Lifting weights as 'good as running'

[Roach-Rampino]

Weight training could be as effective as endurance exercises like running when it comes to burning fat and warding off diabetes, a study suggests.


American scientists created mice which carried a gene that, when switched on, gave them muscles similar to those produced by weight training.
When the gene was off, the mice - which were fed a fast food diet - became obese and developed liver problems.
But when on, the same mice burned up fat, the Cell Metabolism study said.
In addition, the fatty liver disease it had developed while the gene was off disappeared, and it stopped being resistant to insulin, a condition which can lead to type II diabetes.
This was despite the fact that the mouse was still eating a diet high in fat and sugar and did not increase its physical activity.
The team from the Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) genetically engineered the mouse to grow a certain type of muscle - known as Type II - which develops as a result of resistance training. This is different to the muscle which forms as a result of endurance training such as running, known as Type I.


Speeding up "We've shown that Type II muscle does more than allow you to pick up heavy objects," said Kenneth Walsh of BUSM. "It's also important in controlling whole-body metabolism."

The researchers suggested it may be because an increase in this type of muscle sparks changes in the rest of the body.
Professor Ken Fox, an exercise specialist at the University of Bristol, said that attention was increasingly turning to resistance exercise as a means to improve metabolism.
"If you have these muscles, even when you are not doing much, you are still burning up energy. "It's a hot topic at the moment. It's something that could be particularly useful for older people who may have trouble with endurance exercise, and it can be very satisfying because the effects of resistance training appear very quickly."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7228896.stm

[elephantsoup]

Cheers mate.. very interestin.

[MercuryRises]

a gene that, when switched on, gave them muscles similar to those produced by weight training.

Sure would save time if I could get me one of those. Save on Gym Fees too...............

[B B Leo]

once a week i would have done light weight and high slow rep. burnt like mad. but felt better than running 6k

[ffrr]

From what I have learned these last few years I'd say weight lifting, when matched to your specific body type and metabolism is far better than running!

Everyone has slow/fast twitch fibres in thier muscles. However some people have a higher percentage than others like sprinters for example... although it's completely genetic you can train your muscle fibres, over time, to react the same way when doing resistance training. But you can never change them 100%, that's just the way it is, some people are just more lucky than others!

I know periodisation training (which is when you do 3-4 different types of routine a year to change your physique/metabolism) helps.. ie; you do moderate resistance training for 3-4 months, 1-2 months of maximal lifting (which helps to promote the growth of fast twitch muscle fibres), 1-2 months muscle size training, 1 -2 months advanced muscle training, and not forgetting rest periods in between.

Similar to that is HIIT, high intensity interval training... where you rev up your metabolism but doing short bursts of high intensity exercise. Easily done with cardio training by running flat out for 1 - 1 1/2 mins and then resting or running at a slow pace for 30 seconds to 2 minutes alternating over a period of 20 - 40 minutes.

Doing that as compared to running a steady pace for an hour is far more beneficial (depending on goals of course). You'll burn off more fat as fuel because you're working the body much harder by increasing your breathing rate (Vo2 max) to a higher point. You'll also be strengthening your cardiovascular system, and inceasing you overall metabolism.

The same technique can be done with resistance training too by keeping the blood pumping at a faster rate. Again depending on your routine type of course. ie; If you do high reps 10 - 12. Instead of resting for 1 - 2 minutes between sets don't. Keep the times very low, around 30 seconds or less... doing this may knacker you out quicker at first, and you may not be able to lift the amount of weight you would normally at your slower pace... your basically condensing your routine BUT working your body harder (even though you may not be lifting as much), again, which in turn will burn a higher % of fat, speeding up your metabolism and promoting the conversion of slow twitch to fast twitch muscle fibres... make sense? ;)

You could go several steps further and determine what percentage of your slow/fast twitch muscles are type 1 or 2, and also the shape of your muscles ie; long or short, and the way they are connected internally... but that's really going to the extreme ;D

Basically from what I have read, it seems the harder you work in the shorter amount of time, whilst keeping your weights as maximal as possible, the better it is for you! Keeping in mind you have already determined what type of resistance training is suited to your body type in the first place!

[Roach-Rampino]

I just moved into my new house and haven't been able to train more than twice a week as I have loads of other stuff to do in the evenings. So instead of doing a specific muscle group/body part per session ( as I would normally) I have being doing circuit sessions which incorporate all muslces groups and are very knackering! I either do high reps (say 20, 25 or 30 depending on the exercise) or pump out the reps for 1 minute. It's made a really good change to do a totally different routine. I am not going high weights as it's al about the movement rather than the load.