Weight Loss Tip: Lifting Better Than Running to Lose Belly Fat

Weight training is vital in preventing belly fat, a new study reported. According to the researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, this form of exercise, when added to aerobic workouts, can slow down one's development of age-related belly fat.

For this study, the team examined data on 10,500 healthy male participants between 1996 and 2008. The participants were aged 40 or older with varying body mass indexes (BMI). BMI measures obesity by calculating one's weight in relation to height. The researchers analyzed the effects of different exercise regimens on the men's waistlines.

"Because aging is associated with sarcopenia, the loss of skeletal muscle mass, relying on body weight alone is insufficient for the study of healthy aging," study author Rania Mekary, a researcher at Harvard's department of nutrition, said in the news release. "Measuring waist circumference is a better indicator of healthy body composition among older adults."

The researchers found that men who did weight training for 20 minutes a day experienced smaller increases in their belly fat when compared to men who spent the same time doing other aerobic exercises, such as stair climbing. Men who remained sedentary throughout the 12-year study period gained the largest amount of belly fat.

"Engaging in resistance training or, ideally, combining it with aerobic exercise could help older adults lessen abdominal fat while increasing or preserving muscle mass," Mekary noted.

"This study underscores the importance of weight training in reducing abdominal obesity, especially among the elderly," study senior author Frank Hu, a professor of nutrition and epidemiology, added. "To maintain a healthy weight and waistline, it is critical to incorporate weight training with aerobic exercise."

The study was published in the journal, Obesity.