Actually, there was some discussion about this research before.

My response: Yes, the types and combinations of exercise done in those with some medical issues and those with belly fat, can make a difference.

I happen to think that this is especially true in women beyond their 20's.

http://paleohacks.com/questions/60972/are-you-doing-the-right-kinds-of-exercise-to-target-your-specific-goals#axzz1hms5ujV7

As you can see from the responses, there was more than a bit of resistance to the idea that for some folks, resistance training might not be the sole be-all-end-all.

I might add also, that since incorporating dancercise into circuit training (alternating stations of resistance and dancercise) I have experienced 100% cessation of L shoulder and L sacro-ileac areas of varying levels of chronic pain from two old injuries from '91 and '00. That was a great bonus I hadn't even been looking for! And at my age, it's a real coupe'!

One last thought - we need to get rid of the idea that all aerobics/cardio is CHRONIC cardio. I never work out for more than 30min. And it is not unusual for me to do a home workout of an intense 20 mins. There is nothing "chronic" about this. And I very much support the idea/evidence that chronic cardio is not about health and may be harmful.

I'm assuming that you are a fairly fit guy. Any resistance training that you, me, Doug McGuff, or anyone with a training history will do will very likely be at a high intensity.

Someone who is sedentary and overweight is not going to be able to do high intensity resistance training, nor should they. I don't mean to say they won't be working hard, but a lifting novice won't be anywhere near their 1 rep maxes.

When you get into the upper end of your range on something like a back squat or power clean, it will most likely cover your aerobic needs. Introductory submaximal weight training is a good thing no doubt, but I'm not surprised by the results of this study.

This study doesn't surprise me at all. Aerobic exercise increases insulin sensitivity in both healthy and diabetic/pre-diabetic people, and insulin sensitivity (which helps stop the blood sugar yo-yo)helps improve all the health markers that they were testing on patients with metabolic syndrome. Just like the Paleo diet improves insulin sensitivity and all of these health markers--it's one of the big arguments for a Paleo diet.

Also, remember that Paleolithic people were not sedentary. They didn't just lift heavy things, they also walked a lot--the same type of aerobic exercise that is most often prescribed to people with metabolic syndrome.

Some links (I'm sure you'll find a lot more if you google exercise and insulin sensitivity/resistance):

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10683091 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090901082406.htm

Of course here's a study that shows that resistance training added to aerobic exercise improves insulin sensitivity. http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/26/11/2977

I think when all the evidence is in, we'll find moderate aerobic exercise like walking, along with resistance training, is important for optimal health.

"RT expends fewer calories in each duration of exercise session than does AT"

If this study included people who walked a lot and had little body fat, things might look very different. But perhaps for the overweight, sedentary participants, the top priority might be losing fat as quickly as possible, for which aerobic exercise is more time-efficient (it would be interesting to see resistance training and aerobic training compared while holding the calories constant). For the rest of us, this study might not be relevant.