Top Advantages Resistance Training Can Offer

Disclosure: We may receive compensation from the companies whose products we review if you click through our affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
This woman is performing resistance training
Photo by John Arano on Unsplash

Resistance training is not just for bodybuilders and it doesn’t mean you are resisting training LOL.  Exercise has evolved over the years and today I want to discuss the advantages resistance training offers.

So many people are into working out and there are a lot of different options including cardio (treadmills, cycling, running) yoga, group classes at the gym, too many to name them all. Resistance training offers a different approach and is a critical element of building a stronger body. Hey, what a great name for a website!

What is resistance training?

Resistance training goes by other names, weight training, and strength training.  Basically, when you lift weights at the gym, you are doing resistance training.  You can use free weights, cable machines, resistance bands, or your own body weight.  The whole goal is to use some form of external resistance to build strength, endurance, or tone your body.

Who can benefit from resistance training?

People use resistance training for many different purposes. As I mentioned, some people want to build muscle or tone their body.  You don’t have to build bulging muscles when using resistance, some people just want to firm up their bodies and this is a great way to do that.

Personally, I have been dealing with back problems for about 20 years, so resistance training is necessary for me.  The reasons I train are to build a strong core to help take pressure off of my spine.  I do functional exercises that work my whole body but also focus on my core.  Many other people have different reasons for resistance training, but recovering from an injury and injury prevention are tops on my own list.

How to get started with resistance training

There are a number of ways to get started with and benefit from the advantages resistance training offers.  You can start doing exercises at home, like pushups, pullups, dumbbell curls, etc.  You can also workout with resistance bands. Bodyweight and light dumbbell work at home can help you to get started on the right path.

You can also hire a personal trainer. You literally can’t walk into a gym without being offered personal training services.  Or you can have a trainer come to you. If you don’t have any experience working out you may want to hire a trainer to help you get started.  A trainer will be able to help you define your goals and set a path toward accomplishing them.

What are the advantages of resistance training?

  • Resistance training makes you stronger. This can really be helpful for everyday tasks, like picking up a child or doing a load of laundry.  As we get older we start to lose muscle, so building muscle can help you do everyday tasks.
  • Improve your body mechanics. Resistance training helps maintain better posture, balance, and coordination [1].  One study took groups of older people who had a higher risk of falling.  One group did strength training, one the control group did not.  The group of older folks who completed resistance training had a reduced risk of falling by 40% compared to those who were not strength training [2].
  • Improves your mood.  I know for a fact that when I am in a crappy mood and I go to the gym and workout, I am almost instantly in a better mood.  I feel like training helps to take mind off of things that have been bothering me, and exerting myself is a great way to get rid of the added stress or tension that is on my mind.  So for me, strength training is a really good way to improve my mood.
  • You burn more calories. Of course, you burn calories during your workout, but resistance training also helps you keep on burning, long after the workout is over.  The harder you work, the more energy you are exerting.  All this hard work carries on, and you continue to burn calories after you are done.

Conclusion: Advantages resistance training offers

As you can see there are definitely advantages resistance training can offer for different people. In my case, I lift weights to help build a stronger body, specifically core to help my back.  I do some cardio to warm up before each workout, but the use resistance training as the critical component of my workouts.

Different people have reasons for working out.  Some are working to maintain a certain level of fitness, some are just starting out.  For me, I use resistance training for injury recovery and to build core strength.

If you are looking to strengthen your core, check out some great core exercises.

Thanks for taking some time to stop by today.  If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

Steve

BuildingStrongerBodies.com

Leave a Comment