After the initial baseline assessment, participants recorded the number of steps they walked daily for seven days using a waist-worn pedometer. Participants maintained their usual physical activity levels during this period. Participants were then encouraged to increase their total steps walked each day by 5% each week during the 12-week intervention.

Established as the number of patients who discontinued the exercise intervention.

Participants lost to follow-up were characterised as those who completed the exercise intervention but did not complete endpoint testing.

The number of exercise sessions completed by each participant was recorded. The maximum number of exercise sessions that participants could complete was 24, so adherence ranged from 0 to 24 sessions, with higher scores indicating greater adherence.

A calibrated digital scale (seca 813, SECA, Birmingham, UK) was used to measure body mass to the nearest 0.1 kg. Participants wore light clothing and removed their footwear before stepping on the scale.

Using a non-stretching measuring tape (seca 201, SECA, Birmingham, UK), waist and hip circumferences were measured to the nearest 0.1 cm. Participants stood upright with their hands by their side and feet positioned shoulder-width apart. The waist circumference measurement was made at the approximate midpoint between the lower margin of the last palpable rib and the top of the iliac crest at the end of a normal expiration. Hip circumference was taken around the widest portion of the buttocks.

Waist circumference (cm) was divided by hip circumference (cm) to calculate the waist to hip ratio.

Participants were instructed to walk at their own maximal pace back and forth along a flat 30 m surface, covering as much ground as they could in six minutes. All instructions, encouragement and monitoring adhered to the guidelines provided by the American Thoracic Society (ATS, 2002).

Participants sat in a firm bariatric chair and were instructed to stand up, walk three metres before turning 180° around a cone and returning to the chair to sit down.

The test was administered in a firm bariatric chair, which was supported against a wall. Participants began seated and were subsequently instructed to rise to a full standing position (legs straight) and then return to the seat (full weight on chair) with both arms crossed against the chest. A practice trial of two repetitions was given to check correct form, followed by one test trial.

Shoulder press and seated row one repetition maximum (1RMs) were determined with resistance machines (Life Fitness, Ely, Cambridgeshire, UK). Participants performed five repetitions at 3 rating of perceived exertion (RPE) ("easy"), three repetitions at 5 RPE ("somewhat hard"), and two repetitions at 8 RPE ("very hard"). Thereafter, the load was progressively increased (2.5-5kg) until the participant could not complete a repetition using correct technique through a full range of motion. The last successful attempt was taken as the 1RM.

Mean power was measured in the sit-to-stand transfer with a wearable inertial sensor. The device is worn on the participant's forearm and measures acceleration in the upwards phase of the movement. Power is then calculated as velocity x force, where velocity is the integral of acceleration, and force is the product of mass and acceleration. The test was administered in a firm bariatric chair. From a seated position, participants were instructed to maintain their arms crossed against their chest and stand up as quickly as possible (legs straight), before returning back to the initial seated position in a controlled manner (full weight on chair). Two warm-up trials were performed, followed by three repetitions separated by 60 seconds of rest. Additional trials were performed if the arms moved away from the chest.

Mean velocity was calculated in the sit-to-stand movement using a wearable inertial sensor.

Participants lifted 50% of the load achieved in the 1RM test as fast as possible. Two warm-up trials were performed, followed by three repetitions separated by 60 seconds of rest. A wearable inertial sensor was used to measure mean velocity in the concentric phase of each repetition.

Participants lifted 50% of the load achieved in the 1RM test as fast as possible. Two warm-up trials were performed, followed by three repetitions separated by 60 seconds of rest. A wearable inertial sensor was used to measure mean power in the concentric phase of each repetition.

The EQ-5D-5L is a generic, self-administered measure of health-related quality of life that gathers descriptive information on five main dimensions: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression. Each dimension has five levels: no problems, slight problems, moderate problems, severe problems, and extreme problems. The participant indicates the level that best describes their state of health on that day. This results in a 1-digit number expressing the level selected for that dimension, which were combined to produce a five-digit number describing the participant's health status (ranging from 11111 to 55555). This is then converted to a single index value based on the EQ-5D-5L Crosswalk value set for England that ranges from -0.594 (worst possible health) to 1.000 (best possible health).

The EQ-VAS is a single-item measure of overall health that has demonstrated acceptable psychometric properties in several populations. The participant rates their current perceived health status on a 20 cm, vertical visual analogue scale that ranges from 0 ("The worst health you can imagine") to 100 ("The best health you can imagine"). Higher scores indicate a better health status.

The OWLQOL measured obesity-specific quality of life, which is self-administered and contains 17-items that explore unobservable needs such as freedom from stigma and attainment of culturally appropriate goals. Each item has a 7-point Likert-like response scale ranging from 0 ("Not at all") to 6 ("A very great deal"). The raw score is transformed to a standardised scale of 0 to 100, where higher scores indicate better quality of life.

The WRSM is a 20-item, self-report measure for the presence and bothersomeness of obesity symptoms. Participants responded either "yes" or "no" as to whether they experienced the symptom in the last four weeks and then rated the degree of bothersomeness that having the symptom caused them. The bothersomeness options are on a 7-point Likert-like response scale ranging from 0 ("Not at all") to 6 ("A very great deal"). A total score is calculated by adding up all the bothersomeness scores for each symptom. Scores range from 0 to 120, with higher scores indicating a higher or worse experience of symptoms.

Participants recorded their average heart rate, maximum heart rate using their heart rate monitor (FT1, Polar Electro, Kempele, Finland). Recording commenced before the start of the warm-up and stopped immediately after the last resistance exercise (before the cool-down). Heart rate was expressed as a percentage of heart rate reserve.

Participants recorded the duration of each session using their heart rate monitor. Recording commenced before the start of the warm-up and stopped immediately after the last resistance exercise (before the cool-down).

The total number of repetitions performed during each resistance training session was calculated as: number of sets x number of exercises x number of repetitions in each exercise.

Participants recorded the number of steps they walked daily using a waist-worn pedometer. Steps counts are reported as the average number of daily steps performed during each week

Using an analogue back dynamometer (Takei Scientific Instruments Co. Ltd., TKK 5002 Back-A, Tokyo, Japan), participants maximally extended their knees and trunk for five seconds without bending their back. The height of the handle was individually adjusted so that the bar rested midway up the thigh and there was 145° of knee flexion, which was measured with a handheld goniometer (Economy Jamar Goniometer, JAMAR Technologies, Inc., Hatfield, Pennsylvania, USA). Two trials were performed with a two-minute rest period in between. Each trial was recorded to the nearest 1 kg, with the maximum value used for analysis.