Resistance Training and Fat Loss

Last week I wrote about a landmark study that reveals the truth of an aging metabolism…and it wasn’t what most of us expected. For those of us that have gained weight over the years and blamed it on the inevitability of a slowing metabolism due to aging it wasn’t the best news. If you missed it, you can read it here.

But the good news is, there is something you can do about it.

Findings from a new University of Kentucky College of Medicine and College of Health Sciences study add to growing evidence that resistance exercise has unique benefits for fat loss.

When you read articles in magazines like Mens Health or Shape and they compare cardio and resistance training and their ability to help you lose weight they, more often than not, refer to their calorie burning benefit. The assumption is, burn more calories and you inevitably lose more weight. Weight loss is definitely about calories in vs calories out, but it isn’t quite that simple. There is more happening below the surface that needs to be taken into account. And, taking that further, it is important that we focus not just on weight loss, but on fat loss. No matter your age, but especially as you age, you do not want to lose muscle mass. Fat loss yes. Muscle loss, no.

The study results, in mice and humans, show that in response to mechanical loading, muscle cells release particles called extracellular vesicles that give fat cells instructions to enter fat-burning mode.

This is very, very good news!

Next time you want to focus on losing some body fat, you may want to consider putting down the chocolate bar and picking up the weighted bar! And the heavier the better. Strong muscles help build bone density, they are metabolic and help you burn calories, even when you aren’t moving.

Check out this related blog: Resistance Training is THE Most Important Exercise or this one, Muscles are Organs of Longevity

If you aren’t lifting weights already, but know you should be, give us a call today. We can help.