How to Start Resistance Training

Resistance training should be the core of your workout, as it allows you to push yourself further. Learn some easy tricks to improve your resistance.

There are different reasons to start resistance training. Regardless of the type of sport we practice, it’s always a good choice to improve our cardiorespiratory endurance. In this article, we’ll explain some tips and tricks to enhance your resistance.

What to know about resistance training

The first thing you need to know is what exactly resistance training conveys. Basically, resistance training routines are a series of exercises specifically designed to work and strengthen your cardiovascular system.

Cardio routines can vary greatly, but many people resort to a few good and easy options. Running, swimming, and cycling are all great cardio workouts. Of course, the duration of a resistance training session will depend entirely on your own objective, your physical condition, and your own preferences when it comes to workout routines.

There are two main methods to train resistance. On the one hand, the continuous resistance training, which includes exercises that must be done during a longer period of time (bicycle, swimming , walking, running); and, on the other, the fragmented one, in which the exercises are interspersed with the rest breaks (aerobic exercises, Pilates, Zumba, etc.).

There are many benefits of resistance training, but among those, we can highlight the following:

• Muscles become more efficient because they receive adequate oxygen supply.
• We can cope better with stress, anxiety, and depression.
• The risks of heart disease and other cardiovascular diseases are reduced significantly, as the heart strengthens.

Now, in order to train resistance, it’s very important to follow a routine. It’s estimated that, with three weekly sessions, in a matter of a month or a month and a half our resistance will be much higher.

However, we must bear in mind that just as we start training, the exercises can be somewhat frustrating. Sometimes, we can even feel as if we aren’t achieving our goals or progressing in the least. It’s necessary to arm ourselves with patience and notice the small changes every week.

Tips to start resistance training

You may think that exercising is enough to work and improve your resistance. Although working out is the main activity to improve your resistance, there are other aspects we must take into account in order to meet our objectives. Pay attention to these tips to start resistance training:

1. Choose the type of training

Maybe you enjoy the idea of ​​riding a bike for a full hour more than you enjoy doing an aerobics class, or you prefer running rather than swimming. When it comes to resistance training, as you have to work out for such a long period of time, it all depends on your tastes, your intentions and the days you train.

2. Eat a proper diet

It’s no use spending hours in the gym or training resistance if you don’t have the strength to get up from your seat. Many times, you might feel tired of exercising when in reality, your body is lacking the necessary nutrients to have enough energy to keep training every day.

It’s very important that you increase or balance your protein intake. You can find protein red and white meat, legumes, flours, cereals, and nuts. You can also include the famous protein shakes in your diet, very popular among athletes and fitness fans.

3. Find the right rhythm

To do resistance training that allows us to obtain proper results, it’s essential to find our own rhythm. This means that we cannot demand from our bodies more than they can give, but neither can we exercise ‘below’ our abilities.

If we train too hard and continuously, without giving the muscle the chance to rest and recover, we can suffer overloads, injuries, and pain. Allow your body the chance to gradually become used to the new exercise.

4. Train three times a week

While it’s believed that for resistance training you have to exercise daily, the truth is that, as previously stated, your body needs to rest. If we go to the gym every day, we never recover properly.

For this reason, it’s recommended to leave a resting day between each session. In this way, we can train Monday, Wednesday and Friday or Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, for example. The body (mainly muscles, tendons and bones) will be sufficiently stimulated, but at the same time, they’ll have the time to recover from the effort.

Resistance is the physical ​​ability of our body to cope with certain efforts and the subsequent possibility of recovery. Therefore, resistance training is essential regardless of our preferred activity or our objectives.