Weightlifting beats running for blood sugar control, researchers find<br>Virginia Tech scientists at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute show that resistance training outperforms endurance exercise in improving insulin sensitivity in obesity and Type 2 diabetes models.<br>top news,yan lab,research,fralin biomedical research institute at vtc top news,faculty of health sciences,one health frontier,virginia tech global distinction,college of agriculture and life sciences,fralin biomedical research institute at vtc,published research,center for exercise medicine research<br>article-page
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Weightlifting beats running for blood sugar control, researchers find | Virginia Tech News | Virginia Tech
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Category:<br>research
Weightlifting beats running for blood sugar control, researchers find
Virginia Tech scientists at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute show that resistance training outperforms endurance exercise in improving insulin sensitivity in obesity and Type 2 diabetes models.
By
Leigh Anne Kelley
5 Nov 2025
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Research conducted by Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Professor Zhen Yan (left), Ryan Montalvo, and others at Virginia Tech compared the effects of endurance and resistance exercise in mice fed a high-fat diet. Photo by Clayton Metz for Virginia Tech.
Research conducted by Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Professor Zhen Yan (at left), Ryan Montalvo, and others compared the effects of endurance and resistance exercise in mice fed a high-fat diet. Photo by Clayton Metz for Virginia Tech.
Running may help burn calories, but when it comes to preventing diabetes and obesity, pumping iron might have the edge, according to preclinical findings from Virginia Tech scientists at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC.
The research, published Oct. 30 in the Journal of Sport and Health Science, compared the effects of endurance and resistance exercise in mice fed a high-fat diet, a widely used model of obesity, hyperglycemia, and Type 2 diabetes.
A team led by exercise medicine researcher Zhen Yan found that while both running and weightlifting helped the body clear excess sugar from the blood, resistance training was more effective in reducing subcutaneous and visceral fat, improving glucose tolerance, and lowering insulin resistance — key factors in preventing and managing diabetes.
“We all want to live a long, healthy life,” said Yan, professor and director of the institute’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.”
But while both support metabolic function, a rigorous side-by-side comparison was lacking. Is one type of exercise better than the other?
What they did
To conduct the first direct, controlled comparison, members of the research team built something that had not previously existed: a mouse model of weightlifting.
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 people 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 researchers 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. They also analyzed skeletal muscle tissue to study insulin signaling at the molecular level.
Using their novel model of resistance exercise, team members were 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...