Jogging just not your thing? Don't sweat it – you have options. “Do what exercise you want to do and what you’re most likely to stick to.” “If you want to exercise to change your body composition, you’ve got options,” says Dr Hagstrom. While the findings are encouraging for fans of pumping iron, Dr Hagstrom says the best approach for people who are aiming to lose fat is still to stick to eating nutritiously and having an exercise routine that includes both aerobic/cardio and strength training.īut if aerobics and cardio just aren’t your thing, the good news is you don’t need to force it. Read more: Five exercises to stay fit during lockdown

The team found that, on average, the participants lost 1.4 per cent of their total body fat after their training programs, which equated to roughly half a kilo in fat mass for most participants. The programs lasted for about five months. While the strength training programs differed between the studies, the participants worked out for roughly 45-60 minutes each session for an average of 2.7 times per week. Altogether, the studies included 3000 participants, none of which had any previous weight training experience. “But when we add all of these studies together, we effectively create one large study, and can get a much clearer idea of what's going on.”ĭr Hagstrom and her team pulled together the findings from 58 research papers that used highly accurate forms of body fat measurement (like body scans, which can differentiate fat mass from lean mass) to measure the outcomes from strength training programs. “It can be really difficult to discern whether there’s an effect or not based on one study alone,” says Dr Hagstrom. Smaller sample sizes can make it difficult to find statistically significant results, especially as many bodies can respond differently to exercise programs. Studies have investigated this link in the past, but their sample sizes tend to be small – a side effect of not many people wanting to volunteer to exercise for months on end. Up until now, the link between strength training and fat loss has been unclear. Strength training can still lead to a loss of body fat without needing to consciously diet or go running.

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