I’ve recently been told that I recommend resistance training in quite a few of my blog posts, but don’t really explain what it is how to incorporate it into your workout sessions.

I guess I assume that anyone reading my articles would know what I mean by resistance training and would know how to do it. But you know what they say about making assumptions…

So today, I’d like to take the time to walk you through the basics of resistance training: what it is, why it’s important, and how you can get started. Then in my next post, I’ll give you a simple workout plan to try if you’re not sure what exercises to do. I promise, it’s not as daunting as you might think!

What is resistance training?

Resistance training is a form of exercise where you work against something (a resistance) to produce strength. This ‘something’ could be anything from weights like barbells or dumbbells to resistance bands or even your own body weight!

The aim of resistance training is to make your muscles work harder than they would during normal daily activities. In this way, your muscles are encouraged to adapt, becoming stronger and more resilient over time. I won’t go into the science behind the different adaptations right now because we’d be here all day, but as you’ll see later on in the post, there are various adaptations we can work for through resistance exercise.

To paint a full picture, resistance training differs from cardiovascular training in both modality and aim. Cardio is generally something like swimming, jogging, or cycling. It’s the sort of exercise you do for 30 minutes or an hour without stopping, with the aim of improving your heart health and lung function (or burning calories).

Why is resistance training important?

You may think, as I once did, that resistance training is for the vainer among us, who want to look fit and appear in shape. Alternatively, you may think it’s only for elite athletes who need to increase their strength and power to perform at the top of their game.

In reality, it’s for everyone. I have genuinely come to believe that every single one of us can benefit from resistance exercise.

Do you have back pain? It could be that your core isn’t strong enough.

Are you getting up there in age and worried that you’ll soon become weaker and more frail? Resistance training could certainly benefit you.

Do you just feel a little weak and wish you could open jars and tight bottle caps without it taking all your energy? Real talk: improving your grip strength can definitely help with this.

We don’t even realise how many daily situations could be improved by just adding a little resistance training into our routines! As we age, we need all the muscle we can get. Naturally, we tend to lose muscle mass as we get older (Frontera et al., 2008), and this can impact strength, balance, and mobility, and even increase the incidence of falls.

However, strength and muscle-building isn’t the only thing resistance training is good for. Here are a few other areas you may not have thought of:

• Resistance exercise can boost metabolism (explained in Westcott, 2012). More muscle means a higher resting metabolism, which helps you burn more calories, even when you’re not exercising.
• It can improve bone health. Weight-bearing exercises and those where strain is put on your bones (like resistance training) can help increase bone density, reducing the risk of osteoporosis and fractures as you get older (Layne & Nelson, 1999).
• It supports functional fitness (explained in Westcott, 2012). It helps you more easily perform everyday activities, such as lifting groceries, carrying heavy bags, or bending down to pick something up off the floor. This is important for maintaining independence.
• It enhances mental health. Among other conditions, resistance training has been found to help alleviate anxiety and depression, reduce fatigue, and improve self-esteem (O’Connor et al., 2010).

Now that we’ve covered why resistance training is so beneficial, let’s dive into how you can incorporate it into your routine.

How to get started with resistance training

OK, so now you know that resistance training is important for you, but how can you get started?

My recommendation is to start slow. There’s no need to sign up to an expensive gym or buy a bunch of fancy equipment, unless you want to. You can begin by just using your body weight, or invest in a few simple items like dumbbells or resistance bands.

In my next article, I offer a few simple ideas to get you started. Click here to have a look through that post.

It’s not difficult to get started, and you don’t need to do a whole workout. A couple of sets of a few different exercises could be sufficient at first. If you have aches or niggles in certain areas, why not try targeting them to begin with?

As an example, if you have knee pain, strengthening your quadriceps muscles could be really helpful. In this case, wall sits, knee extensions, leg presses and squats can be of great help. Please always check with a physician before trying any new exercises as some may be contraindicated.

One thing to keep in mind is that the number of sets you do and the reps you perform before failure will impact what sort of adaptation you observe. What am I talking about?

When we do resistance training, we are generally chasing a specific goal. For some people, it is growing stronger (strength); for others, it is growing muscle and getting bigger (hypertrophy). Some people want to train for short bursts of power production (power), while others want their muscles to keep pumping at a lower intensity for a longer period (endurance).

All this means that in order to achieve one of these aims, we need to train in a specific way. In some ways, it comes down to challenging your muscles to do what you want them to get better at. Below is a table outlining the sets and reps required to bring about an adaptation, as well as the rest periods required to recover between sets.

When you reach the end of your chosen number of reps, you should feel like you’ve given everything you’ve got and have nothing left in the tank. Building strength isn’t just about doing, for example, 3 sets of 5 reps with any weight. You should be lifting the heaviest weight you can manage for 5 reps before reaching failure. This corresponds to the percentage of your 1RM (one-rep max) listed in the table. This is the weight you should be lifting depending on the particular adaptation you’re aiming for, where % 1RM is a percentage of the maximum weight you can lift for 1 repetition.

	Sets	Repetitions	Rest	Intensity
Strength	3-6	2-6	2-5 mins	85% 1RM
Hypertrophy	3-6	6-12	30-90 secs	65-85% 1RM
Power (max)	3-5	1-2	2-5 mins	80-90% 1RM
Endurance	2-3	12-20	~30 secs	60-70% 1RM

I should put a disclaimer here and let you know that the optimum number of sets and reps for each adaptation is a highly contested topic, but the following are the typically-cited values. Honestly, if you ask me, unless you’re already highly resistance-trained and are looking to make marginal gains, following these guidelines should work for you.

Additionally, if you’re just starting out, stick to 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps until you get used to resistance training.

Why are my muscles aching a day or two after resistance training?

If you’ve ever done a resistance training session or perhaps completed some exercise you’ve never tried before, you might find that the next morning, or even 48-72 hours after the activity, you feel stiff and achy.

This is a phenomenon referred to as delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), and it is very normal. It was likely first described in a paper by Theodore Hough in 1902, where he states that ‘soreness is fundamentally the result of ruptures within the muscle.’

The word ‘ruptures’ may seem a little shocking to you, as it does to me. Nowadays, we colloquially refer to them as micro-tears, but Hough was certainly on the money.

Without going into too much depth, the idea is that when unfamiliar strain is put on the contractile elements of muscle fibres, these must lengthen beyond what they normally would, resulting in small lesions or tears – muscle damage (Cheung et al., 2003). This may also result in inflammation within the muscle, as the body attempts to heal this damage.

It’s not all bad though! Some argue that as these tears heal, they allow the muscle to grow bigger and stronger (known as hypertrophy). This relationship is a little complex, so hypertrophy can occur even in the absence of muscle damage, but there does seem to be some sort of link (Schoenfeld, 2012).

What are some common mistakes to avoid?

While resistance training is a great way to improve strength, there are a few mistakes to keep in mind as you get started. Hopefully, by keeping them in mind, you’ll be able to avoid them.

• Using too much weight too soon. It’s tempting to pick up heavy weights, but starting with weights that are too heavy can lead to poor form and injury. Start light and gradually increase the resistance as your muscles adapt.
• Not using enough weight. At the other end of the spectrum, you may be worried about lifting too much and injuring yourself. It’s important to keep in mind that you need to challenge your body for it to adapt and for you to see improvements. So, don’t shy away from the challenge. You may find that you’re able to lift more than you think!
• Neglecting warm-ups and cool-downs. Always take a few minutes to warm up before your workout (like a brisk walk or dynamic stretches) and cool down afterwards (walking and static stretching) to avoid injury and help with recovery and mobility.
• Not focusing on form. Good form is important for preventing injury. If you’re unsure about your form, consider working with a trainer, taking a few videos of yourself to compare with reputable tutorials, or ask a more experienced gym-goer for feedback.
• Not focusing on mind-muscle connection. Focusing on feeling the target muscle working against resistance is crucial for maximising results. You can improve your mind-muscle connection by imagining the muscle working and actively squeezing it as you move through each rep.

Don’t give up

There will be times when it won’t be easy to keep it up and continue showing up. There will be moments when you don’t see the improvements you were expecting or hoping for. In these instances, staying motivated can be one of the biggest challenges, but here are some tips to keep you going:

• Set achievable goals. If you have a big goal, try breaking it down into smaller ones that are more easily and quickly achievable. The small successes will fuel you towards the bigger ones. Even if progress seems slow, keep increasing your resistance weight by 1 kg every week, and eventually, you’ll get there. Just remember: small goals help build momentum.
• Track your progress. Keep a workout journal or use a fitness app to track your sessions and improvements. Oftentimes, we forget what we have done the week before and therefore don’t progress. We might also fail to acknowledge how far we’ve come and feel down about it. However, if you keep note of what you did in your sessions and track your progress, you’ll see how motivating it is to realise how far you’ve come!
• Find a workout buddy. Whether it’s a friend or an online community, having someone to share the journey with can keep you accountable and make training more enjoyable. They can be a great source of support and inspiration when you don’t feel like making an effort, and their input can certainly help keep you on the right track, working towards your goals!

Concluding thoughts

Starting resistance training may seem intimidating at first, but remember: consistency is key when working towards your health and fitness goals. By incorporating resistance training into your routine, you’re doing incredible things for your body and your health. Whether you’re working with bodyweight exercises or light weights, every session gets you closer to becoming stronger, more resilient, and healthier. So, take it one step at a time, and before you know it, you’ll feel the benefits in your everyday life. You’ve got this!

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. Before starting any new exercise program, please consult with a healthcare professional to ensure it’s suitable for your individual needs and health conditions.

References

Cheung, K., Hume, P. A., & Maxwell, L. (2012). Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. Sports Medicine, 33(2), 145–164. https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-200333020-00005

Frontera, W. R., Reid, K. F., Phillips, E. M., Krivickas, L. S., Hughes, V. A., Roubenoff, R., & Fielding, R. A. (2008). Muscle fiber size and function in elderly humans: a longitudinal study. Journal of Applied Physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985), 105(2), 637–642. https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.90332.2008

Hough, T. (1902). Ergographic Studies in Muscular Soreness. American Physical Education Review, 7(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/23267224.1902.10649879

Layne, J. E., & Nelson, M. E. (1999). The effects of progressive resistance training on bone density: a review. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 31(1), 25–30. https://doi.org/10.1097/00005768-199901000-00006

O’Connor, P. J., Herring, M. P., & Caravalho, A. (2010). Mental Health Benefits of Strength Training in Adults. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 4(5), 377–396. https://doi.org/10.1177/1559827610368771

Schoenfeld, B. J. (2012). Does Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage Play a Role in Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy? Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 26(5), 1441–1453. https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0b013e31824f207e

Westcott, W. L. (2012). Resistance training is medicine: Effects of strength training on health. Current Sports Medicine Reports, 11(4), 209–216. https://doi.org/10.1249/JSR.0b013e31825dabb8