Obese people get less out of exercise

May 30th, 2007

WASHINGTON: Overweight and obese people get less out of resistance training than leaner people do, researchers said on Friday in a study that suggests the overweight may have to try harder to get results.

But it does not mean they should give up, said the researchers, who noted the differences were small.

“People who are overweight and obese experience numerous health benefits from exercise training programmes even in the absence of significant amounts of weight loss or improvements in cardiopulmonary physical fitness,” Linda Pescatello of the University of Connecticut wrote in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.

They tested 687 adults, measuring their body fat and using magnetic resonance imaging. The volunteers did 12 weeks of 45 to 60-minute workouts. Everyone gained strength and muscle. But the overweight and obese volunteers gained 4% to 17% less than those of normal weight.

Source:The Times Of Ondia