenia, so we cannot accept it as a certifiable fact that the best way to lose fat is through strength training. It is, however, some food for thought as you look into training methods for “leaning” up. Once again, I encourage you to check out the article and see the results for yourself.

Sources: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10527535/