eMedicineLive

According to a new study, a combination of weight training and aerobic exercise might be the best exercise option for individuals who are overweight and consequently at a higher risk for diabetes and heart disease. People who limit there exercising to aerobics lose weight and drop inches off their waistline while people who concentrate on weight training gain strength. The findings are the result of a study led by Lori Bateman of the Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina and have been published in the American Journal of Cardiology.

 

Dr. Lori Bateman randomly assigned three different exercise programs to 196 overweight, sedentary adults. The first group was subjected to resistance training three weeks a day, concentrating on upper and lower body muscles. The second group was made to do aerobics for two hours per week. The energy spent on these exercises was equivalent to that spent after walking or jogging for 12 miles. The third group was subjected to a combination of aerobics and resistance training.

 

The results were compared in the 86 participants who lasted the complete exercise programs for 8 months. It was seen that the participants who were subjected to only resistance training gained 1.5 pounds without any change in their diabetes or heart risk factors. The participants from the aerobic group lost around 3 pounds and half an inch from their waists. However, the participants who were subjected to a combination of both forms of exercise dropped about 4 pounds and 1 waistline inch. They also exhibited a reduced diastolic blood pressure, a lower metabolic syndrome score and lower levels of triglycerides.

 

As per Dr. Timothy Church, who studies exercise and disease at Louisiana State University's Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, mixing in some resistance training with regular aerobic exercise is the best option for an optimal heart health. Other recent researches and physical activity guidelines also point in the same direction.

 

References:

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