The words ‘resistance training’ might conjure images of sweaty bodybuilders in your head but trust me, it's not all like that. In fact, with a bit of creativity, it can be really fun. Resistance training is also an effective workout, just one training session a week can increase muscle strength by 37%. Gone are the days of racing to burn as many calories as possible, exercise gurus are now suggesting that workouts focus on building and toning muscle. Resistance training is an excellent way to maintain fitness — we have gathered all the intel you need to jump on the trend and get in shape.
WHAT IS RESISTANCE TRAINING?
Resistance training is a form of exercise that uses resistance or weight to stimulate your muscles. It’s all about using your own body weight, resistance bands and weight machines to build muscle. Resistance training will tone your physique while strengthening your lower and upper body.
During this type of exercise muscle fibers are broken down and rebuilt which causes your muscles to grow stronger. You can use resistance training to improve joint stability, muscular endurance, strength and power.
The key is to challenge yourself and find the weight that works for you. As you get stronger, you can increase the level of resistance or number of reps to keep the workout at an optimal level. Resistance training is a ‘must have’ for your workout plan, and is a great way to break up the mundane nature of traditional cardio workouts.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RESISTANCE AND STRENGTH TRAINING?
Resistance training and strength training seem fairly similar, but they have a few key differences. Resistance training uses either your body weight or external forces such as weights or resistance bands to create tension in your muscles. The goal is to increase muscle strength, endurance, and definition. Strength training, on the other hand, is designed to build muscle mass and increase overall strength. It involves heavier weights and fewer repetitions.
WHAT ARE THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF RESISTANCE TRAINING?
The health benefits of resistance training include increased muscle strength, endurance and improved body composition. Your muscles will get stronger and your body will become more toned.
You will also see improvements in your cardiovascular health as it can help lower your blood pressure. Resistance training burns more calories than strength training so it is an important workout to include if you’re trying to lose weight. Muscle is a metabolically active tissue so the more you have (in proportion to your body weight) the more calories you’ll burn at rest. Additionally, it can help to reduce stress and improve mental health.
WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF RESISTANCE TRAINING?
Some examples of resistance training involve:
-Â Resistance bands:Â Use stretchy bands to create resistance during exercises such as bicep curls and leg presses.
-Â Calisthenics:Â used to build strength and endurance with little to no equipment, exercises include push-ups, pull-ups, and burpees.
- Weightlifting:Â Combines weights with movement to build strength and can include exercises such as bench presses, squats and deadlifts.
WHAT’S THE BEST RESISTANCE WORKOUT FOR HOME?
Getting a good workout in is vital for both your physical and mental health. Resistance training will build your strength and endurance, help you to lose weight, stay toned and improve your mood. When a type of exercise offers so many benefits it's an opportunity you don’t want to miss out on.
But between work, chores and socializing it’s hard to find time to fit in those pesky training sessions. Working out at home buys you more time as you don’t have to travel to the gym, it’s a great hack for fitting in a quick workout during the week to supplement your wider fitness plan. And lucky for you, resistance workouts are fairly accessible to do at home.
You can design your own resistance workout at home using a combination of calisthenics exercises such as push-ups, burpees and squats. If you don’t want the effort of planning your own, there are lots of free workout sessions on Youtube using similar exercises.
Developments in fitness gaming are striding ahead. You can now gamify your workout using technology that allows you to have fun during exercise from the comfort of your living room. Check out how Quell is designing the future of fitness gaming with a resistance workout game.
QUELL: THE RESISTANCE WORKOUT GAMING REVOLUTION
If you’re looking for a resistance workout that's more exciting but equally as effective, then the Quell Impact and new fitness game ‘Shardfall’ is ideal for you. The boxing game offers an immersive, total body workout using resistance bands and motion trackers. Sprint around the Shardfall world running into enemies and throwing punches to perform a boxer combo and defeat them.
How you incorporate Quell’s Shardfall into your workout routine is up to you; you can use it to build up a boxer physique or just supplement your gym sessions to stay toned and build strength. Enjoy your workout and reap the benefits of resistance training at home with the Quell Impact and Shardfall.