Resistance training effectiveness on body composition and body weight outcomes in individuals with overweight and obesity across the lifespan: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Methodology

Meta-analysis

Population

116 articles reporting 114 trials, n=4184 individuals with overweight or obesity across the lifespan (children through older adults)

Intervention

Resistance training alone, RT plus caloric restriction, and RT plus aerobic exercise vs. control conditions

Findings

Resistance training reduced body fat percentage by about 2.2 percentage points and fat mass by about 1.6 kg in people with overweight and obesity. Resistance training alone increased lean mass by about 0.8 kg, and combining RT with caloric restriction produced the largest body-fat reduction (-3.8 percentage points) — the key finding that RT preserves or builds lean mass during weight loss, across the lifespan.

Outcome measures

Body fat percentage, fat mass, lean/fat-free mass, body weight, BMI

Limitations

Very heterogeneous population spanning children to older adults and widely varying RT protocols; body-composition measurement methods differed across trials; caloric-restriction and dietary adherence poorly controlled or reported in many trials; modest absolute effect sizes for fat loss.

Original source

DOI: 10.1111/obr.13428 · PMID: 35187754