By Tyrone Saul
There is strong evidence to support that a combination of lifting weights and aerobic exercise not only assists in losing weight, but can prevent muscle atrophy (loss of muscle tissue) and other preventable diseases occurring in both male and females particularly between the ages of 20-40 years of age. Observations by Dr Micheal Colgan identified that the average female loses 3.6kg of muscle and gains 10kg of body fat between 20-40 years of age, while men lose almost a quarter of their lean mass between 20-80 years old.
According to US researches at McMaster University, running, cycling, or other aerobic sports will not by themselves prevent lean tissue loss.
Instead, a culmination of weight training and aerobic exercises is imperative in maintaining lean tissue while supporting increases in cardiovascular capacity.
A six-year study by Bae and Cussler (2010) tested the hypothesis that women who maintained a high frequency and volume of resistance training, impacted significantly on body composition change (fat loss) particularly in post menopausal women, they state “that resistance training is a viable long-term method to prevent weight gain and unfavourable changes in body composition”.
Additionally, their study concluded that both men and women benefit from aerobic and resistance training when combined, they note “that both have been shown to diminish body fat per cent and reduce risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes.”
Despite the overwhelming evidence that lifting weights assists in losing weight, it is a reminder to us that resistance and aerobic training are feasible options for us as individuals to maintain or improve health outcomes irrespective of weight loss.
