How Resistance Training Works

Resistance training, through the use of weights, machines, or your own body weight, forces the cells of the body to adapt to the extra loads that are being applied.

The cells are broken down during this exercise process and become stronger when they are given time to recover.
Unless there is sufficient time for the body to recover from this resistance, it will become over trained and consequently there will be a stop, or even a reduction in the benefits that one might achieve.

This is one of the reasons why many beginners plateau after training for a short period of time and fail to see the progress that they enjoyed initially.
They are essentially over training by not allowing their cells sufficient time to recover from the exercise.

By constantly breaking down the cells during exercise and not allowing them to recover they become fatigued and don’t have the opportunity to grow.

It is a simple process to solve this problem once you understand what is happening.
Unlike the action most people take by training harder and harder to get the gains they were once getting, they should actually reduce the workload slightly or allow for longer periods of rest or recuperation.

Until the body has adapted to a new regime of resistance training it is better to start off with lighter weights and/or easier exercises using only your body weight.

It is also wise to have longer rest periods between each exercise and also between the days that you are working out.

Once you have trained in this manner for a while you will be able to increase the workout intensity and start making noticeable gains.

Your body will soon become accustomed to the exercise and this in turn will make you less likely to suffer from any injuries.

Machines and Weights

Using a combination of weights and machines for training will give you the best of both worlds, with the ability of machines allowing you to use more weight under a controlled environment, and the free weights helping to stimulate the synergistic muscles for balance and control.

Add to this some cardio work for aerobic fitness and you are getting all that anyone could hope for in a fitness program.

These types of programs can be developed for the gym, and with the abundance of good home gym equipment, they can also be used at home.

Many times you can get a better workout from home as you won’t need to wait on other people to finish their exercises before you can use the equipment.

Machines also allow you to use heavy weights in complete safety where you will need to be a little more cautious with free weights if you don’t have someone to assist with your training.

Age can determine which is the best for you to use, with the safety factor very important for children and elderly people.

There are many types of machines available and they all have their benefits over one another.
There are machines that have weight stacks, which can be quite heavy, and then there are machines that use cables and rods to offer resistance.

Some are portable and able to be moved and folded away whereas some of the big weight stack machines are too heavy to move easily.

These are factors that need to be considered when buying machines whereas free weights can be used almost anywhere, from inside the house to the back yard.

With free weights you will need to consider a weight bench to ensure you can perform sufficient exercises to build most muscles of your body.

There is no real maintenance required with free weights, as they will still perform well even if you were to leave them to rust.

Monitoring Your Fitness

There are many ways we can monitor our fitness and this is essential for a number of reasons.

For most people the biggest benefit they will get from monitoring their fitness will be the encouragement they will get from seeing the progress from their efforts.

There is nothing more inspiring for someone trying to lose weight than to get on the scales and find that they have shed several pounds since the last time they were weighed.

Or for a bodybuilder to measure their muscles to find that they have gained an inch or two here or there.

This measured progress can increase energy levels more than a bucket full of vitamins.

The mind is a powerful tool in fitness training and by feeding it positive information that can actually be measured will ensure continued enthusiasm for maintaining a fitness regime.

One thing that everyone should be aware of however is to leave sufficient time between measuring progress to ensure that the body has had time to make some progress.

It is not a good policy to weight yourself everyday, as there will be fluctuations where you could appear to gain weight slightly from one day to the next.

It is also not good to measure your muscles every day either as they take time to grow and big increases will not be seen overnight.
This can be discouraging if you are constantly looking for measures of progress and not getting them soon enough.

Sometimes measurements can be deceiving as with resistance training and weight loss.
While we are burning fat with a resistance training program we will also be building muscle so although the weight might not be changing when we stand on the scales, the fat to muscle ratio might have changed quite considerably and our body might be leaner, yet still weigh the same.

This is where taking photos of our body once a month will show a better picture of progress and offer an alternative measure of our success.

Nutrition Basics

Good nutrition is as important as the exercises we perform.

By eating wisely we are assisting our body to perform better in our chosen fitness program or sport.

The food we choose needs to be of high nutritional value to supply us with the necessary building blocks, in the form of vitamins and minerals to aid in recovery after strenuous workouts and to give us the energy to perform better during our exercise time.

Not only do we need to be supplying our body with the right vitamins and minerals but they also need to be in the correct balance.
When any one of these are out of balance and we are getting more or less than we should be, there will be an imbalance that will affect our progress.
This imbalance can even lead to illness, so buying good quality supplements is essential and knowing how much to take is also vitally important.

Another thing that needs to be addressed is your calorie intake as this will determine whether you are getting enough fuel to benefit your workouts or whether you are getting too much and adding fat to your body.

Foods high in refined sugar or animal fat should be avoided where possible, as they will be detrimental to your health.

If you are on a bodybuilding or resistance training program then you will need additional protein, as this is the muscle building food.
These foods, such as red meat will also supply you with the necessary B vitamins and Iron that are essential for strength training.
Other quality protein foods such as cheese, eggs, fish, poultry and milk should be included in your diet so you are getting variety in your diet.

These foods contain the essential amino acids, which are the building blocks of the body.

Vegetables are also another good source of amino acids however they generally have certain aminos missing and that is why the base protein foods listed above need to be included in your diet for complete nutrition.

A mix of foods is required as relying solely on meats for your protein can lead to other problems such as high levels of cholesterol.
Meat also is relatively high in fat, which is linked to the hardening of the arteries and heart disease.

It is all about getting the correct balance with both your food and exercise.

Personalized Fitness Programs

Whether you are using resistance training, yoga, pilates, aerobic fitness training or one of the many methods to get fit and lead a healthier life there is one important ingredient that you must have and that is a personalized fitness program.

No two people have the same requirements to reach their optimum health and this has to be represented in the choice of fitness program and even within that choice of the specific actions that are necessary.
By this I mean that, if for instance you choose resistance training for your fitness program, you will need a personalized program of exercises that will suit your body type, the condition of your health, your time restraints and so forth.

The same will apply to a yoga program. While you might join a yoga class for your preferred form of exercise, you will need to place more emphasis on those exercises that will assist the areas of your body that need help the most.

The reason for this need to have a personalized program is simply because you will want to get the best results in the shortest time to get to a good level of health and fitness without losing motivation.

There is nothing less motivating than a lack of progress and that is precisely what will happen if you don’t have a fitness program that addresses all your needs.

There are programs that will serve as the basis for the majority of people but they will need to be adjusted and modified to personal requirements.

Keeping a fitness diary will help as it will show which areas are progressing well and where changes will need to be made to get more improvement.
The information from the data that you record will be the source of your fast track to health and fitness.