The Study
Acute systemic and energy metabolism responses to velocity‐based resistance training following an oral glucose load in individuals with excess body weight
This study showed that doing a certain kind of workout right after eating a sugary drink made the body burn more fat and kept blood sugar from spiking too high — but only for a few hours. It doesn't prove that this workout will stop you from getting diabetes or help you lose weight over time.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
After eating a sugary drink, doing leg presses with more effort makes your body switch from burning sugar to burning fat and keeps your blood sugar lower.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 562 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — this means your body handles sugar better after a workout with higher effort, which could help prevent spikes in blood sugar that lead to diabetes or weight gain.
- 2After eating sugar: 1) Hard leg presses (40% effort loss) lowered blood sugar by 25% more than easy presses (20%) or resting.
- 32) Fat burning went up by 18–22%.
- 43) Heart rate and blood lactate jumped 6–12 times higher.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Experimental Physiology
Year
2025
Authors
Hugo Alejandro Carrillo-Arango, Miguel Alejandro Atencio-Osorio, L. T. Ordóñez-Mora, Baisuli Benitez-Gómez, Robinsón Ramírez-Vélez, M. Izquierdo
Related Content
Claims (6)
Resistance training improves muscle ability to absorb glucose from the blood, resulting in lower blood glucose levels after eating carbohydrates.
In people with excess body weight, performing resistance training until movement speed drops by 40% lowers blood glucose levels after eating by about 25% and raises fat burning by 18–22% during the next four hours compared to training until speed drops by 20% or resting.
In overweight adults, performing resistance training with a 40% velocity loss threshold results in a 18–22% higher rate of fat burning after eating and a 0.08–0.12 lower respiratory quotient compared to training with a 20% velocity loss threshold or resting, indicating greater reliance on fat as fuel during recovery from a carbohydrate meal.
In overweight adults, performing resistance training at 20% or 40% velocity loss after eating a glucose load results in a measurable decrease in respiratory quotient, indicating a greater use of fats alongside carbohydrates for energy compared to resting after eating.
In overweight adults, doing resistance training right after drinking a sugary solution does not increase the number of calories burned at rest over the next four hours, even though the body uses more fuel and manages blood sugar better during that time.
In overweight adults, performing resistance exercises until the movement speed drops by 40% causes heart rate and blood lactate levels to rise six to twelve times higher than before exercise and significantly more than when stopping at 20% speed loss.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.