Runners on “The Strip” during the 2012 Las Vegas Marathon
The answer is YES, according to a new study.
People who want to lose weight are better off running than lifting weights — or even than doing both, researchers at Duke University say.
The researchers compared people who did aerobic exercise — running, swimming, walking, for instance — with those who did resistance training such as weightlifting and with people who did both kinds of exercise. Those who got up and moved burned the most fat, they said in the Dec. 15 Journal of Applied Physiology.
“Given that approximately two-thirds of adults in the United States are overweight due to excess body fat, we want to offer clear, evidence-based exercise recommendations that will truly help people lose weight and body fat,” Leslie H. Willis, an exercise physiologist at Duke Medicine and the study’s lead author, said in a statement.
I can attest to the findings, since I have lost considerable amounts of body weight while walking and running.
I still have more to lose, but my health and energy have improved.
So, if in doubt, walk and then run!
One thought on “Is Running Better than Lifting Weights to Lose Weight?”
I would want to see the study replicated several times and see more of the researchers’ measurement protocols and subject controls before adopting their conclusions. To me, body composition is most important, as one actually gains weight (i.e., lean mass) with resistance training; did they find that aerobic exercise only was better for this purpose than aerobic and anaerobic together? Interesting, nonetheless!
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