Aerobic Vs Resistance Training for Weight Loss - which one is more effective (Evidence based)

When it comes to losing weight, beginners usually are confused between Aerobics versus Resistance Training for losing weight. Which one is more efficient? Often beginners get bombarded with opinions from multiple sources, which can be confusing as credibility remains always an issue. So, in this post, I will be sharing some studies on Aerobics Vs Lifting Weight (Resistance training) for losing weight, and by the end of this post, you should be able to decide which one you should opt, for losing weight.

Studies on Aerobics Vs Resistance training for losing weight – Which one is better?

I won’t be going into details about what aerobic exercise or resistance training (lifting weight) is, but in brief aerobic exercise are one that you do without any extra weights involved, and do it fast to get your heart pumping faster like running, jumping jacks, while resistance training involves weights, like dumbbell curls, bench press. So below are some scientific studies that compared both to find out which one is more efficient for losing weight. Although there are numerous studies on the topic, I found two studies from reputed journals worth sharing and I think they will be enough to help you decide.

The first study titled “Effects of Aerobic and/or resistance training on body mass or fat mass in overweight or obese adults” by Willis and colleagues was published in the Journal of Applied Physiology in 2012. The study included 119 participants who were studied for 8 months. The key takeaways from the study were:

• Aerobic training was more effective than resistance training or lifting weights for losing fat.
• The combination of both types of training didn’t result in more fat loss compared to aerobics alone.
• If increasing muscle mass and strength is a goal, then resistance training to be incorporated into the schedule

The second study conducted by Dennis T Villareal and colleagues, titled “Aerobic or Resistance Exercise, or both, in Dieting Obese Older Adults”, published in the reputed New England Journal of Medicine in 2017 involving 141 participants concluded that:

• Bodyweight decreased equally by 9% in all groups, which means the combination of both modalities was not superior to aerobic or resistance training alone for weight loss
• Strength increased more in combination and resistance training compared to aerobic training alone
• Lean muscle mass decreased less in combined or resistance training compared to aerobic alone.

To summarize, if your goal is to lose weight primarily, then Aerobic training should be your priority. But along with losing weight, if you wish to preserve muscle mass and increase strength as well, then a balanced combination of both aerobic and resistance training is what you should do. But always remember, no matter what exercise you do, you must be in a caloric deficit diet parallelly if you wish to lose weight efficiently.