Why Should You Practice Resistance Training?
What is resistance training?
Resistance training is an essential key to increasing and maintaining healthy muscle and bone as we age.
“Resistance training is simply a form of training in which you're working against some type of force that "resists" your movement.” – Bodybuilding.com
Why Do You Need to Practice Resistance Training?
Health benefits of resistance training include:
· Improved muscle strength
· Protects joints from injury
· Greater flexibility and balance
· Weight management and increased muscle-to-fat ratio
· Your body burns more calories at rest
· May help with brain function and alertness as we age
· Increased energy, greater stamina
· Prevention or control of chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, back pain, depression and obesity
· Pain management
· Improved mobility
· Improved posture
· Decreased risk of injury
· Increased bone density and strength
· Improve your body image and your mood
· Helps you sleep better
Resistance Training Dictionary
Program – your overall fitness program is composed of various exercise types such as aerobic training, flexibility training, strength training and balance exercises
Weight – different weights or other types of resistance, for example a 3 kg hand weight or fixed weight, body weight or rubber band will be used for different exercises during your strength training session
Exercise – a particular movement, for example a bicep curl, is designed to strengthen a particular muscle or group of muscles
Reps – (repetitions) refers to the number of times you continuously repeat each exercise in a set
Set – is a group of repetitions performed without resting, for example, two sets of squats by 15 reps would mean you do 15 squats then rest muscles before doing another 15 squats
Rest – you need to rest between sets. Rest periods vary depending on the intensity of exercise being undertaken
Variety – switching around your workout routine, such as regularly introducing new exercises, challenges your muscles and forces them to adapt and strengthen
Progressive Overload Principle – to continue to gain benefits, strength training activities need to be done to the point where it’s hard for you to do another repetition. The aim is to use an appropriate weight or resistant force that will challenge you, while maintaining good technique. Also, regular adjustments to the training variables, such as frequency, duration, exercises for each muscle group, number of exercises for each muscle group, sets and repetitions, help to make sure you progress and improve
Recovery – muscle needs time to repair and adapt after a workout. A good rule of thumb is to rest the muscle group for up to 48 hours before working the same muscle group again.
