According to a new study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, combining aerobic exercise with resistance training appears be the most effective solution to reducing obesity in teenagers.
To explore the most effective form of exercise for weight loss, a study group of 304 teenagers aged between 14 and 18 were divided into four groups.
One group was asked to adhere to an aerobic-only plan, one a resistance-only regime, another with both elements combined, with the final group taking no exercise but simply adhering to the dieting advice provided in a four-week counselling scheme.
The four groups implemented the various plans under the supervision of personal trainers four times per week for 22 weeks and changes in body fat were measured using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).
All of the exercisers actually losing weight, those who combined resistance and aerobic exercise saw their body fat decrease significantly more than those who only did aerobic exercise.
“Remarkably, among participants who completed at least 70 percent of the prescribed exercise sessions, waist circumference decreased by close to seven centimetres in those randomised to combined aerobic plus resistance exercise, versus about four centimetres in those randomised to do just one type of exercise, with no change in those randomised to diet alone,” said co-principal researcher Dr Glen Kenny of the University of Ottawa.
Source: JAMA Pediatrics