The Conversation published an article on September 1, 2020 regarding the effectiveness of weight resistance in our efforts to lose weight. The article mentions that resistance training whether done by your body weight, resistance bands or free weights has always been a way to build strength and has now become popular among those looking to lose weight. And aren’t we all?

“When we exercise, our muscles need more energy than they do when resting. This energy comes from our muscles’ ability to break down fat and carbohydrate (stored within the muscle, liver and fat tissue) with the help of oxygen. So during exercise, we breathe faster and our heart works harder to pump more oxygen, fat, and carbohydrate to our exercising muscles.

’What is less obvious, however, is that after we’ve finished exercising, oxygen uptake actually remains elevated in order to restore muscles to their resting state by breaking down stored fat and carbohydrates. This phenomenon is called excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) – though more commonly known as the after-burn effect. It describes how long oxygen uptake remains elevated after exercise in order to help the muscles recover.”

“Resistance training can also be effective for long-term weight control, too. This is because muscle size plays a major role in determining resting metabolic rate (RMR), which is how many calories your body requires to function at rest. Resting metabolic rate accounts for 60-75% of total energy expenditure in non-exercising people, and fat is the body’s preferred energy source at rest.”

“Resistance training helps with excess fat loss by increasing both after-burn after exercise, and by increasing muscle size, thereby increasing the number of calories we burn at rest. Combining it with a healthy diet will only further increase the loss of excess body fat – and may also provide other positive health benefits.”

David R. Clark is a senior lecturer, strength and conditioning, at Liverpool John Moores University. Carl Langan-Evans is a postdoctoral research fellow, strength and conditioning, at Liverpool John Moores University. Robert M. Erskine is a reader in neuromuscular physiology at Liverpool John Moores University.