30 Seconds SummaryLifting during weight loss can facilitate long-term weight maintenance
- Resistance training during weight loss helps maintain fat-free mass, potentially reducing hunger and weight regain.
- Study by Martins et al analyzed 141 premenopausal women who were on an 800kcal/day diet with groups differing in exercise regimes (diet only, diet plus aerobic, diet plus resistance).
- Findings showed resistance training group not only preserved but even gained fat-free mass during the weight loss phase.
- Participants regained 51.3% of the weight they initially lost by end of one-year follow-up, mostly as fat mass; variations in regain were wide, ranging from slight weight loss to a 20.3 kg increase.
- Regression analysis indicated fat-free mass loss accounts for about 4% of the variance in weight regain, suggesting other factors like lifestyle modifications and eating behaviors are also crucial.
- Study underscores the importance of combining resistance training and possibly higher protein intakes during restrictive diets to minimize loss of fat-free mass and control weight regain.
Stronger By Science
Eric Trexler
