Research
Mixed
Combined aerobic and resistance training (CT) is the most efficacious intervention for reducing body weight, waist circumference, and fat mass in overweight/obese adults compared to aerobic-only or resistance-only training.
If your goal is to lose weight and fat while keeping muscle, combine cardio and weightlifting. Studies show this combination works better for fat loss than either method alone. Aim for at least 8 weeks of supervised training.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Evidence from both pairwise and network meta-analyses suggests that CT is the most efficacious means to reduce anthropometric outcomes and should be recommended in the prevention and treatment of overweight, and obesity whenever possible.
Why this rating
High-quality systematic review and network meta-analysis of 15 RCTs, though some publication bias was noted.
Source
Impact of Different Training Modalities on Anthropometric and Metabolic Characteristics in Overweight/Obese Subjects: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis
Lukas Schwingshackl et al. · PLoS ONE · 2013
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0082853
Meta-analysis · 15 studiesCited 175×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Aerobic exercise training (AET) is superior to resistance training (RT) for reducing body weight, waist circumference, and fat mass, but inferior for increasing lean body mass.Good
- Resistance training (RT) is superior to aerobic exercise (AET) for increasing lean body mass in overweight/obese adults.Good
Related findings · Mixed
- Bariatric surgery (VSG and RYGB) is the most effective and sustainable treatment for obesity, producing marked and sustained weight loss that non-surgical interventions cannot match.Strong
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- For patients with Class III obesity (BMI >39.9 kg/m2), metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS) is significantly more effective than any currently approved medication, with BilioPancreatic Diversion (BPD) showing the highest estimated weight loss.Strong
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