Welcome to the 2nd pillar of whole body fitness: resistance.
This is part of a mini-series, so if you haven’t read the introduction, I recommend you start there first.
Resistance training is about lifting weights, but before you skip this section with images of gigantic body builders swimming in your mind, just hold your horses.
Resistance training is for EVERYONE. It doesn’t have to mean throwing giant dumbbells over your head whilst letting out a banshee screech loud enough to wake up the dead.
Depending on your age, fitness level and experience, it can be as simple as sitting down and standing up from your chair.
Sound manageable? Then let’s get started.
Resistance training – what is it exactly?
Resistance training is any exercise that forces your skeletal muscles to contract.
In other words, it’s anything you do to make your muscles work.
Picking up your toddler – yep that’s resistance training.
Carrying a heavy shopping bag – yep that is too.
The idea is to make your muscles contract by using an external resistance. Anything outside of your muscles is classed as an “external resistance”. This can be anything from your own body weight to an Olympic barbell, if that’s your bag.
Why is resistance training important?
As we age we lose muscle mass and bone density.
Ever hear stories of 25 year olds falling over and breaking their hip? Not so much. How about 80 year olds though?
The reason you mainly hear about this happening to the older generation is due to the loss of muscle and weaker bones.
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics report that once we hit 30, we start losing muscle. It can be as much as a 3 – 5% reduction each decade.
This graph demonstrates the effect beautifully and it’s quite scary to see it visualised like this. Hitting the disability threshold just through losing muscle mass? No thanks.
Resistance training builds muscle mass and strength and can help to preserve bone density. This helps to keep the body strong, less fragile and decreases the risk of osteoporosis.
How much do I need to do?
The recommendation from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) is:
- strength training should be performed a MINIMUM of two days each week
- Aiming for 8-10 different exercises targeting all the major muscle groups
- 2 – 3 sets of 8 – 12 repetitions
- The last repetition should be difficult to complete
The amount of weight you need to use is totally personal. If you don’t have access to any type of weights or resistance bands, you can always use just bodyweight and increase the number of repetitions you do.
For someone who is in the later stages of their life, and who hasn’t been a regular exerciser, resistance training could be as simple as moving between sitting in their chair to standing up, without using their arms to help too much.
A sample workout
This will target all the major muscle groups.
This workout does need some kind of weight (you could just use a heavy washing detergent bottle to start!).
For a workout that mixes strength and cardio training and doesn’t need any equipment check out this post
Benefits of resistance training
1. You will burn more calories, even in your sleep
As muscle increases, so does resting metabolism, meaning you burn more calories without any extra effort.
YES PLEASE.
2. You will become stronger
Being stronger helps in day to day life,
Carrying your child.
Putting your hand luggage in the overhead locker when you travel.
Carrying heavy shopping bags.
The stronger you are the easier all of these things become.
And if you think that “strong” has to mean “big and muscly”, think again.
Most women find it very difficult to gain size and big muscles due to the much lower levels of hormones that cause muscle growth, EVEN IF TRAINING WITH HEAVY WEIGHTS (more on that later).
3. Your bones will be stronger
Osteoporosis (low bone mass and deterioration of bone tissue) is a real concern and women are at a much higher risk of developing it.
Resistance exercise helps increase bone density, which reduces the risk of developing Osteoporosis.
This in turn will reduce the risk of injuries due to being frail and you are more likely to keep your independence in old age.
4. You will be happier with what you see in the mirror
People nowadays mostly want a lean, strong and toned-looking physique, rather than just trying to be ‘skinny’.
The only way to achieve the strong and toned part of this is through resistance training.
5. Reduce your risk of injury
Resistance training not only builds stronger bones and muscles, it also builds stronger connective tissues and increases joint stability.
This reinforces the joints and helps to prevent injury during exercise and also in day today life.
6. Alleviate back pain
By strengthening the lower-back muscles back pain can often be eliminated or at least alleviated.
Many clients I have worked with in the past have started with some form of back pain, but report that they no longer suffer with it after a short period of training
7. Be happier!
Any type of exercise will help you lead a happier life due to the endorphins released when you train
There is also a long list of medical conditions that can be improved through resistance training, as you can see on this post from the ACSM.
Equipment for resistance training
As we’ve already, seen resistance training doesn’t need to mean throwing huge weights around in the gym.
If you don’t have access to heavy weights and are just starting out with resistance training, then your best bet is to stick with bodyweight training as this can be done anytime, anywhere!
On the other hand if you are a bit more experienced and want to up the ante, then you could consider stepping it up by using any of these options:
- Resistance bands or tubes – cheap, small and light, these are easy to train with at home
- Small free weights: dumbbells, kettlebells, medicine balls – quite compact and easy to train with at home
- Large free weights: barbells – take up way more space, so are mostly found at the gym
- Weight machines – generally only found at the gym as they are huge
Conclusion
Resistance training is such an important pillar of fitness, with a list of benefits as long as my arm.
I really cringe when I listen to people who only do cardio training, as they are missing out on the muscle development and bone-strengthening awesomeness that comes with resistance training.
It doesn’t need to be scary either. For an elderly person with very little muscle mass, going from sitting to standing several times over can be a simple starting point. This is known as a “chair squat”. For someone younger, full bodyweight squats are a great place to start.
Building resistance training into your routine will help you to stay active and independent throughout your life. And if that’s not enough of a motivator then maybe burning more calories when you sleep is!
Do you already do some kind of resistance training? If yes, what is your favourite exercise?