What Is Resistance Training?

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Definition and Overview

Resistance training, often referred to as strength or weight training, is a form of exercise that involves working against resistance to build and strengthen muscles. This resistance can be provided by free weights, weight machines, resistance bands, body weight, or other modalities. The primary goal of resistance training is to improve muscular strength, endurance, and size (hypertrophy). As muscles repeatedly contract against the applied load, they adapt and become stronger over time. Resistance training effectively enhances health and performance across all populations, from older adults to elite athletes.

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Brief History of Resistance Training 

Strength training has a millennia-long history, dating back to ancient Greece, where athletes used stone or metal weights. Milo of Croton, a Greek wrestler, famously built strength by carrying a calf daily until it grew into a bull. In ancient China, warriors integrated strength training into martial arts for speed and agility. In the Middle Ages, soldiers used functional strength training to prepare for combat. The late 19th century marked the modern era with organized weightlifting competitions and the introduction of the sport to the Olympic Games in 1896. Today, strength training remains diverse, incorporating innovative technology and various methods, reflecting humanity's enduring pursuit of physical well-being.

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Types of Resistance Training

There is no one-size-fits-all program for resistance training, so create a program that allows you to engage in workouts you enjoy and access to participate in regardless of the equipment available. 

Here are a few of the most popular types of resistance training:

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Free Weights 

A tried and true method for developing strength, free weights of incremental loads work against gravity, providing an additional external stimulus. You control the entire movement pattern and range of motion of the weight, challenging your stability and balance with a higher transfer to activities of daily living.

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Standard free-weight modes include:

• Dumbbells and Barbells
• Kettlebells

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Resistance Machines 

Otherwise known as weight machines, these use external resistance like weight stacks or hydraulics to provide resistance in a set and stable movement pattern. Many will use adjustable seat designs and place your body in different positions to emphasize specific muscle groups or challenge a muscle from a new angle. 

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Weight machines include: 

• Cable Machines
• Plate-Loaded Machines
• Hydraulic Machines
• Variable Cam Machines

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Bodyweight Exercises 

For novice exercisers, body weight and suspension training are great places to start. As you move through exercises such as squats, lunges, or push-ups, your muscles contract to resist the force of gravity. 

While bodyweight exercise alone has been seen to maintain muscular strength and cardiorespiratory fitness in untrained adults (2, 3), your body will quickly adapt to this stimulus, and you’ll eventually need to increase the load lifted to avoid a plateau in strength. Body weight exercises and suspension trainers are also excellent ways to improve the range of motion of an exercise, dialing down the load while improving your active mobility.  

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Resistance Bands 

Bands can be used on their own or added to free-weight exercises to increase the load on an exercise. Resistance bands use variable resistance; the farther you pull the band, the more resistance you are loading on the muscle. This new stimulus can improve strength in untrained populations when used by themselves (4) and enhance power output when used with a barbell (5). However, you may need more overload once you gain fitness.

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Benefits of Resistance Training

The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend that all adults include at least two weekly muscle-strengthening workouts (6). For a good reason—strength training profoundly enhances overall physical and mental health. Here are just some of the reasons why strength training should be a mainstay in your program:

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Physical Health Benefits

• Muscle Strength, Endurance, and Longevity: Strength training improves muscular performance through enhanced neuromotor mechanisms and increases the cross-sectional area of muscle tissue. Regarding longevity, muscular strength is an independent and strong predictor of all-cause mortality and significantly improves the quality of life, potentially providing a longer, fuller life (1,7).
• Bone Density Improvement: Muscle tissue grows stronger when it resists external force; the same applies to your bones. Bone tissue is in a constant cycle of breaking down and building up. As we age, however, the cells responsible for building bone start to slow, reducing bone mineral density and increasing your risk of a bone fracture. Resistance training (along with weight-bearing exercises like running and jumping) offers a unique force to the bones that spur new bone growth, improving bone density over time (8). 
• Cardiovascular Health: While we usually turn to aerobic training for heart health, resistance training boasts its own benefits. A recent Scientific Statement from the American Heart Association indicates that resistance training is a safe, effective, and essential component of a physical activity program for cardiovascular disease risk reduction (9). Resistance training has been demonstrated to improve blood pressure, insulin resistance, cholesterol, body composition, arterial stiffness, and systemic inflammation–all of which are direct or indirect cardiovascular risk factors. 

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Mental Health Benefits

• Stress Resilience: Regardless of your sleep and mental health, regular resistance or aerobic training are equal and independent predictors of resilience (10). Highly physically active individuals often show less stress reactivity, reduced cardiovascular reactivity to a stressor, less psychological stress, and higher emotional resilience when faced with a stressor (11, 12). 
• Cognitive Function Enhancement: Resistance training has improved executive cognitive ability, memory tasks, global cognitive function, verbal reasoning, and reduced cognitive impairment in healthy older adults (13-15). These adaptations translate to thinking sharper now and well into your old age.
• Anxiety and Depression: Numerous studies show a significant positive effect on the symptoms of depression and anxiety following a resistance training intervention across all ages, whether or not you suffer from mental health disorders (16, 17). Recent research goes as far as to show little difference between an exercise intervention and a pharmacological intervention of antidepressants in non-severe depression (18). However, a personalized treatment plan is still recommended.
• Mood: Exercise (aerobic and resistance) is associated with positive emotion, mood, and energy levels among all ages (19). You may also see a boost in body image, self-esteem, and self-efficacy—all contributing to improved mental health and well-being (20, 21). 

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Weight Management and Metabolic Benefits 

• Metabolic Health: Strength training has a powerful effect on insulin sensitivity (Eves), making it easier for your body tissues to pick up and use circulating glucose and metabolize nutrients efficiently. Regular resistance training helps to reduce visceral fat—the body fat that sits around your midsection and is linked to chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease (22, 23). 
• Body Composition and Weight Management: Building and maintaining muscle strength can reduce body fat percentage and body fat mass regardless of other behaviors such as diet and aerobic training (22, 24). When you’re in a calorie deficit, resistance training or a hybrid training program (both cardio and strength) can help you maintain lean muscle mass while you lose weight (25). Combining a caloric deficit with resistance training exercises is an excellent way to enhance weight loss. 

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Essential Principles of Resistance Training

• Progressive Overload:  Overload is required in some way to build strength over time because your body will naturally adapt to the forces exerted upon it. Loading the body using a step-by-step incremental process facilitates optimal performance improvements. You can use the acronym FITT to understand the variables to adjust to apply overload: frequency, intensity, time, and type.
• Specificity: The body's adaptation depends on the muscle groups or systems trained. For example, you wouldn’t expect a bench press workout to improve your squat performance directly. Establish your fitness goals early, and they will dictate your resistance training program. 
• Recovery and Rest: The perfect workout plan won’t elicit the results you’re looking for without the appropriate rest. With resistance training, much of your muscle protein synthesis occurs after your workout when you recover. The rest you need should be proportional to the strain you put on your body. Technology like AIM7 can help you through this decision-making process by finetuning your exercise and recovery loads based on your personalized data.
• Reversibility and Law of Diminishing Returns: When you stop training long enough, you can lose strength and need to ramp up slowly when you return to your workouts. In its simplest terms: “use it or lose it.” Conversely, when you hit a plateau, you may need to change what you’re doing (introduce a new overload) to continue garnering the benefits of the strength program.  
• Individual Differences: You’re likelier to stick with an exercise program that aligns with your lifestyle. Factoring personal preferences in modalities, workout time of day, physical limitations, and environmental access into your resistance training program can ensure long-term progress, enjoyment, and consistency. 

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Designing a Resistance Training Program

Resistance training programs include exercises that work the muscles at different lengths, including concentric (when the muscle shortens), eccentric (when the muscle lengthens), and isometric (when the muscle stays the same in length) muscle actions. 

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A well-designed program includes a variety of bilateral (both sides of the body working simultaneously) and unilateral (single leg or single arm exercises). Additionally, employing single- and multiple-joint exercises provides novel stimuli to individual muscles and strengthens total body movements.  

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The order of your resistance training program helps to optimize the preservation of exercise intensity so you don’t fatigue early in a workout. Examples of this sequence include large muscle group exercises before small muscle group exercises, multiple joint exercises before single-joint exercises, and powerlifting before traditional exercises (26). If you have a specific exercise you are trying to improve, such as goal weight for a deadlift, complete those first or early on in your workout following your warm-up. 

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Your program's frequency, intensity, volume, and rest periods are based on your workout goals, such as strength, hypertrophy, or endurance, and your current exercise habits. While not exclusive adaptations, how you train can contribute to maximal strength (how much you can lift), hypertrophy (the size of your muscles), endurance gains (lifting for longer), and power performance (the rate at which you produce force). 

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The following program recommendations are adapted from the National Strength and Conditioning Association’s guidelines (27). New research indicates that total weekly volume is the defining factor for strength and hypertrophy gains (28). Aim for around 10 weekly sets per muscle group for hypertrophy (build muscle) and more for strength (29). 

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If you’re not there yet, don’t fret. Start with where you are now and increase your volume by only 10 to 15% over a 7-day period. You’ll see benefits from adding even one additional set per week.

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Establishing Training Status and Frequency 

• Beginner: training for 6 months or less at a low-to-medium intensity 

• Recommended frequency: 2 to 3 workouts per week 

• Intermediate: training for 8 to 12 months at a current frequency of 3 to 4 times at a medium-high intensity

• Recommended frequency: 3 full-body workouts or 4 split routine workouts

• Advanced: training for over a year at least 4 times per week at a high intensity 

• Recommended frequency: 4-6 workouts per week. 

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Program Recommendations Based on Goals

Strength

• Sets per exercise: 3 or more (1-3 for beginner lifters)
• Repetitions per set: 6 reps or less
• Rest between sets: 2-5 minutes 
• Load: at least 70% of 1RM for beginner, at least 80% of 1RM for intermediate, at least 85% of 1RM for advanced lifters

Hypertrophy

• Sets per exercise: 3 or more (1-3 for beginner lifters)
• Repetitions per set: 6-12 reps (8-12 for beginner lifters)
• Rest between sets: 30 seconds - 1.5 minutes 
• Load: 67-80% of 1RM

Endurance

• Sets per exercise: 3 or more (1-3 for beginner lifters)
• Repetitions per set: 10-15 reps (10-25 for advanced)
• Rest between sets: 30 seconds or less
• Load: 65% of 1RM for beginner, 70% of 1RM for intermediate, 80% of 1RM for advanced lifters

Power

• Sets per exercise: 1-3 for intermediate lifters, 3-6 for advanced lifters
• Repetitions per set: 1-3 reps for intermediate, 3-6 for advanced
• Rest between sets: 2-5 minutes
• Load: 30-60% for intermediate lifters, up to 70% for advanced lifters

Creating a Balanced Routine

• Full-Body Workouts vs. Split Routines: Your split depends on your training frequency. If you commit two or three days weekly to resistance training, full-body routines will provide an adequate load on each muscle group throughout the week. When you work out 4 to 6 times per week, a split routine is helpful to avoid overtraining. You can employ various split routines, including similar muscle groups on alternating days (e.g., back and biceps/ chest and triceps), lower body/upper body splits, push/pull splits, or intensity splits. 

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Safety Considerations and Injury Prevention

Resistance training is a safe and effective workout for all ages and abilities. Learning proper form and progressing slowly and steadily over time is essential to reduce your risk of injury. Weight machines should be set up based on height, limb length, and comfort. You can use several safety measures when using barbells, such as safety pins and bars or a Smith machine when working out alone with heavy loads. 

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Breathing is also a vital safety cue, exhaling naturally on the concentric phase of the exercise and inhaling on the eccentric. This relaxed breathing technique prevents the Valsalva maneuver (forced exhale), which increases intra-abdominal pressure, driving blood pressure up, which can be unsafe in individuals with cardiovascular risk factors. 

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If you have a medical condition or a disability—or are just getting started with an exercise routine—talk to a healthcare provider for advice and consider hiring a personal trainer or coach for personalized guidance in your program and movements. 

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A Resistance Training Plan Built for You

AIM7 turns your wearable data into an ultra-personalized workout routine rooted in the latest scientific research. Each plan is tailored to your exercise equipment, time demands, and goals. 

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AIM7’s proprietary algorithms adjust your plan daily to how your body adapts to stress. This leads to rapid improvements in fitness and muscle gains and limits burnout and injuries.

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Start today, free for 7 days.

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Resistance Training Techniques and Variations

Advanced Techniques: Different training protocols offer endless ways to vary your workout. Here are just a few advanced techniques to adjust exercise selection, sets, and reps: 

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• Compound set: 2 to 3 exercises in sequence targeting similar muscle groups
• Circuit training: one set of multiple exercises before repeating 
• Supersets: alternating exercises for opposing muscle groups 
• Pyramid loading: increasing training load progressively and then decreasing through sets
• Drop sets: taking a set to muscular failure with a given load and continuing immediately with additional sets at a lighter load 
• Accentuated eccentric loading: lifting a heavier load on the eccentric phase using weight releasers or motorized weight
• Forced reps: additional reps past volitional fatigue with the help of a spotter 
• Accommodating resistance: incorporating bands and chains to free weight exercises to exert variable resistance through the full range of motion 
• Partial range of motion: performing an exercise in partial ranges of motion to increase strength at a particular joint angle

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Nutrition and Resistance Training

Importance of Protein 

Protein is essential to recovery and fueling alongside resistance training. When your muscle fibers break down, new muscle protein synthesis that builds the muscle fibers back stronger relies on a large pool of amino acids—which you gain from nutritional protein. Aim for 1.6-2.2 grams per kilogram of body weight daily to gain and maintain strength. 

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Hydration

Resistance training performance heavily relies on the central nervous system to recruit muscle fibers efficiently. Your neural drive decreases when dehydrated, impacting performance (30). Hydration also improves blood flow to muscles, which can help maintain pH balance, nutrient transport, and lactate shuttling during and following a workout. Aim for ~15.5 cups (3.7 liters) for men and ~11.5 cups (2.7 liters) daily of fluids for women (which includes food and other beverages). 

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Pre- and Post-Workout Nutrition

Daily protein intake is generally more important than nutrition timing. However, there may be a benefit of consuming 20-25 g (or more based on overall protein requirement) before or after a workout to maximize muscle protein synthesis. 

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Carbohydrate pre- and post-resistance training workout also improves glycogen replenishment from high-intensity work. Aim for 1-4 g/kg consumed 1-4 hours before exercise and 1.2 g/kg/hour (in liquid form) for 4 hours following the workout session, depending on how soon you’ll start your next workout.

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Common Myths and Misconceptions about Resistance Training

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Myth: You have to train until failure to improve strength. 

A workout set still counts even if you left something in the tank. Always training until failure can lead to residual fatigue, particularly on multi-joint movements (deadlift, squat, bench press), and increase your chances of overtraining or injury. You should challenge your abilities with close proximity to failure sometimes, but only some of the time (31). 

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Myth: Resistance training will make you bulky. 

For anyone who fears getting bulky with lifting heavy weights—stop worrying. Female exercisers do not produce the same level of anabolic hormones that promote muscle mass as their male counterparts; it’s like going up the down escalator (32). Estrogen can, however, enhance strength so you can still gain all the health benefits of resistance training (33). 

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Myth: You have to train with barbells to improve maximal strength. 

You don’t have to work out on a barbell to be considered strong. New meta-analysis research indicates that weight machines may be as effective at building strength as free weights in some populations (34, 35). Furthermore, your workout program should be personalized to your abilities and preferences. For example, back squats can often be uncomfortable for different body shapes, or you may not always have access to a squat rack—subbing them out for a kettlebell goblet squat will ensure you consistently perform the movement pattern in your routine. 

Myth: You have to have big muscles to be strong. 

When muscle-building hormones are naturally lower, such as before puberty or in older age, strength gains come from neuromuscular adaptations, meaning your muscles are more attuned to nerve stimulation with training. Similarly, many female athletes develop incredible strength without large cross-sectional areas of muscle due to the potential effects of estrogen on the force and efficiency of muscle contraction. Your body will continually adapt to a new stimulus in one way or another. 

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Myth: You can’t gain strength in older age.

In reality, it’s never too late to build strength. In a recent study, researchers found that individuals 65 to 75 years old improved muscle size, strength, and power with a resistance training intervention, and individuals 85 years or older improved strength and power (36). 

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Tools and Resources for Getting Started

Selecting the Right Equipment

The barrier of entry for resistance training is low; you can roll off your couch and start with bodyweight exercises right now. As you progress, you can use household items like canned goods or a jug of milk to add resistance to your body weight. Consider purchasing free-weight equipment or resistance bands or joining a local gym from there. You can ease into weight training at the gym with machines that add stability and then progress to barbell and dumbbell exercises. Resistance training is for everyone; don’t be afraid to ask for help and stay curious about new practices and modalities to try. 

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Recommended Apps and Online Resources

There are endless resources available to you at your fingertips on the internet. Developed by an expert performance team, AIM7 uses your ever-changing performance and recovery data to recommend workouts based on your current readiness. The flexible AIM7 strength training program is personalized to your goals, experience, equipment, and data. Exercise selection, intensity, and volume are all autoregulated to what you can handle that day, complete with a comprehensive warm and cooldown and features like skipping or replacing an exercise. Hence, you’re always in the driver’s seat.  

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Summary

This comprehensive guide underscores the profound impact of resistance training on both physical and mental well-being. Consistent training can enhance cardiovascular and metabolic health, resilience, body composition, and longevity. Select a resistance training method that matches your preferences and available equipment for more autonomy.

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Effective program design follows distinct principles, including progressive overload, specificity, reversibility, recovery, and individual differences. Furthermore, you can manipulate program variables in numerous ways, but they should be specific to performance goals, including strength, hypertrophy, endurance, or power.   

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It’s time to take the first step toward a healthier, stronger you. Whether you're a novice or a seasoned weight lifter, tailor your program to align with your goals and preferences using the guidelines presented here. Embrace the empowering benefits of resistance training, not just for your body but also for your mind—your path to strength and well-being starts here.

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A Resistance Training Plan Built for You

AIM7 turns your wearable data into an ultra-personalized resistance training program rooted in the latest scientific research. Each plan is tailored to your exercise equipment, time demands, and goals. 

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AIM7’s proprietary algorithms adjust your plan daily to how your body adapts to stress. This leads to rapid improvements in fitness and muscle gains and limits burnout and injuries.

‍

Start today, free for 7 days.

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FAQ Section

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What are examples of resistance training?

Resistance training includes weightlifting using free weights, weight machines, bodyweight exercises, and resistance bands. 

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What qualifies as resistance training?

Any intentional workout that provides a stimulus where you are consistently resisting an external force, like external resistance or gravity, qualifies as resistance training.

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How can I do resistance training at home?

Resistance training at home is relatively easy. You can start with bodyweight training if you don’t have any equipment—progress to carrying heavy household items in your hands or a backpack to increase the load. You can also purchase free weights or intelligent strength training equipment to continue with your progressive overload program—you can modify most exercises in the gym to perform at home. 

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What is resistance vs strength training?

Resistance training is synonymous with strength training. Resistance training encompasses all training goals, including strength, hypertrophy, and endurance. 

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What is the benefit of resistance training?

Acute and chronic resistance training improves metabolic, cardiovascular, and mental health measures. It also enhances athletic performance and physical function.

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What should I do after resistance training?

Rest and recovery are essential to maximize the benefits of resistance training. Prioritize sleep, adequate nutrition, and other forms of post-workout muscle recovery following taxing workouts. 

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How many sets should I do? 

Your current training status and goal determine the number of recommended sets. See the recommendations in this article for general guidelines on set and rep protocols.  

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How often should I resistance train?

Overall, volume determines progress more than the frequency of training. Aim to get at least 10 sets per muscle group per week within full-body or a split routine, depending on your training status and schedule. 

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References for Resistance Training

1. Muscular Strength as a Predictor of All-Cause Mortality in an Apparently Healthy Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Data From Approximately 2 Million Men and Women
2. Effects of progressive body-weight versus barbell back squat training on strength, hypertrophy and body fat among sedentary young women 
3. Simple Bodyweight Training Improves Cardiorespiratory Fitness with Minimal Time Commitment: A Contemporary Application of the 5BX Approach
4. Effects of training with elastic resistance versus conventional resistance on muscular strength: A systematic review and meta-analysis
5. Muscle Activation Patterns During Variable Resistance Deadlift Training With and Without Elastic Bands
6. Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans
7. Resistance Training for Older Adults: Position Statement From the National Strength and Conditioning Association
8. International Exercise Recommendations in Older Adults (ICFSR): Expert Consensus Guidelines
9. Resistance Exercise Training in Individuals With and Without Cardiovascular Disease: 2023 Update: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association
10. Effects of 8-week endurance and resistance training programmes on cardiovascular stress responses, life stress and coping
11. Influence of Regular Physical Activity and Fitness on Stress Reactivity as Measured with the Trier Social Stress Test Protocol: A Systematic Review
12. Regular exercise is associated with emotional resilience to acute stress in healthy adults
13. The effect of resistance training on cognitive function in the older adults: a systematic review of randomized clinical trials
14. Fitness effects on the cognitive function of older adults: a meta-analytic study
15. Lifting cognition: a meta-analysis of effects of resistance exercise on cognition
16. Association of Efficacy of Resistance Exercise Training With Depressive Symptoms: Meta-analysis and Meta-regression Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials
17. An examination of the anxiolytic effects of exercise for people with anxiety and stress-related disorders: A meta-analysis
18. Comparative effectiveness of exercise, antidepressants and their combination in treating non-severe depression: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials
19. Physical activity and mental health: the association between exercise and mood
20. Effect of resistance training on body composition, self-efficacy, depression, and activity in postpartum women
21. ‘Strength becomes her’ – resistance training as a route to positive body image in women
22. The Effect of Resistance Training in Healthy Adults on Body Fat Percentage, Fat Mass and Visceral Fat: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
23. The clinical importance of visceral adiposity: a critical review of methods for visceral adipose tissue analysis
24. Resistance exercise, alone and in combination with aerobic exercise, and obesity in Dallas, Texas, US: A prospective cohort study
25. The effect of 12 weeks of aerobic, resistance or combination exercise training on cardiovascular risk factors in the overweight and obese in a randomized trial
26. Progression Models in Resistance Training for Healthy Adults
27. NSCA’s Essentials for Personal Training 
28. Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: A systematic review and meta-analysis
29. Progressive Resistance Training Volume: Effects on Muscle Thickness, Mass, and Strength Adaptations in Resistance-Trained Individuals
30. Effect of hydration state on strength, power, and resistance exercise performance
31. Strength and Hypertrophy Adaptations Between Low- vs. High-Load Resistance Training: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
32. Acute hormonal responses to heavy resistance exercise in men and women at different ages
33. Mechanisms behind estrogen's beneficial effect on muscle strength in females
34. Effect of free-weight vs. machine-based strength training on maximal strength, hypertrophy and jump performance – a systematic review and meta-analysis
35. Adaptations in athletic performance and muscle architecture are not meaningfully conditioned by training free-weight versus machine-based exercises: Challenging a traditional assumption using the velocity-based method
36. Muscle Mass and Strength Gains Following Resistance Exercise Training in Older Adults 65-75 Years and Older Adults Above 85 Years
37. Resistance Training and Type 2 Diabetes: Considerations for implementation at the population level 
38. ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription