Weight management and increased muscle-to-fat ratio — as you gain muscle, your body burns more kilojoules when at rest. May help reduce or prevent cognitive decline in older people. Prevention or control of chronic conditions such as diabetes , heart disease , arthritis , back pain , depression and obesity.

Pain management. Improved mobility and balance. Improved posture. Decreased risk of injury. Increased bone density and strength and reduced risk of osteoporosis. Improved sense of wellbeing — resistance training may boost your self-confidence, and improve your body image and your mood.

Improved sleep and avoidance of insomnia. Increased self-esteem. Enhanced performance of everyday tasks. Basic principles of resistance training Resistance training consists of various components.

Basic principles include: Program — your overall fitness program is composed of various exercise types such as aerobic training, flexibility training, strength training and balance exercises.

Weight — different weights or other types of resistance, for example a 3 kg hand weight or fixed weight, body weight or rubber band will be used for different exercises during your strength training session.

Exercise — a particular movement, for example a calf-raise, that is designed to strengthen a particular muscle or group of muscles. Repetitions or reps — refers to the number of times you continuously repeat each exercise in a set. Set — is a group of repetitions performed without resting, for example, two sets of squats by 15 reps would mean you do 15 squats then rest muscles before doing another 15 squats.

Rest — you need to rest between sets. Rest periods vary depending on the intensity of exercise being undertaken. Variety — switching around your workout routine, such as regularly introducing new exercises, challenges your muscles and forces them to adapt and strengthen.

The aim is to use an appropriate weight or resistant force that will challenge you, while maintaining good technique. Also, regular adjustments to the training variables, such as frequency, duration, exercises for each muscle group, number of exercises for each muscle group, sets and repetitions, help to make sure you progress and improve.

Recovery — muscle needs time to repair and adapt after a workout. A good rule of thumb is to rest the muscle group for up to 48 hours before working the same muscle group again. Resistance training for beginners Pre-exercise screening is used to identify people with medical conditions that may put them at a higher risk of experiencing a health problem during physical activity.

Starting resistance training It is important to pay attention to safety and form in order to reduce the risk of injury. Beginning with one set of each exercise, comprising as few as eight repetitions reps , no more than twice per week.

Warming up before resistance training Warm up your body before starting your strength training exercises. Advanced resistance training To get the most gain from resistance training, progressively increase the intensity of your training according to your experience and training goals.

Repetitive maximum RM and resistance training The best way to develop muscle strength is for the muscle to contract to its maximum potential at any given time — maximal voluntary contraction MVC. Applying MVC to meet advanced resistance training goals The principles of strength training involve manipulation of the number of repetitions reps , sets, tempo, exercises and force to overload a group of muscles and produce the desired change in strength, endurance, size or shape.

General guidelines, using the RM range, include: Muscle power: 1 — 5 RM per set, performed explosively. Muscle strength: 1 — 6 RM per set, controlled. Muscle size hypertrophy : 6 — 12 RM per set, controlled.

Muscle endurance: 12 — 15 or more RM per set, controlled. Muscle recovery during advanced resistance training Muscle needs time to repair and grow after a workout.

Gaining strength from advanced resistance training Most beginners experience a rapid increase in strength, followed by a plateau or levelling-out of strength improvements. Be guided by your gym instructor or personal trainer, but suggestions include: Increase the number of repetitions.

Increase your workout by 10 or 15 minutes. Increase the frequency of workouts, keeping in mind that each muscle needs at least 48 hours of recovery time. Once you are more experienced, you may like to consider splitting body parts over the different days of the week — for example, chest, shoulders and triceps in session one, back, biceps and abdominal muscles in session two, and legs in session three.

Switch to different exercises — for example, focus on exercises that use multiple muscle groups and that are functional or specific in nature, meaning that they relate to activities of daily living or sporting requirements.

Increase the weight by about five to 10 per cent. Cross-train with other activities such as swimming or running. Evidence is presented from several different paradigms emphasising the significant contribution of neural mechanisms to the gains in strength with short term training.

Although little is known about the specific neural mechanisms associated with strength training adaptations, the literature emphasises that the measure of human performance known as strength can be influenced by a variety of neurophysiological processes. Abstract Skeletal muscle undergoes substantial adaptation when it is subjected to a strength training regimen.

Publication types Research Support, U. Another mistake people make is doing the same program over and over again even after they have reached a plateau. Any time you 1 stop gaining strength or muscle size or 2 get bored, it is crucial that you change the program, so that you can go through a whole new phase achieving new results.

We inherit most of these factors affecting strength from our parents, and they have a big impact on our size, strength, and appearance. It is very important that you not become obsessed with trying to look like a world-class body builder—or any other body type that is not your own.

We are not all meant to look the same. Genetics does clearly play a role in your health and appearance, but they certainly do not determine how often or well you train. Even if you are born with a genetic predisposition to being overweight or weak, the way you live is what will ultimately determine whether you become fit and strong or fat and weak.

Weightlifting provides many important benefits that cannot be achieved by any other exercise or activity. Physiologically, the benefits of consistent strength training include an increase in muscle size and tone, increased muscle strength, and increases in tendon, bone, and ligament strength.

Strength-training has also been shown to improve psychological health as well, by increasing self-esteem, confidence and self-worth. If you understand and accept your body, you will be able to work with it, not against it.

Everyone can improve their strength, appearance, and performance level by consistently implementing an effective strength training program. The AFPA Strength Trainer Certification and continuing education courses offer an indepth view of strength training and conditioning for the entire body, and teaches you the most effective routines for your personal strength goals.

Also you may want to know about these 10 Things to Avoid in Your Strength Training Workout. Read More. September 7,

Studies show that people of all ages can increase their muscle size and strength as a result of a safe and effective strength training program.

However, the rate of strength and muscle gain appears to be greater from age , the years of rapid growth and development. Gender does not affect the quality of our muscle, but does influence the quantity.

The larger the muscles, the stronger the person; this is why most men are stronger than most women. Another strength factor that is naturally determined is limb length.

Persons with short limbs tend to be able to lift more weight because of advantageous leverage factors arms and legs. Similarly, differences in strength development may come about because of variation in muscle length. Some people have long muscles, and some people have short muscles.

Persons with relatively long muscles have greater potential for developing size and strength than persons with relatively short muscles. Muscle strength is also influenced by the point of tendon insertion. This gives Jim a biomechanical advantage: he is able to lift more weight than John in biceps exercises such as the Biceps Curl.

All of these factors affect our ability to gain strength and muscle development through training. Keep in mind, however, that the most influential factor in achieving good results is using a very slow, controlled lifting movement and lifting to the point of muscle fatigue. In addition to using good lifting technique , it is absolutely imperative that you not only train with intensity on a well-balanced program, but also give your muscles enough resting time between training sessions.

Another mistake people make is doing the same program over and over again even after they have reached a plateau. Any time you 1 stop gaining strength or muscle size or 2 get bored, it is crucial that you change the program, so that you can go through a whole new phase achieving new results. In the strength literature, 3 topics exemplify the importance of the nervous system in strength development.

These 3 topics are considered in detail in the review: electromyostimulation, cross-training effects, and EMG-force relationships. Evidence is presented from several different paradigms emphasising the significant contribution of neural mechanisms to the gains in strength with short term training.

Although little is known about the specific neural mechanisms associated with strength training adaptations, the literature emphasises that the measure of human performance known as strength can be influenced by a variety of neurophysiological processes.

To get the most gain from resistance training, progressively increase the intensity of your training according to your experience and training goals. This may mean increasing the weight, changing the duration of the contraction the time during which you sustain holding the weight reducing rest time or increasing the volume of training.

Research suggests that expert supervision and instruction may improve your results as it will ensure you practice proper technique and follow safety principles. If you experience any discomfort or pain, contact a health professional before progressing with your program.

The best way to develop muscle strength is for the muscle to contract to its maximum potential at any given time — maximal voluntary contraction MVC. In resistance training, MVC is measured by the term XRM, where RM is the maximum number of repetitions that can be completed with a given resistance or weight.

X is the number of times a certain weight can be lifted before the muscle fatigues. It is the RM range that determines what type of improvements the muscles will make. The optimal range for improving muscle strength is 8—12 RM for a beginner and 2—6 RM for the more advanced. Higher weights mean lower RM — for example, the same person could possibly lift a 65 kg weight, but fewer than seven times.

Lower weights typically result in a higher RM — for example, the same person could lift a 35 kg weight about 12 times before muscle fatigue sets in. MVC principles can help you gain the most benefit from your workouts.

A good rule of thumb is to only increase the weight between two and 10 per cent once you can comfortably do two repetitions above the maximum. The principles of strength training involve manipulation of the number of repetitions reps , sets, tempo, exercises and force to overload a group of muscles and produce the desired change in strength, endurance, size or shape.

Specific combinations of reps, sets, exercises, resistance and force will determine the type of muscle development you achieve. General guidelines, using the RM range, include:. Muscle needs time to repair and grow after a workout.

Not giving your muscles enough time to recover means they will not get bigger or stronger. A good rule of thumb is to rest the muscle group for at least 48 hours.

Once you have sufficient experience in resistance training, and with the support of a qualified allied health or exercise professional, you might like to consider a split program. For example, you could work your upper body on Mondays and Fridays, and your lower body on Wednesdays and Sundays. Most beginners experience a rapid increase in strength, followed by a plateau or levelling-out of strength improvements.

After that, gains in muscle strength and size are hard-earned. When you start resistance training, most of your initial increase in strength is due to a phenomenon called neural adaptation.

This means that the nerves servicing the muscles change their behaviour. The nerves are thought to fire more frequently prompting increased muscle contraction and more motor units are recruited to perform the contraction a motor unit is the nerve cell and its associated muscle fibres.

Various techniques may help you shorten the plateau period. Varying your workouts can help you push past a plateau. The theory of variation is that you can coax growth and strength from your muscles by surprising them with a range of different stresses.

The muscles will respond in size and strength as they are forced to adapt. This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:. Content on this website is provided for information purposes only. Information about a therapy, service, product or treatment does not in any way endorse or support such therapy, service, product or treatment and is not intended to replace advice from your doctor or other registered health professional.

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Home Keeping active. Resistance training — health benefits. Actions for this page Listen Print. Summary Read the full fact sheet. On this page. Examples of resistance training Health benefits of resistance training Basic principles of resistance training Resistance training for beginners Starting resistance training Advanced resistance training Where to get help.

Variables that can impact on your results include: Sets.