Increasing physical activity and exercise has become must things to do nowadays. Physical activity has been so important in human life since it has lots of benefits to our body. Many types physical activity and training can be performed and one of the method of physical activity is Resistance training. Resistance training becomes so popular today in worldwide and the popularity if resistance training has been growing since years ago. It is a form of physical activity that limited athletic individual and a weightlifter session. Resistance training used to be a method to improve body performance and strength. To know more about resistance training check these explanation below.
What is resistance training?
Resistance training is a type of physical activity that push the muscles to work against an additional force or weight. This concept of training using weightlifting is called resistance. Actually there are essentially two different types of resistance training exercises that known nowadays they are
1. Isotonic exercise
Isotonic exercises is a training or exercise that involve any movement of your muscle groups including arms, legs, stomach, back, etc. against some kinds of resistance equipment such as lifting barbells, dumbbells, resistance bands, or body weight or exercises with sit up and pushups
2. Isometric exercise
Isometric exercise is a type of resistance training that involve group of muscle but not involving the joints part of the body. The examples of this exercise are plank holds, squat, wall sits, holding grocery bags, and etc.
Those both types of resistance training can be performed to increase muscle strength and fitness. As the body muscle of someone get strengthens, the amount of resistance of the muscle also increase, and this will encourage further muscle building of any other types of group muscle.
Intensity and Frequency
To gain health benefits of resistance training the ACSM (American College of Sport medicine) recommends to do resistance training program 2 to 3 days in a week and this exercise must work on each major group of muscle. There are also three recommended levels of resistance training levels to improve the strength. Those are :
- Very difficult level for experienced trainer or individuals who can take a hard resistance training
- Moderate intensity for novice-to-intermediate individuals or trainers that can only take medium exercise.
- Very light to light intensity level for older or frail individuals trainers who wanna begin the resistance training. This type of exercise is suit to beginner and elderly
These frequency and intensity level will allow time for muscles to adapt with the techniques of resistance training. By longer time of exercise, you can increase the technique and the intensity of training.
Benefits of Resistance Training
Resistance training provides lots of benefits to the body. Here are best benefits that you gain gain by performing resistance training regularly. Check these out :
1. Improve muscle strength
Resistance training has been proven can increase muscle strength and make muscle group firmer. This training is vital for any athletes who wanna improve muscle strength. Study by Fiatarone et al. In 1990 reported that after eight weeks of resistance exercise for the legs, it can improve the leg strength until 174%
2. Increase bone density
Some studies proved that resistance training can increase bone mineral density or BMD. Rubin & Lanyon in 1984 reported that any forms of resistance exercise can increase Bone mineral density and also joints function. It is also reported by Hamdy et al. (1994) that persons who take resistance training and weightlifter session has greater BMD on upper arm compared to runner. Older people who regularly take resistance training also has lower risk of getting osteoporosis.
3. Improve body balance and posture
Resistance training can improve body balance and repairing posture. People who have problem with balance and posture should start training session and begin it with light intensity.
4. Burn abdominal fat
It has been proven that resistance training can burn more abdominal fat and it is same when we performed swimming and other hard types of sports. Study reported that resistance training can help the body to get rid of the fat which stored in the abdominal part of the body. Usually this types of fat is really hard to be removed.
5. Increase body metabolism
According to a study by Pollock and Vincent in 2002 that published in Journal of resistance training for health reported that resistance training can improve body basal metabolism which means promoted the body to burn more calories and produced more energy to the body.
6. Help in weight loss
By reducing fat and increase metabolism rate, resistance training will surely help in weight loss. People who want to have slimmer body can consider to have resistance training and perform regular exercise along with other diet program.
7. Increase body endurance
Not only increase strength, resistance training can improve physical endurance and this will make you stay fit when doing other activities like working. You will not easyly get tired if performing this training regularly.
8. Reduce cholesterol level
Study by Pollock and Vincent, 2002 also reported that resistance training can increase the level of HDL (High Density Lipoprotein) or known as good fat and decrease the level of LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein) or known as bad fat. This cholesterol may bring several problem to the body.
9. Prevent atherosclerosis
Resistance training can reduce cholesterol and prevent it to enter the arteries wall which lead to atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is a disorder which occur in the blood arteries that causing by plaque that accumulated inside it.
10. Reduce the risk of heart disease
By reducing cholesterol and prevent atherosclerosis, resistance training can reduce the risk of heart disease and it has been proven by many research. Performing resistance training regularly can reduce the risk of heart disease by half and it is recommended for people in older age.
11. Lower blood pressure
Studies reported that resistance training can decrease the blood pressure especially diastolic pressure. This benefits is useful for people who have hypertension history and must be done by those people under experienced trainers.
12. Prevent stroke
Stroke is a disorder which caused by damaged of blood vessels in the brain. Stroke can cause paralyzed into death. It is also promoted by heart disease and high blood pressure. Many factors can trigger stroke, while resistance training can prevent the body from getting stroke. Resistance training can keep blood vessels function and keep normal heart beat inside the body.
13. Increase lung function
Resistance training can improve lung function and breathing ( aerobic capacity). Study show that resistance training can improve oxygen intake in the body by 15-305. This amount is even reater than any traditional training.
14. Prevent aging
Aging is one thing that can be caused by physical inactivity. Resistance training can improve blood circulation and remove toxin also aging substance within the blood. Resistance training will surely makes you younger and fit all the time.
15. Maintain healthy brain
Normal blood circulation will make make sure that the brain accept enough oxigen and nutrients. Resistance training can really help in blood circulation and nourish brain so it can perform better function.
16. Prevent alzheimer
Study reported that people who take resistance exercise regularly have lower risk of getting alzheimer disease in older time. This may be the effect of resistance training since it can nourish the brain protect it from damage.
17. Prevent diabetes
Recent studies by Pollock and Vincent in 2002 reported that resistance training can improve insulin resistance and prevent the body from developing diabetes especially diabetes type 2. By performing resistance training, the body can recognize the blood sugar level rising easily.
18. Maintain healthy skin
Resistance training help the body to transfer the nutrients to the skin and make it glowing. Skin get nourished from healthy blood circulation and the healthy skin will show a fair and clean complexion.
19. Reduce back pain
Study by Russell et al. (1990) reported that resistance training can increased lumbar strength and decreased low back pain after eight weeks of regular exercise. Another study from Rish et al in 1993 also reported that after examining patients who suffer from chronic back pain in 10 weeks and those patients take regular resistance exercise,he found that the pain already decreased.
20. Relieve headache and migraine
People who perform regular exercise including resistance training will have lr chance to build headache and migraine. Resistance training can help to maintain healthy nerve and blood circulatory system which can prevent the brain from experience headache.
21. Relieve stress
Resistance training has been proven can decrease the level of cortisole or hormone that promotes stress in human. People who take exercise regularly are rare in experiencing stress and depression.
22. Boost immune system
Moreover any types of physical activity especially resistance training not only will tone your muscle but it will strengthen your immune system. Taking regular exercise will promotes the body to produce more immune cells and they are the main barriers for any types of disease which wanna enter the body.
23. Reduce joints pain
Resistance training can really help to maintain joints health. It can prevent the joints from damage and reduce the pain in joints especially in people who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis.
Safety and Tips to Begin Resistance Training
If you interested to start your resistance training session, better check these tips to avoid any injury or damage while performing exercise :
- Ask your doctor before doing any types of exercise if you have problem with your health. Doctor approval is required to begin the training session
- Make sure the muscles group that you want to target
- Wear comfortable training suit and shoes when you performing exercise
- If you feel tired in a day avoid to have resistance training
- Check the equipment of resistance training including resistance bands, dumbble, etc
- Do general warm up for 5-10 minutes by walking or light run
- Do the exercise in both side of your body
- Its better to not hold your breath during exercise
- Between set or after 15 minutes training better taking rest and you can continue another session
- Use only slow and controlled movement when you doing exercise
- You can have 2-3 sets of exercise and one set can last for 15 minutes
- Stop the exercise when your body feel pain or extremely tired
- After workout session cool down your body
- Don’t take same exercise on same muscle within two days in a row.
- If you experience muscle soreness after some days of exercise don’t worry it used to be happen when you start the exercise in few days. Your muscle and body will adapt to the conditions after several sessions of exercise.
Resistance training is really good for the body but watch the tips before you start it. It is better to begin the training under trainers control and remember to ask your doctor before doing exercise.