Resistance Exercise Benefits Weight and Metabolism

Ioannis G. Fatouros, from Democritus University of Thrace (Greece), and colleagues studied 40 inactive, overweight men, ages 65 to 82 years, randomly assigning them to one of our exercise groups, namely:  low-intensity resistance, moderate-intensity resistance, high-intensity resistance, and no exercise (control group).  Monitoring the subjects for exercise energy cost, resting energy expenditure and blood chemistry at baseline, immediately after exercise, and during a 72-hour recovery period, the researchers found that resting energy expenditure increased at 12 hours and returned to baseline after 48 hours in the moderate-intensity and low-intensity groups and 72 hours in the high-intensity group.  Further, the team found that all exercise groups exhibited a  peak in cortisol with exercise that remained elevated for 12 hours, and that concentration in the . In the high-intensity exercise group, adiponectin increased after 12 hours and remained elevated for 24 hours.  Commenting that:  “Resistance exercise does not alter circulating leptin concentration but does increase [resting energy expenditure] and adiponectin in an intensity-dependent manner… n overweight elderly individuals,” the researchers suggest that: “[R]esistance exercise may represent an effective approach for weight management and metabolic control in overweight elderly individuals.”