Is Strength Training a Viable Exercise Modality for Fat Loss?

November 17, 2022 updated by: Todd Miller, George Washington University
The purpose of this study is to determine whether strength training can be used as a viable exercise modality for the purpose of inducing fat loss.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Aerobic exercise (AE) is commonly recommended as the most effective exercise modality for weight loss. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends 150 minutes of AE for weight maintenance, and an unspecified greater amount required for weight loss. Similarly, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) position stand on physical activity for weight loss recommends 150-250 minutes per week of moderate intensity physical activity. While the ACSM promotes resistance training (RT) as a means of increasing fat free mass, which should lead to improved body composition, it does not promote RT for losing significant amounts of body fat. Similarly, the CDC physical activity guidelines for weight loss do not mention RT at all as a viable exercise modality for weight loss. This is not surprising, as there is a paucity of research examining the effects of RT on weight loss. Furthermore, the few studies that have explored RT for weight loss generally show that it is ineffective. The effectiveness of any weight loss program is dependent on the size of the caloric deficit that is created over time, and since AE generally burns more calories per unit of time than RT, it stands to reason that AE would be the most commonly prescribed type of exercise for weight loss. Contributing to the exclusion of RT for weight loss is a widespread belief among dietitians, nutritionists and exercise professionals that it is not possible to induce muscle growth while in a caloric deficit, and since the creation of a caloric deficit is essential for fat loss, the use of RT for muscle growth in a caloric deficit is counter intuitive.

However, RT has been shown to elevate resting metabolism for an extended period of time following cessation of the training session. Additionally, having a greater muscle mass should lead to a greater resting metabolism. Unlike RT, chronic AE performed in a caloric deficit (which is often the recommendation for effective weight loss) has the potential to lead to significant decreases in muscle mass, thereby hampering improvements in body composition. Ideally, a program designed to improve body composition should do so through fat losses alone, with muscle mass being maintained or increased.

Several reasons could exist for the lack of effectiveness of RT shown in most studies. These reasons include, but are not limited to, 1) Body mass being the measured outcome and not body composition, 2) lack of control and/or measurement of caloric intake, 3) failure to adjust dietary protein needs to support muscle growth, 4) ineffective RT program design. Case studies of clients from our lab have routinely shown that profound decreases in bodyfat can be induced with RT as the exclusive form of exercise. Furthermore, these decreases in bodyfat occur with concomitant increases in muscle mass, while in a caloric deficit. Therefore, the specific aims of this proposal are:

  1. To determine whether RT combined with dietary intervention (RT+DIET) results in greater decreases in fat mass than (RT) or dietary intervention (DIET) alone.
  2. To determine whether RT combined with dietary intervention (RT+DIET) results in greater improvements in body composition than (RT) or dietary intervention (DIET) alone.
  3. To determine whether concomitant increases in muscle mass and decreases in fat mass can occur while in a caloric deficit.

The goal of this project is to serve to generate pilot data to determine whether RT can be used as a viable exercise mode for fat loss and muscle gain. We will then pursue funding for a subsequent study that compares the effects of RT versus AE on body composition and fat loss when 1) the caloric intake is monitored to ensure the creation of a caloric deficit, and 2) dietary protein is appropriately increased to support muscle retention/growth.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
40

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

25 years to 40 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • BMI 25-29.9 normally menstruating bodyfat >30%

Exclusion Criteria:

  • currently dieting to lose weight currently engaged in structured exercise using dietary weight loss supplements Resting Metabolic Rate not within 10% of predicted value

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
No Intervention: Control
No intervention
Experimental: Diet Only
Subjects were given calorie and macronutrient intake goals and were told to hit those goals as closely as possible on a daily basis for 16 weeks.
Behavioral: Diet Only
Food tracking based on macronutrient goals.
Experimental: Training Only
Subjects were given a 3 times per week supervised resistance training program for 16 weeks
Behavioral: Training Only
Subjects completed 16 weeks of supervised resistance training
Experimental: Diet plus Training
Subjects were given calorie and macronutrient intake goals and were told to hit those goals as closely as possible on a daily basis for 16 weeks. Subjects were given a 3 times per week supervised resistance training program for 16 weeks
Behavioral: Diet plus Training
Food tracking plus resistance training.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Fat Free Mass
Time Frame: 0 and 16 weeks
Fat Free Mass as measured from DXA and recorded in Kg
0 and 16 weeks
Change in Fat Mass
Time Frame: 0, 4, 8, 12, 16 weeks
Fat Mass as measured from DXA and recorded in Kg
0, 4, 8, 12, 16 weeks
Change in Resting Metabolic Rate
Time Frame: 0 and 16 weeks
Resting Metabolic Rate measured via indirect calorimetry and recorded in kcal / day
0 and 16 weeks
Change in Visceral Fat
Time Frame: 0, 4, 8, 12, 16 weeks
Fat in the Visceral Depot measured from DXA and recorded in Kg
0, 4, 8, 12, 16 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
George Washington University

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
City University of New York

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Todd A Miller, PhD, George Washington University SPH

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
March 18, 2016

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
October 1, 2016

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
October 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
March 19, 2018

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 17, 2022

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 18, 2022

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
November 18, 2022

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 17, 2022

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
November 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 011638

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

No

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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