You can lose a percentage of body fat through strength training alone that is comparable to weight loss through cardio or aerobics, according to new research.
Exercise physiologist Mandy Hagstrom is the senior author of the study, which was published in Sports Medicine.
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Dr Hagstrom tells Jim Mora that strength training with weights gives benefits that you don't get from other exercise, like building muscle power.
"As we get older, [muscle power is] really important. Strength training is the gold standard type of exercise that's going to help with doing things like getting up off the bed or off the toilet."
While cardio also had its own benefits, strength training in particular is useful as we age, she says.
"[It helps with] things like improving bone mineral density, it improves our muscle size and quality, which helps us with reduced risk of falls and reduced risk of type 2 diabetes."
Data from nearly 3000 participants were included in the meta-analysis study, which compiled a range of available evidence to get a broader picture.
On average, they trained three times a week, doing three sets of eight exercises, for about eight reps each.
They also weren't consciously dieting or and weren't doing other exercises, but they still managed to lose fat, Dr Hagstrom says.
"They lost about 1.4 percent of their body fat, which equated to approximately just over half a kilo of actual fat mass.
"We've actually looked at older adults and the differences between men and women in the types of resistance training we should do as we age, and what we find is the load or how heavy it is might be more important for men but the amount or volume - so how many sets and repetitions we do - might be more important for older women."
There isn't a set amount of weights you should be working on, she says it's all about figuring your capacity and aiming to improve that.
If you haven't done much of this training, it's best to start with two to three days' rest between sessions, she says.
"If you're more experienced and have a higher training age, which means you've been lifting for a longer period of time, improving or increasing the frequency we train is really important because our muscles actually adapt on a different time course once we're conditioned to strength training."
Even if you're older, don't let that deter you from strength training, she says.
"My main advice though is if you're in that boat is that you seek out a qualified exercise professional who can perhaps give you some guidance and advice on how to begin to exercise safely."
The most useful long-term approach also included adjustments to your diet or nutrition, she says.
"So if we want to see noticeable changes, we probably have to make other lifestyle changes as well, not just simply add a little bit of exercise in."
Mandy Hagstrom is a senior lecturer at University of New South Wales' medicine and health faculty.
