When we think about weight loss and burning calories, many of us immediately think of cardio. It may conjure images of running, cycling, biking—all of those activities we've been taught will help drop inches from our waistline that much faster. But in reality, slowing down might be the secret that can help you lose body fat. According to a new study published in the European Heart Journal, adding in strength training is a key part of your wellness and weight loss journey.
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Researchers studied 406 overweight or obese adults between the ages of 35 and 70, splitting them into three groups: one that strictly did aerobic exercise, one that strictly did resistance training, and one that did a combination of the two. There was also a control group that did no exercise at all.
A press release outlining the findings states that participants were given tailored workout routines "based on their individual fitness levels, health conditions and progression." They engaged in these exercises for one hour, three times a week, for a full year.
Investigators evaluated study participants for four risk factors of cardiovascular disease (CVD): systolic blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, fasting glucose, and body fat percentage. All participants, including those in the control group, were given Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet education and asked to self-report their food intake on three random days each month.
After a year, all participants were reevaluated for the same CVD factors, with the cardio and the cardio/strength combination training group seeing the most improvements in their risk factors.
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In addition to these results, researchers also found that body fat significantly decreased in all three exercise groups. However, it's worth noting that those in the strength training group consumed an additional 100 to 200 calories every day. According to Men's Health, if calories were equated across all groups, those who did strength training might have actually burned more body fat. With this in mind, you might not want to exclusively hit the treadmill or the stationary bike if you want to burn fat.
"If you’re bored with aerobic exercise and want variety or you have joint pain that makes running long distances difficult, our study shows you can replace half of your aerobic workout with strength training to get the same cardiovascular benefits. The combined workout also offers some other unique health benefits, like improving your muscles,” Duck-chul Lee, PhD, lead study author and professor of kinesiology at Iowa State, said in the press release.
However, it's worth noting that resistance training alone didn't have the same heart health benefits, further supporting the need to combine strength and cardio.
And while you might not think you have time to do both, that's not necessarily true. Researchers say that you can get your strength training in by doing a certain number of sets and reps with free weights, elastic bands, weight machines, or just your body weight.
"One of the most common reasons why people don’t exercise is because they have limited time. The combined exercise with both cardio and strength training we’re suggesting is not more time consuming,” Lee said in the press release.
