DOES STRENGTH TRAINING LEAD TO BETTER FAT BURNING?
A RECENT US STUDY EXAMINED THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STRENGTH TRAINING, ENDURANCE TRAINING AND FAT BURNING AND WHICH TRAINING PARTICULARLY PROMOTES FAT METABOLISM.
Anyone who wants to reduce fat and diligently completes endurance training while neglecting strength training should take a closer look at the results of a recent joint study by various US universities. Optimization potential guaranteed!
STUDY: BETTER FAT BURNING AFTER HARD STRENGTH TRAINING
A four-person research team investigated the extent to which energy supply in endurance training depends on the intensity of a previous strength training session. To do this, they divided 32 recreational athletes (21 women and 11 men) into two groups. Both groups completed a relaxed aerobic workout lasting 20 minutes on a cycle ergometer. The intensity was identical for both groups and was 50 percent of the maximum oxygen uptake capacity (VO2max).
What was crucial, however, was what happened before this endurance session: Group 1 did no strength training, while Group 2 did intensive strength training (6 exercises with 3 sets of 8 repetitions at 90 percent of maximum strength).
During the endurance session that followed, the scientists then determined the ratio of energy supply. The result: the men and women in group 2, who had completed the intensive strength training, obtained an average of 15 percent more energy from fat metabolism when cycling on the ergometer than the members of the first group. Furthermore, the oxygen uptake capacity of the participants in group 2 was higher than that of the athletes in group 1.
The result of this study confirms the case for many athletes who have already relied on a combination of strength and endurance training and should give food for thought to all those who have previously relied exclusively on endurance training to burn fat.
However clear the result of this study may be, it does not mean that someone who combines hard strength training with light endurance training will lose one pound after another. The only thing that matters is the energy balance, and this should be negative so that more energy can be used than is consumed at the same time.
However, this type of training improves fat metabolism, making energy production under stress generally more economical, which promotes a negative energy balance. So what are you waiting for? Head to the gym for strength training followed by an endurance session for optimal fat loss!
