FAQ: resistance training for beginners
What is resistance training?
Resistance training is a type of exercise where your muscles work against a force or load. The force or load is your body or an external object.
Examples of bodyweight resistance training: yoga, Pilates, tai chi, suspension training, calisthenics, gymnastics.
Examples of resistance training with external loads: lifting weights or resistance bands.
Why resistance train?
Part of healthy aging includes maintaining our ability to do the activities we love. Resistance training helps maintain your muscular strength and flexibility. It’s not only for bodybuilders.
As you age, unfavourable changes can happen. Decreased bone density, decreased physical ability, and changes in body composition. Resistance training can help combat these. Not to mention the mental and social benefits of it.
Adaptations to resistance training
Physical Function
When you think of lifting weights, you're thinking of big muscles. But there is more to it. As your nervous system adapts to training, you develop more speed and power. This will maintain and improve your physical function. As you age, loss of muscular power and speed is common. Resistance training can help.
Muscle
It goes without saying, regular resistance training helps you maintain and build muscle.
Bone
Your bones get stronger with resistance training too. The force of external weights and muscle contractions increase your bone density. This is important because you lose bone density with aging. Especially post-menopausal women.
Ligaments & Tendons
Tendons and ligaments are bundles of collagen fiber. Tendons connect muscle to bone and ligaments connect bone to bone. Regular resistance training increases the structural integrity of these. Tendons and ligaments become thicker and stronger.
Cartilage
Blood vessels deliver nutrients to muscles, bones, ligaments, and tendons. But cartilage is unique. It depends on the joint's movement to get the nutrition from the surrounding fluid. We can't ignore genetics but extended periods of inactivity is bad news for cartilage. Without movement, cartilage nutrition may be inadequate. This can increase the risk of cartilage thinning.
Important note on joint wear and tear. Strenuous exercise is not the cause when you use progressive loading.
Important Terms
Program
The plan for formal physical activity outside of daily activities. Includes cardiovascular training, resistance training, and other modes
Repetitions
Number of times you do an exercise
Set
A group of repetitions done continuously
Rest
Time between sets
Load
The amount of resistance or weight assigned to the exercise, kg or lbs
Intensity
The difficulty of the exercise, percent or numerical rating
Frequency
How often
Progressive loading
Making the program harder to match physical adaptations
Recovery
Rest between sessions. Focus on high-quality nutrition & sleep to help tissues rebuild stronger
How to warm-up
The warm-up prepares your body for the planned physical activity. It bridges the gap between you at rest and the performance you hope to achieve in the session. Warm-ups should increase your breathing and heart rate from rest. Also include similar movements to the planned activity.
Example:
Plan: squat and upper body push movement
Warm-up: 2-3 sets of a lighter weight squat and lighter weight push
Why overcomplicate it? The warm-up is an easier version of the planned activity.
What is the risk of participation?
Do you shy away from heavy resistance training because you're afraid of injury?
Lifting weights does not cause more injuries compared to other non-contact sports. It also has a lower risk of injury compared to contact sports.
If you follow progressive loading principles, injury risk is low. About 1-4 injuries per 1000 hours of training. For healthy aging, it's riskier not to resistance train.
If you lift weights 2 times a week, one hour each session, 1000 hours of participation is 9.6 years.
More support
Here at Rise & Shine Healthcare, we care about healthy aging. We keep you moving so you can squeeze the most out of life. If you’re looking to start a resistance training program, you can book an appointment for more personalized guidance.
Reference:
Aasa U, Svartholm I, Andersson F, et al, Injuries among weightlifters and powerlifters: a systematic review, British Journal of Sports Medicine 2017;51:211-219