The Benefits of Resistance Training

What are the Benefits of Resistance Training?

Resistance exercises are a great way to build and strengthen muscles. It became quite conventional in the 1990s. The American College of Sports Medicine even included resistance training as an official recommendation for all Americans starting in 1998. Moreover, resistance training has a lot to offer that is hard to overlook.

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What Is Resistance Training?

Exercise that influences the muscles to contract against an external resistance to increase strength is resistance training. The objective of resistance training is to increase endurance, tone, mass and strength.

Resistance applied from an external source can be rubber tube exercise, dumbbells, bricks or one’s body weight. Any object that would cause the muscles to contract is useful for effective resistance training. There are three most common styles of resistance exercises. These are:

1. Powerlifting – a combination of squats, deadlift and bench press.
2. Olympic lifting – lifting weight over the head like the athletes in the Olympics.
3. Weight lifting – lifting of heavyweights that are commonly fewer than six reps. 

Lifting weights in the gym to get bigger and toned muscles is resistance training. People often associate the term ‘strength training’ with resistance training but this has a technical flaw. In truth, strength training is simply resistance exercises to build strength in the muscles.

How does Resistance Training Help in Losing Weight?

Effective resistance training exercises combine intensity, volume and progression. Every new session will make the individual feel challenged and every set and weight is gradually increased. Typically, for fat loss, each resistance exercise should have a maximum repetition method. Nevertheless, trainers recommend three to four sets thrice a week for every muscle group.

As a result, regular and effective resistance training, excess fats are lost because of after-burn after exercises. Additionally, the muscle size increases, which utilizes calories. Moreover, if an individual incorporates a healthy diet, the body fat loss will speed up. There are other health benefits involved with resistance training.

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What should be Avoided when Resistance Training?

All types of training needs the supervision of a professional trainer. Do not start any resistance training exercise before a warm-up session. Additionally, avoid using equipment that may be faulty as it can cause injury instead of giving benefits. Picking up the heaviest weight or going the distance with exercises can backfire, therefore, always start slow.

Which Equipment is Ideal for Resistance Training?

As a beginner, an individual can use some basic equipment. Consider BodyCraft HFT Functional Trainer that comes with a multi-grip chin-up bar. Additionally, this provides a greater sense of motion with the 2:1 cable ratio. This one is great for beginners since it comes with a protective rear stack guard.

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What is the Best Way to Start at Home?

These few simple steps are good enough for anyone to start with resistance training at home. Some of the best ways are:

1. Always warm-up.
2. Start by lifting lighter weights.
3. Give 60 seconds of rest in between sets.
4. Keep a 45 minutes limit to every workout.
5. Use a foam roller to relax your muscles after every workout.
6. Include rest days in between workouts; two to three days are good for beginners.

Have fun gaining strength!

References

1. ‘7 Tips for a safe and successful strength-training program’. Harvard Health Publishing. Harvard Health. 16-03-2018.
2. ‘Dynamic vs. Static Stretching Warm Up: The Effects on Power and Agility Performance’. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. McMillian, Danny J.; Moore, Josef H.; Halter, Brian S.; Taylor, Dean C. 2006.