Iowa State University has received a $2.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the effectiveness of aerobic exercise, resistance training, and a combination of both. The Iowa State research will be the first large-scale study of its kind to compare four separate exercise patterns – sedentary, aerobic, resistance, and a combination, said Duck-chul “D.C.” Lee, an assistant kinesiology professor and the study’s principal investigator. The study will include 400 participants split evenly among the four exercise pattern groups. Researchers will analyze data from exercise and nutrition intervention over the course of a year. “In our pilot study, a combination of exercise methods was best,” Lee said. “So, we believe the message we take from the new study will be that if you replace 30 minutes of aerobic exercise with resistance training, you’ll get a bigger benefit for your heart.”