What
is Resistance Training?
Resistance
training is anything that gives resistance against your muscles. The
most
traditional resistance training is dumbbells, barbells or kettlebells,
but it can
take on
many other forms as well. Cable machines and pulley systems give great
resistance, as do elastic bands and medicine balls. Using your own body
weight is another
way to
give your muscles resistance.
Today
you have many options when it comes to resistance training – but they
all have
one thing in common…doing them will change your life!
“But
I don’t want to look muscular and bulky.”
I cannot tell you how many times I
have gotten this reaction from women when I encourage them to do weight
training! The critical thing here is that in order to be fit, firm and
toned
you MUST do resistance training! No, don’t give me that horrified look!
Resistance training literally changes your entire body appearance and
physical
abilities, let alone your self-confidence and self-esteem. Resistance training is
probably the best
thing that you will ever do to keep your body looking and feeling 10
years
younger.
Resistance
training builds muscle tisssue and muscle tissue has manu advantages
over fatty
tissue. One good
thing about muscle
tissue compared to fat, besides being useful is that it doesn’t take up
as much
space as fat tissue and it is more firm. So, a muscular person actually
looks
more petite than a a person of the same weight but with less lean
muscle mass. In
order for a person to start to look really
bulky, two conditions need to be fullfilled. There has to be excess
caloric
intake and testosterone also play a big role in developping big bulky
muscle
mass. Women don’t
produce a lot of that,
so for a woman to start looking bulky it really takes a lot of training.
Finally,
- and this is not as well communicated as it deserves to be – two more
things
about muscle tissue...
1)
Muscle tissue has a much higher resting metabolism than fatty tissue,
thus
making it easier to stay at the same weight!
2)
A person who doesn’t train loses muscle tissue naturally from aging
alone. However, you
can actually do something to
prevent this by training to sustain the muscle you have, or even by
giving
yourself more muscle mass to lose from.
This is done through resistance training.
Read
on to learn more about the benefits of Resistance Training.
Metabolism
Resistance
training is the one thing that we do that elevates our metabolism for
hours
after a workout. Cardiovascular workouts are effective and necessary,
but,
after an hour of running, your metabolism is only elevated for less
than an
hour before going back down to normal.
On
the other hand, resistance training will literally raise your
metabolism
permanently. This happens because resistance training is actually a
process of
breaking down muscle tissue and re-building it back stronger, firmer
and more
tone.
This
process takes time and energy, that is calories. Once you have added
muscle
tone to
a given area on your body it now takes even more energy to maintain
this
muscle.
So
here is the run down on why resistance training is such a metabolism
booster:
When
you weight train you break down muscle fibers, which takes energy to
rebuild,
when these muscle fibers have been rebuilt they are tighter, toner,
more firm
and now take more energy to maintain. Hence: a higher metabolism all
day long.
Simple, yet so effective!
1
kg
of muscle burns about 100 calories a day
1
kg of fat burns about 10 calories a day
So,
if you compare two people of the same total weight but where one has a
body
composition consisting of 3 kilos more lean muscle than the other, this
person
will need 300 calories more a day just at rest.
Or put in another way, if you can substitute 3 kilos of
fat with 3 kilos
of lean muscle, your body will automatically burn 300 calories more a
day. That
is equivalent to about 30 minutes of cardio training like running.
Firm,
Toned and Sculpted
Resistance
training is responsible for the beautiful sculpted and toned look that
many
athletes sport. As mentioned in the metabolism section, resistance
training
breaks down muscle fibers so that they can rebuild stronger. These
strengthened
fibers are denser than the weaker ones that they are replacing, thus
resulting
in a firmer, tighter feel.
Since
we know that muscles consume more energy than fat, it is safe to assume
that
when you increase in muscle you will also decrease in fat. (This is of
course
assuming that your caloric intake does not increase and that your
cardiovascular activities do not decrease.)
Due to this decrease in fat, the shape of your muscles will start to be unveiled by the shedding of the extra fat tissue that covers them.
Other
Benefits to Resistance Training
Increased
Strength
Improved
Coordination
Raised
Self Esteem and Renewed Confidence
Feel Good Endorphins
Healthy bone density
THE
FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH
Well,
the secrets to lasting weight loss have been revealed. There are no
pills to
take, machines to buy or breathing techniques to learn. Now you know
that
resistance training along with cardiovascular training and a
personalized
nutrition plan are going to be worth your time.
Just
giving you this valuable information is not enough. If I only did that,
and
stopped there, I simply would not be doing you or myself any justice.
You need
to move on to step 2: Implementing.
If
you don’t have the possibilty to hire a good trainer, the second best
is to get
on a good program. I
can fully recommend
this
program which is based on all of the above principles and is
giving you a
21-day trial period for less than 5 dollars. This program has helped
thousands
of men and women to lose over 41,000 pounds of body fat according to
Men's
Health.
Well,
the secrets to lasting weight loss have been revealed. There are no
pills to
take, machines to buy or breathing techniques to learn. Now you know
that
resistance training along with interval training training and a
personalized
nutrition plan are going to be worth your time.
Just
giving you this valuable information is not enough. If I only did that,
and
stopped there, I simply would not be doing you or myself any justice.
Other
great resistance training
resources:
Bodyweight
Workouts (downloadable print)
Fatloss
Workouts (downloadable
print)
Abdominal
Focused Report and Workout (downloadable
print)
Right
now, at this very moment, you have a decision to make. You can either
take the
first step to achieve the body that you deserve…
Or
you can do nothing, and fall into the trap of procrastination.
I
suggest you take action now while it’s still fresh on your mind.
Download the
program(s) that appeal to you and get started today!