After the age of 20, most people begin to lose approximately a half pound of fat every year, which slows the body's metabolism, advises Northwestern Health Sciences University. Resistance training, also referred to as strength training or weight training, describes a form of exercise where the body's muscles must work against an opposing force, like a machine, resistance band, body weight, barbell or dumbbell. This exercise builds muscle, can help prevent muscle loss associated with aging and helps increase the metabolism.
Benefits
In addition to building muscle and helping to prevent bone loss, resistance exercise has many benefits, advises the Mayo Clinic. By placing stress on the bones, you increase your bone density and reduce your risk of osteoporosis. By maintaining or building muscle, you are able to keep better control of your weight. Having strong muscles helps protect your joints from injury, helps maintain your flexibility and helps maintain your balance. Resistance training may even improve your sleep, improve your stamina, and reduce the signs and symptoms of conditions like back pain, arthritis, depression and diabetes.
Basic Guidelines
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends performing resistance exercise two to three times each week. During these sessions, perform a minimum of one exercise set for each major muscle group, including the glutes (butt muscles), hamstrings (back of legs), quadriceps (front of legs), abdominals, calves, hip abductors and adductors, lower back, trapezius (upper back), latisimus dorsi (middle back), deltoids (shoulders), biceps (front of upper arm) and triceps (back of upper arm).
Resistance Types
The type of resistance you use will vary depending on the equipment you have at your disposal and on whether you go to a gym or work out at home. Exercises that utilize your body weight for resistance, like push-ups, crunches or squats, require little or no equipment. You may choose to use resistance tubing to add a slight amount of resistance to your workout. Free weights, such as barbells and dumbbells allow you to add more resistance. Some people use homemade weights such as sand- or water-filled plastic bottles or socks. You may want to invest in weight machines or work out at your local gym to have access to weight machines.
Speed And Sequence
Begin your resistance training workouts by training large muscle groups and by using exercises that require the movement of multiple joints, advises Renee Cloe, an A.C.E. Personal Trainer at South Carolina University. Each exercise should consist of a two--second concentric (lifting) phase and a three to four-second eccentric (lowering phase). Typically, resistance exercise for each muscle group includes several sets of 8 to 12 repetitions, which bring your muscles to near fatigue. Be sure to vary your workouts and increase the amount of resistance you use when exercises become easy. Between each also allow yourself anywhere from 45 seconds to two minutes of rest, depending on the goals for your training session.
Recovery Period
Be sure to allow at least 48 hours between workouts for the same muscle group, advises Northwestern Health Sciences University. It takes this length of time for the microscopic tears caused by resistance exercise to heal and your muscle to reshape. Not allowing adequate recovery time can cause injury and minimize your results.
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