In case you didn't know, fat genes exist and they determine your physique, but doesn't mean you'll stay plump for life. In fact, they don't have to take the reins when it comes to your weight.

Prevention.com recently published a possible answer to totally eradicate your extra fluff. A breakthrough study presented in the European Journal of Applied Physiology showed that adding resistance training to your usual cardio-burning fitness regimen can reduce the expression of two genes in fat tissues by a significant 20%. The participants in the said study had undergone eight weeks of resistance training—and they got a boost in muscle mass and burned fat.

Even researchers were surprised. “We didn’t expect that the gene expression would decrease following resistance training, so it’s hard to explain the findings,” lead study author Malin Alvehus, PhD. shares. But what the whole team is sure of is this: strength training partnered with cardio drills really yield results. So, don't give up yet. Pick up some weights and add it into your usual cardio routine. Doing so wakes up your genes into burning fat instead of storing them.

(Photo courtesy of Tableatny via Flickr Creative Commons)