Just seven days of strength training increased visceral fat burning in obese mice, according to a study from the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP). The effect was visible even though the animals had not yet lost any weight on a scale.
Visceral fat is stored around internal organs and is closely linked to metabolic disease. The researchers observed that a short period of strength training was enough to trigger this change, suggesting that exercise may alter fat metabolism before body weight shifts become apparent.
Because this was a mouse study, the results cannot be directly translated to humans. Still, the findings add to evidence that strength training may offer metabolic benefits that are independent of weight loss.