Resistance training can decrease the risk of injury while efficiently burning calories, reducing body fat and increasing lean muscle mass.
The importance of resistance training is quite often underestimated with most people believing cardiovascular training is the best type of training to improve fitness. Whilst cardio is an important part of an exercise program, resistance-based training is equally as important.
Resistance training increases the benefit of cardio training due to the increased amount of conditioned muscle mass and higher energy requirements (increased metabolism) during the session.
Conditioned muscle also requires increased energy requirements (increased metabolism) to recover from training sessions giving you a post-exercise calorie burn from 2 hours to 24 hours depending on the length and or intensity of your cardio session.
It’s not only a good cardio session that increases your metabolism – you also get the same after-burn (increased metabolism) for just as many hours post a good resistance session. Again, how long you will have a heighten metabolism is determined by the intensity and duration of the session, and what foods you consume after the session.
What is the definition of resistance training?
Resistance training is any exercise that causes the muscles to contract against an external resistance with the expectation of increases in strength, power, hypertrophy, and/or endurance.
The external resistance can be machine based, your own body weight, free weights like bars, dumbbells, kettlebells or as simple as bands or basically any other object that causes the muscles to contract.
What are some of the benefits from resistance training?
There are so many benefits from resistance training including:
- Increased muscle endurance, strength & flexibility
- Higher energy levels
- Increased metabolism giving you better weight control
- Reduced injuries – helps reduce falls as we age
- Increased bone density
- Reduced stress/depression – helps control highs & lows
- Helps decrease impact of chronic diseases
- Anti-ageing benefits
- Conditions joints so you can enjoy your cardio even more
- You will never get bored with so many different training options
As you can see there are so many benefits to incorporating resistance training into your exercise program. Like all exercise, ease into it and make sure you are properly conditioned before trying some of the advanced resistance training or you will risk injury.
Get started by getting in touch with a personal trainer who can guide you through a safe an effective program, or alternatively study our Certificate IV in Fitness and become a qualified personal trainer yourself!
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