Both groups lost just a smidgen, one or two pounds, but they saw at least a two percent decrease in body fat. Muscle weighs more than fat, but it's also more efficient at burning calories. DiBrezzo believes the duration of the study limited weight loss results. After only eight weeks, subjects were already noticing that their clothes fit more loosely, she said. Had the experiment gone on longer, the women would have continued to firm up and would have shed more pounds.
Weight training leads to greater muscle fitness, which in turn boosts metabolism.
But DiBrezzo cautions that this type of exercise represents only one facet of a complete fitness regimen. If women hope to get in shape, they should participate both in weight training and aerobic exercise. I'd go so far as to say that it doesn't matter how thin you are. If you don't have muscle fitness, you're not in shape. Aerobics may burn calories and improve cardiovascular stamina, but weight training provides multiple benefits.