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According to work conducted by Edith Cowan University, training with dumbbells could have a significant effect on the fat mass of obese people.
What physical exercises to fight against overweight?
Schematically, we distinguish:
- Aerobic exercises (also called endurance or cardio exercises) which work your heart and lungs by increasing your heart rate and breathing;
- Resistance exercises (or strength training) that work the muscles and joints.
It has long been believed that only cardio exercises are the best way to burn fat. However, according to a recent study, exercises with dumbbells are just as effective, provided they are combined with a suitable diet.
The use of weights would lead to fat loss
To reach this conclusion, researchers at Edith Cowan University (ECU) reviewed numerous randomized trials evaluating the effects of resistance exercise combined or not with nutritional programs (protein supplementation, low-fat diet or restriction calorie).
A total of 4184 participants with overweight or obesity were included in this study, including 878 children/adolescents.
During the study, scientists found that resistance training alone was the most effective in increasing lean body mass.
Concretely, the method which involved exercises with dumbbells and calorie restriction significantly reduced the fat mass of the whole body.
“Usually when we talk about obesity, body composition, or weight loss, we only hear about aerobic exercise.”, said lead researcher and doctoral student Pedro Lopez. Gold, “this study shows that we can use resistance training and achieve significant effects on weight, in addition to calorie reduction. We can reduce body fat percentage, total body fat, body weight and BMI“.
Another positive effect of this training: it would preserve the muscle mass of overweight people.
Finally, the researchers clarified that it was important “that obese people have other options than aerobic exercise to lose weight” because this practice entailed a risk of injury to the knees, joints or even ligaments.
NO to diets, YES to WW!
Obesity: the causes to know
Nearly eight million people are obese in France and among them, more than a million suffer from what is called massive obesity, with a BMI over 40.
This chronic nutritional disease – which is caused by excess body fat – does not heal spontaneously and affects people’s physical, psychological and social well-being. It is defined by a BMI equal to or greater than 30.0 kg/m².
Its causes are multiple:
- Excessive calorie intake (fatty, sweet, low fiber diet, etc.);
- Insufficient daily energy expenditure (lack of physical activity and sedentary lifestyle, etc.);
- Eating disorders such as snacking or bulimia;
- Anxiety or depressive disorders (professional, family difficulties, etc.);
- A decrease in sleep time;
- Quitting smoking without proper advice;
- Excessive alcohol consumption.
People who are overweight and obese are prone to serious diseases, especially cardiovascular diseases, which is why it is important to monitor your weight regularly.