Study: Obese develop less strength, muscle in workouts
than lean people
WASHINGTON - Overweight and obese people get less out of resistance
training than leaner people do, researchers said on Friday in a
study that suggests the overweight may have to try harder to get
results.
But it does not mean they should give up, said the researchers, who
noted the differences were small.
People who are overweight and obese experience numerous health
benefits from exercise training programs even in the absence of
significant amounts of weight loss or improvements in
cardiopulmonary physical fitness, Linda Pescatello of the
University of Connecticut and colleagues wrote in their report,
published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning
Research.
They tested 687 adults aged 18 to 39, measuring their body fat and
using magnetic resonance imaging to look at their muscles and
fat.
The volunteers did 12 weeks of 45- to 60-minute workouts of their
upper arms, working the biceps and triceps.
Everyone gained strength and muscle. But the overweight and obese
volunteers gained 4 percent to 17 percent less than those of normal
weight.
Differences could be genetic, the researchers said.
People with overweight and obesity have alterations in skeletal
muscle structure and function compared to those who are normal
weight that could also contribute to variability in the exercise
response, they wrote.
Supplements no help
In a second study in the same journal, Jacob Baty and colleagues at
the University of Texas found that carbohydrate and protein
supplements prior to and during exercise did not help people
exercise more efficiently.
But their 34 male volunteers who drank a high-protein,
high-carbohydrate supplement did show less muscle damage, Batys
team reported.
By consuming a carbohydrate-protein supplement similar to the one
used in our study at a similar schedule during exercise, athletes
can significantly reduce the amount of muscle damage produced in a
given resistance exercise bout, the researchers said.
That could mean competitive athletes might reduce the time they
must rest between workouts, they added.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18868005/