Tag: resistance training

Categories : Exercise Metabolic DisordersTags :

Weightlifting Beats Running for Glycaemic Control, Researchers Find

On By ModernMedia

Study shows that resistance training outperforms endurance exercise in improving insulin sensitivity in obesity and Type 2 diabetes models.

Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash

Running may help burn calories, but when it comes to preventing diabetes and obesity, pumping iron might have the edge, according to preclinical findings from Virginia Tech scientists at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC.

The research, published in the Journal of Sport and Health Science, compared the effects of endurance and resistance exercise in mice fed a high-fat diet, a widely used model of obesity, hyperglycaemia, and Type 2 diabetes.

A team led by exercise medicine researcher Zhen Yan found that while both running and weightlifting helped the body clear excess sugar from the blood, resistance training was more effective in reducing subcutaneous and visceral fat, improving glucose tolerance, and lowering insulin resistance – key factors in preventing and managing diabetes.

“We all want to live a long, healthy life,” said Prof Yan, director of the Center for Exercise Medicine Research. “We all know the benefits of regular exercise. There is plenty of evidence in humans that both endurance exercise, such as running, and resistance exercise, such as weightlifting, are effective in promoting insulin sensitivity.” 

But while both support metabolic function, a rigorous side-by-side comparison was lacking. Is one type of exercise better than the other? 

What they did

To conduct the first direct, controlled comparison, members of the research team built something that had not previously existed: a mouse model of weightlifting.

In this model, mice lived in specially designed cages where food was accessed through a hinged, weighted lid. To eat, the mice had to lift the lid while wearing a small shoulder collar, causing a squat-like movement that engaged the muscle contractions people use during resistance exercise. The load was gradually increased over several days, mimicking progressive strength training.

For the endurance group, mice were given open access to a running wheel, an established model of aerobic exercise. Control groups included sedentary mice on either a normal or high-fat diet.

Over eight weeks, the researchers monitored weight gain, body composition, and fat distribution. They tested exercise capacity with treadmill runs, assessed heart and muscle function, and measured how well the mice regulated blood sugar. They also analyzed skeletal muscle tissue to study insulin signaling at the molecular level.

Using their novel model of resistance exercise, team members were able to directly compare how the two training styles affect obesity, blood glucose, and insulin sensitivity in a way that closely mirrors human exercise.

“Our data showed that both running and weightlifting reduce fat in the abdomen and under the skin and improve blood glucose maintenance with better insulin signaling in skeletal muscle,” Yan said. “Importantly, weightlifting outperforms running in these health benefits.”

Why this matters

Diabetes and obesity are major public health challenges, fuelled by sedentary lifestyles and high-fat diets. The findings underscore decades of clinical trials showing that endurance, resistance, and high-intensity interval training all reduce HbA1c while also lowering body mass index, blood pressure, and improving quality of life.

The new Virginia Tech study, which also involves collaborators from the University of Virginia, helps fill a critical gap by directly comparing voluntary running and weightlifting in a controlled, preclinical model of diet-induced obesity.

“The findings also bring good news for people who, for any number of reasons, cannot engage in endurance-type exercise,” Yan said. “Weight training has equal, if not better, anti-diabetes benefits.”

The researchers also saw changes in skeletal muscle signaling pathways that could inform new drug therapies for Type 2 diabetes.

Interestingly, the benefits of resistance training were not explained by changes in muscle mass or exercise performance, suggesting unique metabolic mechanisms at play.

Yan said the study underscores the idea that, while popular drug interventions like GLP-1 agonists can help with diabetes management and weight loss, they do not replace the unique, accessible, and comprehensive benefits of a well-balanced exercise programme. 

“The take-home message is that you should do both endurance and resistance exercise, if possible, to get the most health benefit,” said Yan, who is also a professor in the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech. 

Source: Virginia Tech

Categories : Exercise Obstetrics & GynaecologyTags :

Researchers Debunk Common Beliefs About ‘Cycle Syncing’ and Muscles

On By ModernMedia
Photo by John Arano on Unsplash

New research from McMaster kinesiologists is challenging the internet belief that timing resistance training to specific phases of the menstrual cycle boosts the body’s ability to build muscle and strength.

The researchers have shown that exercising at various points in the cycle had no impact — positive or negative — on the synthesis of new muscle proteins, a process essential to building and maintaining muscle.

The results, published in the print edition of the Journal of Physiology, debunk the popularly touted practice of cycle syncing, or tailoring workouts to align with the way hormones change throughout a woman’s menstrual cycle.

“Our findings conflict with the popular notion that there is some kind of hormonal advantage to performing different exercises in each phase,” explains Lauren Colenso-Semple, lead author of the study and a former graduate student in the Department of Kinesiology, who conducted the work while at McMaster.

“We saw no differences, regardless of cycle timing.”

For the study, researchers monitored the menstrual cycles of participants — all healthy young women — for three months to confirm their cycles were normal. Contrary to popular belief, only a small percentage of women — about 12 per cent — have a consistent 28-day cycle and ovulate regularly on Day 14 or the “textbook” menstrual cycle.

Participants then ingested a tracer molecule, a benign substance designed to track and monitor muscle protein levels. They performed heavy resistance exercise during two distinct phases of their menstrual cycles: the follicular phase, when estrogen levels are at their peak; and the luteal phase, characterized by peak progesterone levels.

Researchers observed no effect of either menstrual cycle phase on the production of muscle proteins.

Cycle syncing has been made popular by internet influencers to coordinate workouts, certain diets and lifestyle behaviours with the menstrual cycle.

There are fitness apps for tracking cycles, and social media channels are rife with advice and recommendations.

Proponents routinely cite a handful of scientific studies on animals as evidence that fluctuations in ovarian hormones can affect how human muscles respond to exercise, but this study shows that not to be correct.

“Our work shows that women who want to lift weights and recondition their muscles should feel free to do so in any phase of their cycle. There is no physiological difference in response to the exercise,” says Stuart Phillips, the Canada Research Chair in Skeletal Muscle Health at McMaster who supervised the study.

“It is important to tailor your training to how you feel.”

Scientists highlight the need for further research, particularly studies that focus on women’s health. This includes investigating how training, in relation to the menstrual cycle, affects women and how both oral and non-oral contraceptives influence their responses to exercise.

This article was first published on Brighter World. Read the original article.