Weight Training and Belly Fat
The research suggests that weight lifting can help to keep belly fat at bay. A 2015 study in the journal Obesity found that men who did the most weight training exercise gained the least amount of fat in their waists over time.
Read moreAbdominal Fat Loss with Weight Training
Not only does weight training prevent abdominal fat gain over time;
it can also induce belly fat loss in the short-term. In 2003, researchers for the Journal of Physiological Anthropology and Applied Human Science compared aerobic training alone to a combination of aerobic training and weight training. Women in the aerobic training group did aerobic exercise six times per week, whereas those in the combined group did aerobic training three days per week and weight training three days per week.
Overall Fat Loss with Weight Training
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Increases in Lean Body Mass
Possibility of Spot Reducing with Weight Training
Weight lifting is so effective for fat loss that it can even be utilized to reduce fat in certain areas of the body. Researchers for a 2017 edition of The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness divided female study participants into two groups. One group performed upper body weight training exercises followed by half an hour of cycling, whereas the other group completed weight training exercises targeting the lower body followed by a half hour of exercise on an arm ergometer. After eight weeks, the women who completed the upper body weight training lost more fat in their upper bodies, whereas those who did the lower body weight training lost more fat in their lower bodies.Increased Metabolism with Weight Lifting
The research shows that weight lifting can promote fat loss, and this effect might be due, at least partially, to the fact that weight lifting can speed the metabolism. A 2001 study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise analyzed the impact of 24 weeks of weight training on both young and older men and women. Study results showed that resting metabolic rate, which is the number of calories the body burns per day at rest, increased by about 7 percent after weight training. Weight training was found to increase resting metabolic rate more in men than in women, but young and older participants experienced the same increase in metabolic rate.Weight Lifting Compared
to Diet Alone
Weight training on its own is effective for fat loss, but recent research has shown that combining weight lifting with dieting can increase fat loss. In 2017, researchers for the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism analyzed the effects of diet only, weight training only, and a combination of weight training and diet on fat loss among a group of women.
Results showed that women in all three groups lost fat, but those did who did a combination of dieting and weight training lost the most body fat. When added to a low-calorie diet or a healthy diet designed to promote weight loss, weight lifting can augment the loss of body fat.
Conclusion
The entire body of research on weight training suggests that it is effective for fat loss.
Research shows that weight training programs can promote abdominal fat loss, as well as total body fat loss. Weight training can even be used to enhance fat loss in specific regions of the body, and it appears to be effective when combined with aerobic training. weight lifting can also increase the metabolism and lean body mass, and it is especially effective when combined with a high protein diet.