When you’re looking to hone your muscular strength and endurance, there’s nothing better than resistance exercise, and your team at Jack City Fitness has all the resistance training equipment you need to get in your best shape. 

 

You’ve heard plenty of fitness aficionados and athletes sing the praises of resistance training exercises, but how much do you really know about this popular form of working out?  

 

We’re experts on the ins and outs of all types of resistance training. We’d love for you to come and practice your form over here with us — but in the meantime, we’re written up a little guide for you to get started.

 

What Is Resistance Training?

Resistance training works targeted areas of your body against a physical resisting force. There are many ways to do it; resistance band training is gaining in popularity, as is the use of free weights. Additionally, many athletes also choose to use medicine balls, machinery, or even their own bodies. 

 

The resistance workout has become a favorite for many athletes. It delivers excellent results and provides power and endurance for increased athletic performance, and it’s also an incredibly versatile form of exercise. Unlike many theories of fitness, resistance training exercises have a broad range, and don’t require fancy machinery — though many fantastic pieces of resistance training equipment do exist!

 

What Are the Benefits of Resistance Training?

There are several benefits of resistance training, some of which include:

 

 

• Build Muscle

 

Resistance training tones and strengthens your muscles, which will help prevent injury during both athletic and daily activity.

 

• Increased Balance and Flexibility

 

This will have a major impact on both your daily life and your gym time. 

 

• Better Endurance and Stamina 

 

Engaging in resistance training can build up your stamina, leading to better performance in other types of athletic activities like running or hiking.

 

• Defense Against Disease

 

Engaging in frequent resistance training has been shown to be helpful in keeping some serious health issues, like heart disease, arthritis, and obesity, under control.

 

• Improved Mental Health

 

Athletes who love resistance training report better control over mental health issues like depression, and find themselves sleeping better and seeing an improvement in their mood as well as self-esteem. 

 

• Better Bone Strength

 

There is evidence that resistance exercise can reduce one’s risk of developing osteoporosis! 

 

Is Resistance Training For Beginners Possible?

Absolutely. Many resistance exercises are good for beginners, but it’s important to take it somewhat slow in the beginning and work your way up to a more intensive routine.

 

Beginners to resistance training might find that performing 8-10 targeted exercises about twice a week is a great place to start.  Start by performing just one set for each exercise you’ve chosen — each set can have 8 reps each.  

 

Once you’re comfortable on this level, increase your reps (up to 12), the number of sets you perform per sesh (up to 3), and your amount of exercise days (also 3). 

 

Once you’ve hit all those milestones, you’re no longer a beginner. Congratulations! 

 

Are There Multiple Types of Resistance Training Equipment?

Yes! Different athletes prefer different styles of resistance training equipment. Here are some of the most popular options:

 

 

• Resistance Bands

 

Resistance band training is super-popular for many reasons. First of all, it’s incredibly versatile. There are many different types of resistance band exercises that seem to hone and tone every muscle you have. It’s pretty impressive to think that such a straightforward and small piece of equipment could efficiently work not just your core, but also your legs, arms, back, chest, shoulders…shall we go on? 

 

Resistance bands are also convenient. As we mentioned before, these are tiny pieces of equipment — you can slip your resistance band into your briefcase or carry-on for a fantastic workout on the go. You can do these exercises anywhere: your own house, a hotel room, the break room at work, or the gym! 

 

 

• Free Weights

 

Free weights, like resistance bands, are a flexible choice for the athlete. It’s a straightforward way to work targeted body parts and choose a specific weight that works with the level of resistance your body needs. A fitness coach would love to help you find the right weights and exercises to execute this properly! 

 

 

• Body Weight

 

Fun fact: You don’t need any fancy equipment to engage in resistance training. Many athletes rely on their own body weight to do the resisting.

 

But wait, what? How? 

 

Plenty of exercises that you may already know and love actually count as resistance training, as they require you to use your own strength to move your body. These workouts include squat thrusts, chin-ups, lunges, pushups, and crunches. If you have a medicine ball, that can also come in handy for some of these bodyweight routines. 

 

 

• Special Machines

 

Some athletes prefer to use a larger-scale piece of equipment for their resistance training endeavors, like a suspension or weight machine. Mostly you’ll find these machines in gyms, though some people do have them as part of their own home set-up. 

 

Where Can I Try Resistance Training?

You can practice resistance training just about anywhere. But if this is a new endeavor for you, we recommend you get a bit of professional guidance as you learn the ropes (or bands) and become a resistance exercise rock star. 

 

The guidance and support that you need is right here at Jack City Fitness. Located in the heart of Boise, our dedicated fitness and health center is the city’s favorite choice for a place to work out, learn new skills, and meet like-minded people in a supportive and comfortable environment. Our passionate and talented fitness coaches will make sure that you find exercises that appeal to you, and that you perform them safely and to your maximum potential. 

 

While you’re here, we’re sure that you’ll also appreciate the other perks of becoming one of our athletic partners. Once you’ve signed up with us, you’ll have complete access to our gym facility whenever you feel like working out. And when we say whenever, we really mean whenever: We’re open 24/7. 

 

You’ll also be invited to attend our many classes, get involved in themed activities, and have the chance to work out in small groups, with your entire sports team, or even remotely from your computer. We’re for you!

 

Sound good? Get in touch! We’ll invite you over so you can see what we’re talking about in person. You can even try our FREE fitness consultation — or peek into a class! It’s all waiting for you here at Jack City Fitness. We’re excited to meet you!

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