Now
wait a second. Before you storm over here with your dumbbells and TRX
straps, let us explain how science could even reach this conclusion.
The study, published in the
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research,
asked 81 overweight but healthy women to voluntarily partake in a 12
week aerobic exercise program. They were not asked to change their diet.
Of course, you’d assume three months of regular treadmill sessions
would melt off some fat. That was not the case for most of the women.
From the
NYT:
“At the end of 12 weeks, the women were all significantly
more aerobically fit than they had been at the start. But many were
fatter. Almost 70 percent of the women had added at least some fat mass
during the program, and several had gained as much as 10 pounds, most of
which was from fat, not added muscle.”
How is this even possible? Another study from 2013 in
Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise may have the answer.
Seven Myths About Weight Loss >>>
It seems exercise might not be directly to blame. It’s the people
actually doing the exercise, who gobble a whoopie pie after a gym
session as a reward or decide it’s OK to then not move for the rest of
the day. Put more scientifically from the study’s abstract, “some
individuals adopt compensatory behaviors, that is, increased energy
intake and/or reduced activity."
In other words, they pig out and bum around after getting home from the gym.
So
no, exercise is not making you fat. It’s actually making you healthier
and happier. But this research indicates that for weight loss, exercise
is not the only magic bullet. No doubt it’s a very important factor, but
so is the
kitchen. This means you can't use your training as an excuse if you really want to lose weight. It doesn't compensate for poor eating.
- See more at: http://www.mensfitness.com/weight-loss/burn-fat-fast/exercise-making-you-fat#sthash.5BWe6nVK.dpuf
Now
wait a second. Before you storm over here with your dumbbells and TRX
straps, let us explain how science could even reach this conclusion.
The study, published in the
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research,
asked 81 overweight but healthy women to voluntarily partake in a 12
week aerobic exercise program. They were not asked to change their diet.
Of course, you’d assume three months of regular treadmill sessions
would melt off some fat. That was not the case for most of the women.
From the
NYT:
“At the end of 12 weeks, the women were all significantly
more aerobically fit than they had been at the start. But many were
fatter. Almost 70 percent of the women had added at least some fat mass
during the program, and several had gained as much as 10 pounds, most of
which was from fat, not added muscle.”
How is this even possible? Another study from 2013 in
Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise may have the answer.
Seven Myths About Weight Loss >>>
It seems exercise might not be directly to blame. It’s the people
actually doing the exercise, who gobble a whoopie pie after a gym
session as a reward or decide it’s OK to then not move for the rest of
the day. Put more scientifically from the study’s abstract, “some
individuals adopt compensatory behaviors, that is, increased energy
intake and/or reduced activity."
In other words, they pig out and bum around after getting home from the gym.
So
no, exercise is not making you fat. It’s actually making you healthier
and happier. But this research indicates that for weight loss, exercise
is not the only magic bullet. No doubt it’s a very important factor, but
so is the
kitchen. This means you can't use your training as an excuse if you really want to lose weight. It doesn't compensate for poor eating.
- See more at: http://www.mensfitness.com/weight-loss/burn-fat-fast/exercise-making-you-fat#sthash.5BWe6nVK.dpuf