What is resistance training? Examples, compare it to strength training

A common obstacle preventing some from achieving the kind of muscle mass or body tone they're looking for is not having enough time to go to the gym; but some people have discovered a resistance training option that doesn't require a gym membership or the use of any free weights.

"You can achieve great results by using your body weight alone," says Michael Fredericson, MD, director of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation division of Stanford University.

Though there are multiple forms of resistance training, and some do require weights or equipment, bodyweight resistance training is rising in popularity because people can conveniently do it anytime, anywhere.

Resistance training is "the use of any resistance to muscular contraction to build strength, endurance and the mass of muscles,"Fredericson explains. When people think about such training, they often think of "pumping iron" - i.e. lifting dumbbells, barbells or any other form of cable or free weight. While lifting free weights is indeed a form of resistance training, it isn't the only one.

"When you resistance train, you're working muscles that are opposed by a weight or force," explains Loren Fishman, MD, a professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Columbia University and the medical director of Manhattan Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. "This opposition can come from weights, mechanical or electromechanical devices found in gym machines, flexible bands or your body weight," he says. Weighted medicine balls or weighted bags are another form of resistance training.

Beyond free weights, resistance bands − elastic bands usually made of latex or synthetic rubber that come in a variety of shapes and sizes − are a great way to work one's muscles while also being less likely to cause injuries sometimes linked with using free weights. Resistance bands also take up considerably less space in one's home. And such convenience doesn't have to come at the expense of results. Research shows that resistance band training provides similar strength gains as free weights or other conventional gym equipment.

Another popular, and even more convenient, form of resistance training is the aforementioned option to use one's own body weight as the resistance needed to build muscle. Think sit-ups, pull-ups, push-ups, crunches or squats, as examples. "Resistance exercise is a more movement-varied, primarily non-weight-bearing exercise modality," explains DJ McDonough, PhD, MS, a cardiovascular disease researcher at the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health. "Resistance exercise stimulates muscle growth and improves muscular fitness and has been shown to be highly effective for preserving and even gaining muscle mass," he adds.

While resistance training and strength training are very similar, they vary slightly in their goals. Resistance training exercises like the aforementioned examples require the resistance of an object or one's body weight and is usually focused on building some muscle mass or toning, whereas strength training is usually focused on building large, bulky muscles by continuously increasing the weight one lifts while also lowering the number of reps one does.

In strength training, "the resistance component is typically achieved by lifting weights, an external load, where the muscle has to work harder to overcome the load that has been added," explains Jeremy Loenneke, PhD, associate professor of exercise science at the University of Mississippi. In other words, strength training usually requires free weights while resistance training sometimes uses free weights, but doesn't have to.

Though there are many different types of resistance training exercises and a wide variety of equipment options to choose from, the experts say none need be considered "better" than another as each can be catered to every individual's needs and access. "Resistance training, in and of itself, provides countless health benefits such as improved cardiovascular, cardiorespiratory and cardiometabolic health," says McDonough. Because all forms of concentrated resistance training reduces one's risk of disease, improves body composition (gaining muscle while losing body fat), provides more robust bone density, improves sleep quality, self-esteem and body image, and reduces depressive symptoms, McDonough says, whichever training method that speaks to each person is the one they should pursue.

Loenneke agrees and says each form also has its own advantages and disadvantages. "Free-weight exercise is an easy way to load the muscle, but the movements are often technical and require access to a gym," he says. "Some find elastic bands less intimidating than free weights, but the amount of resistance that can be added is often limited," he adds. And finally, "bodyweight movements are often the easiest to implement, but progression is limited by the ability to add additional resistance," he explains. So, the pros and cons of each kind of resistance training must be weighed against the goals one is seeking to accomplish.

"Whatever method is used," Loenneke advises, "resistance training should be done at least two times a week in order to maintain or increase muscle function and health."

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