Many people talk about resistance training when hitting the gym, but what is resistance training and
how does it work?
Resistance training is any form of training or exercise that is done against any kind of force. This can
include using your own body weight, dumbbells, machinery, resistance bands and weights.
Resistance training helps to improve your overall strength and fitness as well as your endurance.
There are many ways to incorporate resistance training into your workout and our expert trainers
within our Bristol gym will be able to provide advice and assistance on this. Some examples of
resistance training include.
Resistance bands – These bands give an extra challenge when carrying out bodyweight
exercises and can be kinder to the joints than using weights. They are helpful to target
specific muscles. Many people use resistance bands for exercises such as hip thrusts and
squats.
Bodyweight exercises – You can use your bodyweight anywhere at any time for resistance
training. This can include squats, push ups, chin ups and more.
TRX – TRX is helpful for resistance training and will be available in our Bristol gym. They use
straps and pulleys for resistance. There are numerous exercises you can do using TRX straps,
and we will be glad to guide your through.
Resistance training has many benefits to your health and fitness, let’s look at a few of them.
Strength – By working your muscles you become stronger increasing your pull and lift
capacity.
Muscle tone – If you have any areas you wish to increase strength, tone, or become leaner
resistance training is perfect.
Bone density – Resistance training can help strengthen your bones as well as building muscle,
helping to decrease the risk of osteoporosis.
Health factors – As with most fitness regimes, resistance training can help to lower your body
fat, lower blood pressure, improve cholesterol which in turn helps to reduce the risk of heart
disease.
Mental health benefits – Exercise is renowned for being fantastic for boosting mental health and
using resistance training is no exception.
Here are some tips when you are doing resistance training to help you along the way.
Make sure you are using the correct form; this is important for all types of exercise, but
particularly for resistance training when extra pressure is being used. Our trainers in the
Bristol gym will be able to advise you on form to reduce the risk of injury.
Use the machinery correctly – In our Bristol gym we will be ensuring all our members are
trained in how to use equipment correctly for the best possible results.
Warm up – Before you do any form of resistance training make sure that you have warmed
up, as it can be dangerous to not warm up and cause injury.
Correct breathing – Ensuring that you use the correct breathing techniques really does help,
exhale when you are using the most effort and inhale when you release. Many people make
the mistake of holding their breath and this can cause you to feel faint.
Take it slow- keep a steady pace and don’t rush, rushing will mean you may lose control.
Gradually increase your weights and don’t strain your body, otherwise you may cause injury. Start
with lower weights and gradually increase the weights as you improve your strength.
Rest and recover – It is important to ensure that you rest and recover so your muscles can
repair and rebuild.
Hopefully this has helped you learn more about resistance training and we look forward to
welcoming you to our Bristol gym soon.