A recent study suggests that men who want to continue looking fit as they get older need to not only do aerobic exercises (jogging, et al) but should also do some kind of weight training.
When we age, we lose muscle mass and we tend to accumulate more body fat. If you only engage in aerobic activities, such as running, jogging, you will end up losing fat, as well as muscle mass, explains study co-author Rania Mekary. The Harvard School of Public Health researcher adds, That’s why you need to supplement your workout with resistance training, in order to preserve the muscle mass.
Mekary continues, Because aging is associated with sarcopenia, the loss of skeletal muscle mass, relying on body weight alone is insufficient for the study of healthy aging. He goes on to say, Measuring waist circumference is a better indicator of healthy body composition among older adults. Engaging in resistance training or, ideally, combining it with aerobic exercise could help older adults lessen abdominal fat while increasing or preserving muscle mass.
This study whos that men who increased weight traingin by 20 minutes per workout day, had less waistline gain than men who only performed moderate-to-vigorous aerobic exercise.
Harvard School of Public health professor of nutrition and epidemiology, Frank Hu adds, This study underscores the importance of weight training in reducing abdominal obesity, especially among the elderly. The study co-author continues, To maintain a healthy weight and waistline, it is crucial to incorporate weight training with aerobic exercise.
Engaging in resistance training or, ideally, combining it with aerobic exercise could help older adults lessen abdominal fat while increasing or preserving muscle mass, Mekary continues. He adds that while this study was only conducted with men, researchesr easily suspect that results should be consistent among women as well.