Sunday, December 23, 2012

Aerobic Training or Resistance Training for Weight Loss

Note:

If you are keen and have queries, please contact Coach Rameshon at 9100 4369 or you can email him at m.rameshon@gmail.com or swift.rameshon@gmail.com. Please refer to website http://flexifitness.com.sg (for more information on him and his programmes)

By Rameshon
Bsc (Hons) Degree in Physical Education, Loughborough University (1992-1994)
Masters in Education (University of Western Australia, 2005-2008)

Fat loss - Using my own experience

Picture 1 - It is important to know the truth by finding it out by yourself
 

Resistance training is not a good way to reduce fat. I gained this knowledge through experience when I was 73 kg in the year 2005. I found that by doing 600 sit-ups and strength training, my fat level did not go down, until I started doing more aerobic running, walking and other training in the gym like the treadmill, cycling and elliptical machines. Simply, by doing this activity, I made one guy come in third in a marathon in the year 2005 and I was 6th for that year before I came in first in the year 2008, at the age of 43.  With this training, I reduced my weight to 66 kg in 6 months. I did a 10km race in the year 2005 in 55min and it was not good for all the efforts that I was putting in to lose weight. The next couple of months, I lost a total of 6 kg in 6 months, I was able to go to 60kg with aerobic training alone. I told myself to continue with the aerobic training and I finally brought my weight down to 55kg, in year 2006. I followed a very structured way of training to reduce my weight using my own experience as a coach and an athlete as well as using Sports Science and use a step by step approach to weight loss.



My conclusion was that nothing can beat aerobic training for weight loss. It is a sad mistake that one wants to bring in resistance training to lose weight where a person's weight usually goes upwards and not downwards. I knew that it will be a waste of time doing resistance training if the purpose is to lose weight. 

It was only when I brought my weight down to 55kg that I started to do resistance training so that I could run much faster. The keyword for people, who are overweight, who want to run a marathon or any distance race, which ranges between 1.5km to the ultramarathon is to bring the weight down first and then focus on fitness next. By bringing the weight down in fact one's fitness scores actually go up instead of going down. However, I have met many impatient people who want to do resistance training at all cost. I believe that they do it for two main reasons. One of the reasons cited frequently by some people is that they find that many people are doing this. Hence, they feel secure that they are doing the right things by following the norms, and they feel that following the norm is the best. This is like blind leading the blind, to my observation. One will not go far because of this action. The next reason cited by them is to get the 6 packs at the abdominal area and to get muscular etc. As Wilson Kipketer, former World Record Holder for 800m had mentioned last year to middle distance athletes of Singapore that one may indulge in weights training and may get lost to a point that they have in fact, without their own knowledge, actually have chosen another sport, like weight lifting, throwing events, instead of running. He asked us to be careful with resistance training. Knowledge of Sports Science is important if one wants to succeed. 

In the past, as I can remember vividly, I have trained some people to reduce weight through an aerobic activity and felt, using my experience, that it will be a good idea to tell people to focus on cutting down on weight as a person gets fitter, in fact by doing this action. Many as I had known did not believe in this and I found that I was not in a position to help them to lose weight. I was in fact firm in my believe not to waste time in resistance training as no significant results will accrue.

In 2005, only when I saw my weight not going down significantly by resistance training that I mustered all my energies and efforts to predominantly aerobic training, armed with the knowledge of Sports Science and intuition. After reading this article below, I am now convinced that what I did for my runners were all right. Hence, it is good for people to read an article and know that it is important to reduce one's weight first through aerobic training. I hope you have a good read.


Remember, only when you have reduced weight to ideal weight that one can focus on resistance training once a week, in order to get fitter. This is, I feel strongly, that forms the key to improve fitness, which forms as the next target on one's journey to health.


 

Quality time on the treadmill may be a better way to fight the flab compared to weight training or a combination of the two, a new study finds.
The study comes from Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, and was published last week in the Journal of Applied Physiology.

"Given that approximately two-thirds of adults in the United States are overweight due to excess body fat, we want to offer clear, evidence-based exercise recommendations that will truly help people lose weight and body fat," says Leslie H. Willis, MS, an exercise physiologist at Duke Medicine and the study's lead author.

Researchers enlisted 234 overweight or obese adults in the study. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of three groups: resistance training three days per week (three sets per day, eight to 12 repetitions per set); aerobic training (walking/jogging 19 kilometres per week); or aerobic plus resistance training (three days a week, three sets per day, 8-12 repetitions per set for resistance training, plus 19 kilometres per week of walking/jogging).

The groups assigned to aerobic training and aerobic plus resistance training lost more weight than those who did just resistance training. The resistance training group actually gained weight due to an increase in lean body mass, the researchers noted.

Interesting, while the combination exercise group worked out longer than the other groups, their results were mixed. Participants did lose weight and fat mass, but the loss wasn't as significant as those who just trained aerobically.

"Balancing time commitments against health benefits, our study suggests that aerobic exercise is the best option for reducing fat mass and body mass," says Cris A. Slentz, PhD, a Duke exercise physiologist and study co-author. "It's not that resistance training isn't good for you; it's just not very good at burning fat."

The Duke team published a second study last year in the American Journal of Physiology, Endocrinology and Metabolism that found that vigorous aerobic activity trumps lifting weights when it comes to trimming belly fat.

www.runningcoachsg.com


Note:

By Narayanan
Rameshon has taught in Hwa Chong Institution, plus several schools, and Republic Polytechnic as well. He has won many accolades and he was awarded Merit Award for 1991 marathon performance in breaking the national record of Singapore, at that time. He has made 22 male athletes do a marathon in sub-3hrs. He has made 7 female runners do sub-4 hours for the marathon, as well. He was inducted to the ‘Roll of Honour’  by the then College of Physical Education, organised by Singapore Olympic Academy, in 1998, for breaking the National record repeatedly 4 times, till he did 2hr 24min 22sec).

He also has a Coaching group and he trains them on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7pm at Botanic Gardens. Those interested can call him at 91004369 for coaching assistance, to improve performance. There is also personal training that he does for many in a week. You can e-mail him at swift.rameshon@gmail.com.