Weight Training Can Help br Keep the Pounds Off, New Study Confirms.br A recent study found that those br who incorporate some type br of weight training into their exercise routines ... .br ... were between 20 and 30 percent br less likely to develop obesity.br The study was published in June in the br medical journal 'PLOS Medicine.'.br It cross-checked data of more than 12,000 mostly br middle-aged participants of a well-known fitness br survey conducted from 1987 through 2005.br The findings of the study indicate that those who br trained with weights between a total of one to two br hours a week in addition to their regular cardio routines ...br ... were much less likely to become obese over br the course of several years as they aged.br Researchers say that more the half of all br Americans will be obese by 2030.br Once in the obese range, the weight is likely to either br stay or return even for those who have lost weight.