What are the most effective resistance exercises for overall fitness. How can you incorporate functional movements into your workout routine. Which exercises target multiple muscle groups simultaneously. How to achieve your fitness goals with these versatile exercises.

The Power of Functional Resistance Training

Functional resistance training has gained significant popularity in recent years, and for good reason. These exercises mimic real-life movements, engaging multiple muscle groups simultaneously and improving overall strength, stability, and mobility. Let’s explore the top 10 functional resistance exercises that can help you achieve your fitness goals, whether it’s weight loss, muscle gain, or increased strength.

1. Squats: The King of Lower Body Exercises

Squats are often referred to as the “Mac-daddy” of resistance exercises, and for good reason. This compound movement engages virtually every muscle in your lower body, including your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. Additionally, squats require significant core engagement and even upper body stability when performed with added resistance.

What makes squats so effective for various fitness goals? Here are some key benefits:

• Calorie burning: Due to the large muscle groups involved, squats are excellent for burning calories and promoting weight loss.
• Muscle building: Progressive overload with squats can lead to significant muscle growth in the lower body.
• Functional strength: Squats mimic everyday movements like sitting down and standing up, making them highly practical.
• Versatility: From bodyweight squats for beginners to heavy barbell squats for advanced lifters, there’s a variation for every fitness level.

How to Perform a Basic Squat

1. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart
2. Lower your body as if sitting back into a chair
3. Keep your chest up and core engaged
4. Descend until thighs are parallel to the ground (or as low as comfortable)
5. Push through your heels to return to the starting position

2. Lunges: Unilateral Lower Body Power

Lunges are another fantastic functional exercise that targets similar muscle groups as squats but with an added emphasis on unilateral (single-leg) strength and stability. This movement pattern closely resembles walking, climbing stairs, or navigating uneven terrain, making it highly applicable to daily life.

Why should you incorporate lunges into your workout routine?

• Balance and stability: Lunges challenge your proprioception and body awareness.
• Lower body sculpting: They’re excellent for toning and firming the glutes, quadriceps, and hamstrings.
• Versatility: Lunges can be performed in various directions (forward, reverse, lateral) and with different equipment.
• Core engagement: Maintaining balance during lunges requires significant core activation.

Lunge Variations for Different Fitness Levels

Are you wondering how to adapt lunges to your current fitness level? Consider these options:

• Beginner: Stationary lunges with limited depth and support if needed
• Intermediate: Walking lunges with bodyweight
• Advanced: Weighted lunges using dumbbells, barbells, or kettlebells

3. Deadlifts: The Ultimate Full-Body Exercise

Deadlifts are often considered one of the most comprehensive resistance exercises available. This movement combines elements of both squatting and pulling, engaging nearly every major muscle group in the body. From your legs and back to your arms and core, deadlifts provide a total-body workout in a single exercise.

What makes deadlifts so effective for overall fitness?

• Muscle engagement: Deadlifts work more muscles simultaneously than almost any other exercise.
• Functional strength: The movement mimics picking up objects from the ground, a common daily activity.
• Metabolic boost: Due to the high muscle activation, deadlifts can significantly increase your metabolic rate.
• Posture improvement: Proper deadlift form reinforces good posture and spinal alignment.

Deadlift Safety Tips

While deadlifts offer numerous benefits, they require proper form to avoid injury. Keep these safety tips in mind:

• Maintain a neutral spine throughout the movement
• Engage your core and keep your chest up
• Push through your heels and keep the bar close to your body
• Start with lighter weights to master the form before progressing
• Consider using a hex bar for a more beginner-friendly variation

4. Chin-Ups and Pull-Ups: Upper Body Powerhouses

Chin-ups and pull-ups are exceptional exercises for developing upper body strength, particularly in the back, shoulders, and arms. These movements require you to lift your entire body weight, making them challenging yet highly effective for building functional strength and muscle.

How do chin-ups and pull-ups benefit your fitness journey?

• Upper body development: They target multiple muscle groups, including the latissimus dorsi, biceps, and core.
• Improved grip strength: Hanging from the bar enhances forearm and grip strength.
• Calorie burning: As compound exercises, they contribute significantly to overall calorie expenditure.
• Bodyweight mastery: Achieving your first pull-up is a significant milestone in bodyweight fitness.

Progressing with Pull-Ups

Can’t do a full pull-up yet? Don’t worry! Try these progression exercises:

1. Negative pull-ups (lowering yourself slowly from the top position)
2. Assisted pull-ups using resistance bands or a machine
3. Inverted rows using a lower bar or TRX straps
4. Scapular pull-ups to build initial strength and mind-muscle connection

5. Push-Ups: The Classic Upper Body Builder

Push-ups are a timeless exercise that effectively targets the chest, shoulders, triceps, and core. This bodyweight movement not only builds upper body strength but also improves overall stability and body control. Push-ups can be easily modified to suit various fitness levels, making them an excellent choice for beginners and advanced athletes alike.

What are the key benefits of incorporating push-ups into your routine?

• Upper body strength: Push-ups primarily target the pectorals, deltoids, and triceps.
• Core stability: Maintaining a plank position throughout the movement engages the entire core.
• Convenience: No equipment needed, making them perfect for home workouts or travel.
• Versatility: Numerous variations allow for continued progress and targeted muscle engagement.

Push-Up Variations for All Levels

How can you adapt push-ups to your current fitness level? Try these variations:

• Beginner: Wall push-ups or incline push-ups on a raised surface
• Intermediate: Standard push-ups or diamond push-ups for more tricep emphasis
• Advanced: Plyometric push-ups, one-arm push-ups, or decline push-ups

6. Rows: Building a Strong, Defined Back

Rowing exercises are essential for developing a strong, well-defined back and improving overall upper body strength. They target the often-neglected posterior chain, including the latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, and rear deltoids. Incorporating various rowing exercises into your routine can help balance out the pushing movements and contribute to better posture and shoulder health.

Why are rowing exercises crucial for a well-rounded fitness program?

• Back strength: Rows target multiple back muscles, promoting a V-tapered physique.
• Improved posture: Strengthening the upper back muscles helps counteract the effects of prolonged sitting.
• Arm development: Rows also engage the biceps and forearms for overall arm strength.
• Functional pulling strength: Enhances your ability to perform everyday pulling movements.

Popular Rowing Variations

Which rowing exercises should you consider adding to your workout routine? Here are some effective options:

• Bent-over barbell rows
• Single-arm dumbbell rows
• Seated cable rows
• Inverted rows (bodyweight exercise)
• T-bar rows

7. Overhead Press: Sculpting Powerful Shoulders

The overhead press, also known as the military press, is a fundamental exercise for developing strong, well-rounded shoulders. This movement not only targets all three heads of the deltoid muscle but also engages the upper chest, triceps, and core for stability. Incorporating overhead presses into your routine can significantly enhance your upper body strength and aesthetic appeal.

What makes the overhead press a valuable addition to your workout regimen?

• Shoulder development: Targets all parts of the deltoid muscle for balanced growth.
• Core engagement: Stabilizing the weight overhead requires significant core activation.
• Functional strength: Improves your ability to lift objects overhead in daily life.
• Upper body power: Enhances overall pressing strength for other exercises.

Overhead Press Variations and Tips

How can you incorporate overhead presses effectively and safely? Consider these tips and variations:

• Start with lighter weights to master proper form and avoid shoulder strain.
• Experiment with barbell, dumbbell, and kettlebell variations for diverse stimulation.
• Try seated overhead presses for increased stability and isolation.
• Incorporate push presses or thrusters for a more explosive, full-body movement.

8. Planks: Core Stability and Full-Body Tension

While not typically considered a resistance exercise, planks are an essential component of any functional fitness routine. This isometric exercise engages multiple muscle groups simultaneously, promoting core strength, stability, and full-body tension. Planks are highly versatile and can be modified to suit various fitness levels and goals.

Why should you include planks in your workout program?

• Core strength: Planks target the entire core, including the rectus abdominis, obliques, and transverse abdominis.
• Improved posture: Strengthening the core muscles helps maintain proper spinal alignment.
• Full-body engagement: Planks also work the shoulders, chest, quads, and glutes.
• Low impact: Suitable for those with lower back issues or joint pain.

Plank Variations for Progressive Challenge

How can you make planks more challenging as you progress? Try these variations:

1. Standard forearm plank
2. High plank (push-up position)
3. Side plank for oblique emphasis
4. Plank with leg lifts or arm reaches
5. Stability ball plank for increased instability

9. Kettlebell Swings: Explosive Power and Cardiovascular Conditioning

Kettlebell swings are a dynamic, full-body exercise that combines strength training with cardiovascular conditioning. This explosive movement primarily targets the posterior chain, including the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back, while also engaging the core and shoulders. Kettlebell swings are excellent for developing power, improving hip hinge mechanics, and burning calories.

What are the unique benefits of incorporating kettlebell swings into your routine?

• Posterior chain development: Strengthens the often-neglected back of the body.
• Cardiovascular fitness: The explosive nature of the exercise elevates heart rate effectively.
• Power production: Improves your ability to generate force quickly.
• Fat burning: High-intensity nature makes it excellent for calorie expenditure and metabolic boost.

Mastering Kettlebell Swing Technique

How can you perform kettlebell swings safely and effectively? Follow these key points:

• Focus on hip hinge movement, not a squat.
• Keep your back flat and core engaged throughout the movement.
• Drive the kettlebell with your hips, not your arms.
• Allow the kettlebell to float at the top of the movement.
• Start with a lighter weight to master form before progressing.

10. Farmer’s Walks: Functional Strength and Grip Power

Farmer’s walks, also known as farmer’s carries, are a simple yet highly effective functional exercise. This movement involves carrying heavy weights for a designated distance or time, challenging your grip strength, core stability, and overall body tension. Farmer’s walks are excellent for developing real-world strength and improving your performance in other lifts.

Why should you consider adding farmer’s walks to your training program?

• Grip strength: Holding heavy weights for extended periods significantly improves grip power.
• Core stability: Walking while carrying heavy loads requires constant core engagement.
• Full-body tension: Engages muscles from your traps down to your calves.
• Cardiovascular benefits: Can be performed for longer durations to improve conditioning.
• Functional carryover: Directly translates to everyday activities like carrying groceries or luggage.

Farmer’s Walk Variations

How can you incorporate farmer’s walks into your routine? Try these variations:

• Traditional farmer’s walk with dumbbells or kettlebells
• Single-arm farmer’s walk for increased core engagement
• Trap bar farmer’s walk for heavier loads
• Overhead farmer’s walk for shoulder stability and core challenge
• Weighted vest walk for a more distributed load

Incorporating these top 10 functional resistance exercises into your workout routine can help you achieve a wide range of fitness goals. From building strength and muscle to improving cardiovascular health and functional movement patterns, these exercises offer a comprehensive approach to fitness. Remember to start at an appropriate level for your current abilities and gradually progress as you build strength and confidence. With consistency and proper form, you’ll be well on your way to achieving your fitness objectives and enhancing your overall quality of life.

Dan’s Top Ten ‘Most Functional’ Resistance Exercises — PT Direct

Here are ten great exercises for helping your personal training clients to lose weight, firm up, add size and get stronger – sort of covers the major goals of most fitness club members doesn’t it?

Building on the article where we examined ‘what the heck functional training actually is’, here’s a list of 10 of the most functional resistance training exercises available for you personal trainers.

Now first things first – this is my ‘personal’ list and not to be taken as gospel!  Remember that for an exercise to be ‘functional’ for your personal training clients it must achieve their goals, the client must be capable of performing it and comfortable enough performing it in a public arena that they’ll feel good about coming back and doing it time and time again.

With those guiding points in mind my ‘most functional’ list is based on exercises that I consider best for achieving the major goals of most gym based personal training clients, namely; weight and fat loss, muscle gain and strengthening.

1. Squats

The Squat is quite possibly the ‘Mac-daddy’ (i.e. the best) of all resistance training exercises.  It uses all the major muscles in the lower leg, thighs and hips and when performed correctly uses numerous muscles in the upper body to help protect the spine when load is rested on the upper back and/or shoulders.  As it uses lots of muscle it is great as a calorie burner to help weight loss and toning, and when progressively heavier loads and greater training volumes are used it is possibly the best exercise for building strength and size in the lower body muscles. 

Squats replicate a primary movement pattern that most people use variations of everyday whether it’s getting in and out of a chair, using the toilet, or picking items off the ground.  There is a version of squats available to suit every client – whether its supported bodyweight squats for the beginner or heavy barbell squats for the more advanced client – the movement is the same, the only variance is the way the movement is loaded and the depth which is safe for each client.

2. Lunges

Using the same muscles as the squat, the lunge also replicates a primary movement pattern – whenever you walk up and down stairs, up and down hills or even if you’ve just simply walked you’ve used a version of the lunge. 

Like squats, there is a version of the lunge that is suitable for most clients, limited depth supported lunges for beginners and full depth lunges loaded with dumbbells or barbells for more advanced clients.  Lunges can be used to help burn calories and firm or tone muscles, or they are also a great exercise to build strength and size in the lower body. 

One point with lunges though – as they are essentially squats being performed on one leg you should be very weary about adding too much load too soon with your clients.  As the majority of the clients weight goes through one leg during the lunge, as opposed to both legs with the squat then there is much more loading with a lunge than with an equivalently loaded squat.  

3. Deadlifts

Along with squats, the deadlift is a serious contender for the ‘Mac-daddy’ of all resistance exercises award.  The deadlift actually combines two primary movement patterns – the squat and the pull, as a weight is pulled into the body, and lowered at the same time as a squat is performed. 

When appropriately loaded the deadlift uses more muscles than any other resistance exercise – all the lower body muscles, and the majority of the upper body muscles.  As such it is great for burning calories, firming, toning and developing muscles, building strength and size and losing weight – all depending on how it is performed.

The deadlift is certainly more complex than the squat and as such may make it unsuitable for beginners, but nevertheless it can be modified to suit different clients – for beginners the bar can be raised off the ground to lessen the depth the client needs to squat down to reach the bar, and for more advanced lifters progressively more load can be added to full range deadlifts.

4. Chin Ups / Pull Ups

Using all the big pulling muscles of the body – all the back muscles, the shoulders and the arms, the chin or pull up is a great exercise for firming, toning, building and strengthening all these muscle groups. 

As chins also use a lot of muscle then they are a great exercise for burning calories and assisting weight loss.  And like the previous exercises the chin or pull up can be modified to suit most clients’ abilities.   Stronger or more experienced clients can perform full chins as shown above and weight can be added to make the exercise even harder.  Less experienced clients can perform pull ups onto a lower bar and shown here, keeping their feet on the ground and thus minimizing the total amount of bodyweight they have pull directly upwards.

5. Lat Pulldown

A great alternative to the chin or pull up is the lateral pulldown which works all the same pulling muscles, and is probably more suited to beginners as the load is easily adjusted.  

The lat pulldown is known as an ‘open chain’ exercise as opposed to all the previous exercises which are known as ‘closed chain’.  Closed chain exercises are exercises where you push or pull against a fixed or immovable object, whereas open chain exercises are when the resistance that is being pushed or pulled against actually moves. 

Closed chain exercises have the edge over open chain exercises in terms of effectiveness – as the body cannot overcome the fixed object in closed chain exercises the neuromuscular system actually works a little harder to try to overcome it than it does with open chain exercises, and by working a little harder there is quite simply more benefit.  

6. Bent over Row

Another great pulling exercise is the bent over row which uses all the big pulling muscles as the chins, pull ups and lat pulldown.  As the bar is pulled up to the torso it moves away from the centre of mass of the client, thus pulling the client forward and off-balance.   This places a greater demand on the ‘core’ muscles to stabilise the body during this exercise.

And again the more muscle that is used the greater the beneficial effect of the exercise.

7. Push Ups

The humble old push up is a closed chain exercise that uses all the big pushing muscles of the body – namely the chest, shoulder and triceps.  It also requires core muscles to work to maintain a safe ‘neutral’ spine position throughout the movement, meaning lots of muscle is used during this exercise and because the exercise is closed chain that muscle will work a little harder to try to overcome the immovable barrier being pushed against.  So push ups are great exercises for burning calories to achieve muscle firming and toning, weight loss, strengthening and muscle building…all again depending on how the exercise is performed

And the push up can be modified to suit any client – full push ups can be performed for the more experienced and able client while push ups can be performed with the knees on the ground or against a bar or a wall the make the exercise easier for beginner clients.

8. Bench Press

The Bench Press is essentially an open chain version of the push up.  It works all the same pushing muscles – the chest, shoulders and triceps.  There is however less need for the core muscles to work to keep the spine locked in neutral throughout the movement as the rigid bench provides support. 

You could substitute the bench for a stability ball as many personal trainers do, in order to make the exercise less stable, however this added instability actually negates the advantage that the bench press has over the push up, namely that the load being used in this exercise is easily adjusted. 

As the load is increased all the muscles involved in the movement are required to work a little harder – the prime mover muscles (in this case the chest, shoulder and triceps) work harder to create the movement, and the muscles that stabilise the active joints (in this case the rotator cuff muscles of the shoulder joint) work harder to protect and stabilise the active joint(s).   As the load increases more muscle is stimulated to thicken and tone, to strengthen and to burn the calories that will contribute to weight and or fat loss. 

So as personal trainers you must consider that while adding instability to exercises may require some core muscles to work a little harder, it actually limits the effectiveness of many exercises as the benefits of progressively adding load on the prime movers and joint stabilisers are minimised.

9. Tricep Pushdown

The tricep pushdown is an isolation exercise that really only works the tricep muscles – so how on earth is this a ‘functional’ exercise? 

Well if your definition of functional is truly client centric and linked to the major goals clients have for exercising then this becomes a functional exercise.  One of the areas many female clients want to firm and ‘tone’ is the back of the upper arm.  Now sure, any big pushing exercise like push ups will be more effective for this purpose – it will burn more total calories than the pushdown and stimulate the tricep muscles as well as others.  

So for pure effectiveness the push up or bench press wins, but throwing a few sets of pushdowns in at the end of a workout (after push ups or bench press) in order to have the client really ‘feel’ that the areas most important to them are being targeted is very functional, probably more psychologically than physiologically – if it contributes to the client feeling a specific area working and wanting to come back to repeat training sessions then it is a functionally great exercise.

10. Barbell Curl

In the same vein as the tricep pushdown is the barbell curl.  Many males (especially younger ones!) consider having well developed biceps (or ‘guns’) as being critical to being, and demonstrating being ‘male’.  

Now in terms of building size and strength in the biceps the big pulling exercises such as chins, bent over rows and lat pulldowns are certainly more effective as heavier loads are able to be lifted thus providing a greater stimulus for strengthening and building the biceps (and other muscles).   But nothing produces a localised ‘swelling’ and illusion of growing the biceps than some barbell curls – so for any client that wants to develop their guns a few sets of barbell curls at the end of a training session is certainly functional.

And by performing both the barbell curl and the tricep pushdown while standing, core stabilising muscles will be used too (especially as the loads get heavier) to keep the spine safely locked into neutral position.

Ok, so we’ve looked at some truly functional exercises on this page, check out some commonly used exercises of questionable functionality here..

Beginners Guide to Resistance Training

What is Resistance Training?

Although it might sound a bit technical, ‘Resistance Training’ is just another name for exercising your muscles using an opposing force i.e. dumbbells, resistance bands, or even simply your own body weight.

Resistance training, toning, strength training and weight training are one and the same activity; they require the use of resistance to increase muscle strength and size.

So how does it work? During resistance training muscle fibres are broken down, which leads to the body repairing them, resulting in your muscles growing stronger.

Not only does this help you to build strength, it helps to tone and sculpt your body shape (don’t worry, you have to go a long way with a lot of hard work to look like a weight trainer!)

Muscle is also a metabolically active tissue – the more muscle you have as a proportion of your body weight, the more calories you’ll burn at rest. Great news for those of us who are trying to lose or maintain weight.

If you’re looking for some specific info on resistance training, you can jump straight to any of the topics we cover here:

• What are the different types of resistance training?
• How many calories does this type of training burn?
• How do I get started?
• Resistance training workout plans
• What are the health benefits of resistance training?

What are the Different Types of Resistance Training?

As mentioned, anything that works your muscles using a resisting force is classed as ‘resistance training’. This can take many forms – some of which need a bit of equipment, and some of which don’t:

Your Body Weight

Sit ups, squats, push ups, leg raises and planks are all examples of resistance training. These types of strength exercise require only you, and a little bit of space to workout in.

Resistance Bands

Small and portable bits of kit which provide resistance when stretched. They come as rubber bands or tubes, sometimes with handles and attachments, sometimes as a continuous ring. They don’t take up much space and are easy to use wherever you are.

Weights

Including dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells, medicine balls, weighted bars… in fact anything that has a bit of heft to make your muscles work a bit. In gyms you might see sandbags, tyres, rubber cylinders with handles… at home you can use bottles of water, cans of beans, or even sacks of potatoes!

Weight/Resistance Machines

These are contraptions you’ll generally see in the gym, and we’d advise having a member of staff show you how each one works. They use either weights or hydraulics to provide resistance for your strength training.

Suspension Training Equipment

Looking a bit like sturdy straps, they use gravity and your body weight to provide resistance for a good strength workout. There are exercises for the whole body. You’ll see these in gyms attached to frames, and you can get them for home to hook over doors etc (another great portable option).

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How Many Calories Does it Burn?

As resistance training is more about strengthening and building your muscles rather than getting your heart rate up (although you will increase your heart rate a little while working out), it’s a lower calorie burn activity than cardio such as running, cycling, aerobics etc.

However, don’t let this put you off as there are many benefits to resistance training, not least of which is increasing the amount of muscle you have – which helps you to burn more calories overall, even at rest.

As a general rule, an average woman* will burn 50-100 calories for 10 minutes of strength training, depending on the level of resistance/effort. .. Toning exerises such as sit ups, squats and leg raises burn 53 cals per 10 minutes, moderate training with weights 66 cals per 10 mins, and suspension training around 99 cals per 10 mins.

An average man* will burn between 55-110 calories for 10 minutes training along a similar scale.

The tables below show how many calories you’ll burn with the different types of resistance exercises, for 10 and 30 minutes.

*Based on an average woman of 5’5″, 11st and aged 40, and an average man of 5’10”, 13st, aged 40.

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Getting Started

To get the best out of resistance training, it’s something you need to do regularly. It doesn’t have to be every day (in fact it’s good to have rest days in between), but a little and often is better than a big workout then nothing for a few weeks…

Contrary to popular belief, this type of training shouldn’t hurt – you may feel a little stiff in the muscles the day afterwards, but it shouldn’t be enough to impact your day (especially if you warm up and cool down properly).

So you want to choose a plan that is accessible and easy to follow, without requiring a huge time commitment. Our personal trainer’s Home Workout Plan is a great place to start.

If you are completely new to resistance training, or have any injuries or disabilities that this type of exercise may affect, you should consider getting some advice and instruction from one of the following:

• Your Doctor – if you have any health complaints
• A Fitness Instructor
• A Personal Trainer
• Your Physiotherapist

Planning and Progressing Your Training Program

• Warm up with 5-10 minutes of cardiovascular exercise such as walking, jogging, cycling or skipping – gradually increasing in intensity.
• For the most effective total body workouts, include exercises that work all of your muscle groups-  i.e. legs, back, chest, shoulders arms and core.
• Make sure that opposite muscle groups get worked equally i. e. back and chest, both arms, both legs, quadriceps and hamstrings (the muscles in the front and back of the upper leg).
• Start your program with compound exercises that work more than one muscle at once – i.e. a medicine ball squat works the core, legs and buttocks at the same time.
• Plan to complete exercises that only work one muscle at the end of the programme i.e. the Bicep Curl.
• Cool down with another 5-10 minutes of cardiovascular activity, slowly decreasing in intensity.
• You should take the time to stretch the muscles you’ve been working, holding the stretches so you can feel them, but they don’t hurt, for around 30 seconds each.

Sets and Repetitions

To get the most out of your resistance workout it’s important to ensure that you are working out at the right intensity. Check out the guide below to work out how many sets and repetitions of each exercise you should be completing to achieve your aim.

A Repetition (rep) is one complete movement of a certain exercise. 

A Set is a number of reps performed in sequence, without a rest.

Example Exercise: Bicep Curls

• Sets: 2
• Reps: 15
• Rest period: 30 seconds

This means that you should complete 15 bicep curls, rest for 30 seconds then complete another 15 bicep curls.

You can do this either with both arms at the same time, or one at a time (two sets with each arm).

Decide what your aim is and then follow the sets/reps guide below…

• Weight Loss and Muscle Endurance – Follow these guidelines if you want to burn more calories and increase your overall muscle strength to help with weight loss, alongside a calorie controlled diet
• Increase Muscle Tone – If you want more muscle definition then this is the level that you should be working at
• Build Muscle Strength and Size – If you want to really build your muscles and improve your strength for short bursts of heavy activity then these are the exercise ranges that you should be adhering to

How Heavy?

As a guide, you are using the correct resistance/weight if the last rep is tough enough that you can only just complete it without losing your technique.

If you know that you could do another 5 more then the weight is too light or you aren’t using enough resistance! Conversely, if you have to use momentum to get through the set then the resistance/weight is too heavy.

How Fast?

As a general rule try to exercise in time with your breathing – i.e. with a Shoulder Press breathe out as you lift the weights and breathe in as you lower them. If you can’t complete the exercise without holding your breath then you’re using too much resistance/weight.

Progression

If you want to achieve results you should challenge yourself, gradually. As your body adapts to meet the challenge that you set for yourself the exercises will get easier. This is the time to change something.

If you stay in your comfort zone with the same work-out for months on end you won’t see the results you want to… But remember, this is because the work you’re doing means you’re getting stronger and more toned.

So how do you gradually increase the challenge? There are a few aspects of a resistance workout that you can change to ensure your body is getting the most out of your resistance workouts, you should only change one variable at a time:

• Sets – Increase the number of sets that you are completing.
• Rest – Decrease the rest period in between sets.
• Reps – Increase the number of repetitions you do of each exercise.
• Resistance – Increase the resistance level or use heavier weights.
• Variation – Mix it up a bit so your body isn’t getting into a fixed routine – instead of completing one exercise at a time, why not try a circuit? Complete one set of each exercise then start at the beginning again for the second set.

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Resistance Training Workouts

PT’s Home Workout

No need to join the gym or buy expensive home fitness kit with this home exercise circuit by personal trainer Christina Macdonald.

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Express Band Workout

These five resistance band exercises give you a full body muscle workout in just 10 minutes.

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Arms and Shoulders Workout

Want to show off your arms, shoulders and back? Check out this resistance plan by PT Christina MacDonald and coach Mark Hatfield

View Workout

Exercises with Dumbbells

3 x 30 min workouts to target different muscles – all with dumbbells. Strengthen and tone your upper body whilst conditioning your abs.

View Workout

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What are the Benefits of Resistance Training?

Resistance training can be used to achieve a variety of beneficial results and most individuals would benefit from 1 – 3 resistance workouts a week, in conjunction with regular aerobic exercise. Assuming most of us aren’t planning to compete in any body building contests in the near future, we’ll concentrate on the more functional benefits of resistance training…

• Improved Body Shape – Increased muscle tone is best achieved by completing a combination of resistance and aerobic workouts.
• Increased Muscle Strength – As well as making your body look good, resistance training can be used to increase muscle strength for more functional reasons i.e. improved posture, digging the garden or carrying the shopping etc…
• Increased Muscle Power – More advanced resistance training programmes that include performing exercises with increased momentum will improve muscle power. i.e. for throwing a netball or kicking a football or swinging a golf club.
• Increased Metabolic Rate – Muscle tissue is metabolically active and the more of it you have the more calories you will burn – even at rest! Making losing and maintaining a healthy weight much easier.
• Improved Bone Health – Regularly participating in resistance based exercise helps to maintain peak bone mass and avoid the onset of osteoporosis. From the age of 30, bone mass starts to decline, resistance training can help to maintain bone density and delay this degenerative process.

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Best resistance exercises | Stylish men

Going to the gym is not only about gaining muscle mass, strength or losing weight. There are also people who want to increase their endurance and thereby improve their physical performance. For this type of lens, there are so-called resistance exercises . This is a set of different types of exercises aimed at increasing your physical resistance and maintaining more stimuli for a longer time.

In this post we will tell you which resistance exercises are best and how to do them.

Index

• 1 What is resistance?
• 2 Examples of resistance exercises
  • 2.1 Body lift
  • 2.2 Cables, pulleys or free weight
  • 2.3 Plyometric exercise
  • 2.4 Running and jogging
  • 2. 5 Swimming and cycling
  • 2.6 Football and tennis
  • 2.7 Crossfit

What is resistance?

Before I start describing resistance exercises, it is best to know what resistance is in itself. This concept is often confused when it is associated with athletes. Endurance is nothing more than running longer without getting tired or stopping. HR There are two types of resistance: aerobic and anaerobic.

Aerobic endurance is that in which the breathing rhythms they constantly satisfy the need for oxygen. Depending on the effort in the lungs, more or less oxygen will be required. As long as you’re well oxygenated and your heart rate is steady, you can spend more time doing physical effort, whatever that may be. As we mentioned earlier, we don’t just mean running longer.

On the other hand, the anaerobic resistance of is the one in which the efforts are so high that it is not possible to send enough oxygen to cover the demand. Therefore, these intense efforts are performed without supplying oxygen to the muscle tissue. These exercises should not last more than 3 minutes, otherwise various muscle and nerve damage may occur. The more we do resistance exercises, the longer we can prolong intense effort, thereby slowing down the onset of fatigue. Within anaerobic resistance we have two subtypes:

• Alacto-anaerobic. The protagonist of this type of resistance is exercises of short duration. They usually last a maximum of 15 seconds. Here, energy is obtained from other energy substrates, such as ATP, and there are no unnecessary substances.
• Lactic anaerobic . These exercises are performed up to 2 minutes. Energy stores are muscle glycogen, which releases lactic acid as a by-product.

Examples of resistance exercises

There are many types of resistance exercises. Each of them aims to increase the level of resistance or increase performance in a particular part of our body or the sport we play. We are going to analyze one by one to go into details.

Body Lift

These exercises are the most famous and oldest, because they have been performed for a long time. These are exercises that use body weight to increase muscle endurance. These are simple exercises that do not require much equipment or space.

For example, we find exercises such as push-ups, abs, push-ups or sit-ups. These exercises have many variations that can improve the physical performance of anyone who performs them over a period of time.

Cables, pulleys or loose weight

These exercises are called machine exercises. Pulleys and cables are used for more than just gaining muscle mass. They also serve to increase stamina. In this case we use ballast as climbing resistance and attached to pulley . These exercises allow you to stimulate a large number of muscles, so they are very effective.

With free weights, we don’t have this controlled movement, but we also use barbells and dumbbells to lift weights. The advantage of these exercises is that they improve the work of the core, since they require more stability of the body. On the pulley we have the most controllable movement and we forget to “keep balance”.

Plyometric exercise

The procedures of these exercises are very fast and explosive. They are ideal for increasing aerobic endurance and help delay the onset of general fatigue. We have drills like box jumps, ball throws and medicine ball throws.

Running and jogging

Of course, resistance is fixed in running exercises. These are known resistance exercises par excellence. The race requires certain aerobic aspects that help test the muscular endurance of the lower extremities.

There are an infinite number of career options. We have the shortest and most intense race, long race, marathon run, etc. All of these exercises are quite popular and widely practiced.

Swimming and cycling

Another of the most famous resistance exercises. Not only does it have countless health benefits, swimming and cycling are ideal resistance exercises. While swimming, you work on your oxygen consumption and learn how to manage it. On the other hand, water resistance helps to improve muscle strength and tests the fatigue resistance of the whole body.

Cycling is more about leg exercises. However, it helps to work hard on cardiovascular and pulmonary abilities. It doesn’t have to be a stationary bike, it can also be a mountain bike, where you can make routes at different levels.

Football and tennis

These two well-known sports belong to endurance sports. In addition, both sports burn a large amount of calories. They are ideal for those who want to maintain good performance and good physical shape. These are exercises that require different types of runs. You train both aerobic and anaerobic endurance. The advantage is that you can practice it with friends and they become something more tolerable and fun. You can lose fat if you manage your calorie intake.

Crossfit

Of course, I should have mentioned the sport that is gaining momentum. It is a fitness system that prepares you for different exercise regimens that combine different intensities and movements so that you can work on different disciplines. You can do weightlifting, gymnastics or metabolic training. Although not the best option, it also helps to gain muscle mass and lose fat as it increases calorie expenditure.

I hope that with this information you will be able to learn more about weight training.

Self-resistance exercises (muscle resistance instead of weights). The unique system of isometric exercises of the Iron Samson

Self-resistance exercises (muscle resistance instead of weights)

At the beginning of our century, self-resistance exercises were quite popular among athletics. In their effect on the muscles, they are similar to weight-bearing exercises, with the only difference being that the role of the latter is played by the muscles themselves. For example, if in exercises with weights for the development of the biceps of the shoulder (biceps) you need to take a dumbbell or weight and bend your arm at the elbow joint, then in this case, put your palm on your palm and, bending your arm at the elbow, provide yielding resistance with the other hand.

Self-resistance exercises are found in the books by G. Hackenschmidt “The Way to Strength and Health”, I. Müller “My System”, E. Ittman “Gymnastic Exercises in the Room”, which were published at the beginning of the century. Similar exercises were used in their training by many athletes and wrestlers of the past. Here is what Alexander Ivanovich Zass writes in his memoirs: “When, due to certain circumstances, I could not do weight-bearing exercises, I performed self-resistance exercises, which not only maintained my athletic shape well, but also perfectly developed muscle strength.”

As in resistance exercises (dumbbells, expanders, kettlebells), in self-resistance exercises, the principle of gradual increase in load must be observed, that is, the number of repetitions of the exercise and the degree of tension should increase gradually. As you train, you should increase the number of repetitions of each exercise from 5 to 15, and the degree of tension from light to maximum, and, approaching the maximum tension, perform the first 2-3 movements at half strength. Also increase the number of approaches from one to five. During the exercise, only those muscles that are involved in the movement should be tensed, and attention should be focused on them.

After each exercise, take a break, during which try, by shaking, kneading and stroking, to relax those muscles that had the greatest load.

Self-resistance exercises can be included in addition to the morning exercises or set aside time for them during the day.

1. Place your left hand on top of your right. Overcoming the yielding resistance of the left hand, bend the right at the elbow joint – inhale, then start pressing with the left hand on the right and, overcoming its resistance, return to the starting position.

Repeat the exercise, changing the starting position of the hands. This exercise develops the biceps of the shoulder (biceps) and the triceps of the shoulder (triceps). Then the exercise can be done by turning the hand of the bent arm with the palm down (Fig. 254).

Fig. 254

2. Grasp the left shoulder with the fingers of the right hand and, overcoming resistance, begin to pull the left hand to the right side of the chest, then, overcoming the resistance of the right hand, return to the starting position. Do the same exercise, changing the starting position, that is, grab your right shoulder with your left hand. In the starting position, inhale, pulling your hand to your chest – exhale. This exercise develops the biceps, deltoids, and back muscles (Fig. 255).

Fig. 255

3. Sit on a chair. Grab your knee with your hands, inhale and, overcoming the resistance of the leg, pull the knee to your chest – exhale. Then, resisting with your hands, straighten your leg to its original position – inhale. This exercise develops the biceps and thigh muscles (Fig. 256).

Fig. 256

4. Interlace your fingers behind your head. Overcoming the resistance of the left hand and holding the elbow of the right in the highest position, straighten the right arm up – inhale. Then, overcoming the resistance of the right hand, bend it with the left to its original position – exhale. This exercise develops triceps and biceps (Fig. 257).

Fig. 257

5. Put your fingers together at the back of your head. Overcoming the resistance of the neck muscles, tilt your head down with your hands until your chin touches your chest – exhale. Then, overcoming the resistance of the hands, tilt your head back – inhale. This exercise develops the muscles of the neck (Fig. 258).

Fig. 258

6. Place your palms on your chin. Overcoming the resistance of the neck muscles, slowly press your chin with your hands, tilting your head back – inhale. Then, overcoming the resistance of the hands, tilt your head down – exhale. This exercise develops mainly the muscles of the neck (Fig. 259).

Fig. 259

7. Turn your head all the way to the left, rest your right hand on your chin. Overcoming the resistance of the right hand, turn your head all the way to the right – inhale. Return to the starting position – exhale. Repeat the exercise, turning your head to the right to the starting position, and rest your chin with the palm of your left hand. This exercise develops mainly the muscles of the neck (Fig. 260).

Fig. 260

8. Bend the right arm at the elbow joint at a right angle, with the fingers of the left hand grasp the top of the right hand. Overcoming the resistance of the left hand, lift the right shoulder up as high as possible – inhale. Lower your shoulder to the starting position – exhale. Do the same exercise by raising your left shoulder. This exercise develops the trapezius muscles (Fig. 261).

Fig. 261

9. Having clasped the extreme phalanges of the fingers, begin to clench the fingers of the right hand into a fist, overcoming the resistance of the left. Then do the exercise, bending the fingers of your left hand into a fist. This exercise develops the muscles of the forearm (Fig. 262).

Fig. 262

10. Take the ends of the towel and move it behind your head so that the left arm is extended to the side and the right arm is bent to the shoulder. While resisting with your left hand, straighten your right to the side. Breathing is even. This exercise develops the triceps muscles of the shoulder (Fig. 263).

Fig. 263

This text is an introductory fragment.

Deltoid Exercises

Exercises for the deltoid muscles
ARNOLD PRESS The purpose of the exercise: Development of the anterior and lateral head of the deltoid muscle. This is my best delt exercise and I always include it in my shoulder girdle routines. Using dumbbells in this way –

Trapezius Exercises

Exercises for the trapezius muscles
HIGH ROD WITH A NARROW GRIP Purpose of the exercise: Development of the trapezius and anterior deltoid muscles; isolation between the deltoid and upper pectoral muscles. Execution: (1) Stand with the barbell, holding it with an overhand grip;

Calf Exercises, Calf Exercises

Calf exercises, calf exercises
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Core exercises

Exercises for the muscles of the body
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Leg exercises

Leg exercises
An important role in the movement of the legs is played by the muscles of the foot and lower leg; when walking and running, they bear the main load. The proposed exercises for the development and strengthening of the leg muscles, which differ from the well-known traditional ones, will allow you to get additional

Chest and back exercises

Exercises for the development of pectoral muscles and back muscles
It is necessary to develop all the muscles of the body in proportion, harmoniously. Excessive development of the pectoral muscles can lead to stoop, so exercises for the pectoral muscles must be combined with exercises for the back muscles. For

Exercises for developing leg muscles

Exercises for the development of leg muscles
Include some exercises in your morning exercises. If you feel that the muscles in your legs are underdeveloped compared to other muscles in the body, set aside special time for the whole complex. Perform difficult exercises first without

Neck exercises

Exercises for the muscles of the neck
If you have to sit with your head bowed over paperwork for a whole day, then over time, of course, you will experience discomfort in the upper back and neck.