Resistance training improves insulin sensitivity more effectively than endurance exercise in diabetes models.
Running is well known for burning calories, but new preclinical research suggests that resistance training may be even more effective when it comes to reducing the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Findings from the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC indicate that lifting weights produced stronger metabolic benefits than endurance exercise in an animal model.
The study, published in the Journal of Sport and Health Science, examined how endurance exercise and resistance exercise affect mice fed a high-fat diet. This diet is commonly used in research to model obesity, elevated blood sugar, and insulin resistance associated with type 2 diabetes.
Led by Virginia Tech exercise medicine researcher Zhen Yan, the team found that both running and weightlifting helped mice remove excess glucose from the bloodstream. However, resistance exercise led to larger reductions in both subcutaneous and visceral fat, better glucose tolerance, and greater improvements in insulin sensitivity. These outcomes are central to preventing and managing diabetes.
“We all want to live a long, healthy life,” said Yan, professor and director of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC’s Center for Exercise Medicine Research. “We all know the benefits of regular exercise. There is plenty of evidence in humans that both endurance exercise, such as running, and resistance exercise, such as weightlifting, are effective in promoting insulin sensitivity.”
Despite this, direct comparisons between the two exercise types had been limited. Researchers still lacked clear evidence showing whether one form of exercise offered stronger metabolic protection than the other.
What they did
To address this gap, the team developed a research tool that had not existed before: a mouse model designed to mimic resistance training.
In this model, mice lived in specially designed cages where food was accessed through a hinged, weighted lid. To eat, the mice had to lift the lid while wearing a small shoulder collar, causing a squat-like movement that engaged the muscle contractions humans use during resistance exercise. The load was gradually increased over several days, mimicking progressive strength training.
For the endurance group, mice were given open access to a running wheel, an established model of aerobic exercise. Control groups included sedentary mice on either a normal or high-fat diet.
Over eight weeks, the research team monitored weight gain, body composition, and fat distribution. They tested exercise capacity with treadmill runs, assessed heart and muscle function, and measured how well the mice regulated blood sugar. Researchers also analyzed skeletal muscle tissue to study insulin signaling at the molecular level.
Using their novel model of resistance exercise, the team was able to directly compare how the two training styles affect obesity, blood glucose, and insulin sensitivity in a way that closely mirrors human exercise.
“Our data showed that both running and weightlifting reduce fat in the abdomen and under the skin, and improve blood glucose maintenance, with better insulin signaling in skeletal muscle,” Yan said. “Importantly, weightlifting outperforms running in these health benefits.”
Why it matters
Diabetes and obesity are major public health challenges, fueled by sedentary lifestyles and high-fat diets. The findings underscore decades of clinical trials that show endurance, resistance, and high-intensity interval training all reduce HbA1c—a key measure of long-term blood sugar control—while also lowering body mass index, blood pressure, and improving quality of life.
The new Virginia Tech study, which also involves collaborators from the University of Virginia, helps fill a critical gap by directly comparing voluntary running and weightlifting in a controlled, preclinical model of diet-induced obesity.
“The findings also bring good news for people who, for any number of reasons, cannot engage in endurance-type exercise,” Yan said. “Weight training has equal, if not better, anti-diabetes benefits.”
The researchers also saw changes in skeletal muscle signaling pathways that could inform new drug therapies for type 2 diabetes.
Interestingly, the benefits of resistance training were not explained by changes in muscle mass or exercise performance, suggesting unique metabolic mechanisms at play.
Yan said the study underscores the idea that, while popular drug interventions like GLP-1 agonists can help with diabetes management and weight loss, they do not replace the unique, accessible, and comprehensive benefits of a well-balanced exercise program.
“The take-home message is that you should do both endurance and resistance exercise, if possible, to get the most health benefit,” Yan said.
Reference: “Weightlifting outperforms voluntary wheel running for improving adiposity and insulin sensitivity in obese mice” by Robert J. Shute, Ryan N. Montalvo, Wenqing Shen, Yuntian Guan, Qing Yu, Mei Zhang and Zhen Yan, 30 October 2025, Journal of Sport and Health Science.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jshs.2025.101100
The present study was supported by National Institutes of Health (No. NIH-R01AR050429 and No. NIH-R01AR077440) and a grant by Red Gates Foundation to ZY.
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1 Comment
Common sense and observation have easily proven this for decades now.
Muscle requires more caloric energy to maintain and build.
The more muscle you have the more energy your body uses.