Let’s compare resistance training and strength training. Which should I do?
3 goals we will reveal in this article:
- Define resistance training and strength training to compare and contrast.
- Find out which one is best for you
- Explore the Methodology that will give you the maximum benefits!
By default:
Resistance Training:
Any exercise where your muscles contract against an external force.
A pretty vague definition, as well as a pretty low line to describe an “exercise”, wouldn’t you say? When your mom wrapped you tightly in a blanket when you were a newborn, and you fought against that “outside force” to free your arms and legs, you were doing Resistance Training!
Okay, a little cheeky of me. But what’s important to know about resistance training is all the different objects that qualify as “external force,” including your baby’s blanket. And in today’s gym-crazy world, the list keeps growing.
Here are just a few:
Free weights
Dumbbells
Bar
Weight Plates
Kettle bells
Medicine Balls
Machines
About 30 to 40 different machines for almost every muscle in your body.
Resistance Bands/Tubes/Cables
These are great as they are safe, easy to use and cheap! They also take up very little space, so they’re perfect for your home gym or to throw in your suitcase if you travel a lot.
Wear resistance
Weighted vests
Ankle weights
Wrist weights
Weighted gloves
Weight Belts
And my favorite category: Bodyweight Equipment
Suspension trainers such as TRX and Gymnastic Rings
Total Gym – Use your body weight and good gravity
Plyometric Jump Boxes
Wheel Ab
BOSU & Stability Balls
Balance Sheets
Pull up bar
The Earth! For Push-Ups, Squats, Planks and a ton more…
Why is it my favorite bodyweight equipment? Because they’re safe, on the cheaper side, and they’re all great for your own gym. Most importantly, they all include Functional Training. I’ll save that definition and discussion for another blog.
For now, use your visual imagination and picture the physique of athletes using their own body weight as resistance:
Gymnasts
Swimmers
Dancers
climbers
Athletics peeps
Martial artists
Not too shabby of a physique to emulate, don’t you agree?
Back to our definitions:
Strength Training:
Resistance training with a specific goal – gaining strength.
You use any form of external force, including your own body weight, to get stronger. Just like money or love, who doesn’t want a little more power in their life?
As you can see, all Strength Training is Resistance Training, but not all Resistance Training is Strength Training. If you’re going to take the time to do resistance exercises, let’s make sure you’re getting stronger in the process. Strength training is best for you. Now let’s focus on how to make it happen!
The Rule of 10:
A huge part of helping my clients achieve their goal of getting stronger and reaping the maximum amount of benefits is keeping things simple. The rule of 10 it does just that. Simplicity = Easy to follow.
Here’s the thing: whatever exercise you do, add enough external force to the muscle you’re targeting beats fatigue in 10 reps or a few less. Think around point 7,8 or 9 in good shape. That’s it, team! Now you will forever know the answer to the question: “How much weight should I use in this exercise?”
As I told you, using your body weight is my favorite flavor of Resistance Training. And my favorite machine for this is the Total Gym. The machine is remarkable in its simplicity. You just use gravity and a quota of your body weight, which is determined by the incline you choose on the machine.
My Total Gym has 12 levels, with 12 being the hardest (highest % of my body weight working against gravity). So let’s explore an example.
The Golden Rule of the Rule of 10: Every time you do an exercise, go up to you beat the fatigue. This simply means you can’t do any more reps with good form.
Let’s say I do one Chest type exercise and I have no idea where to hit the fatigue so I start at level seven. I focus on safe, healthy form and actually do 17 reps until I do beat the fatigue. Well, now I know I need quite a bit more external power, so I aggressively ramp it up to level 11 for the second set. This time, I barely make it to six reps before beat fatigue, so I overshot the mark.
Finally, on the third set, I choose level nine, and ironically I hit fatigue and have to stop right on the ninth rep. Voila! Level one is my perfect level – today – achieve maximum benefits from your strength training program. I emphasize the word – today – why remember, observe correctly The rule of 10 it will make you stronger. Yes! Hell Yes! Next month, you’ll probably have to level it up to level 10 to keep going.
Now that you 1. Know the definitions and, 2. Know who to do and, 3. Know how to achieve it, go to ChatGPT and ask, “What are the benefits of strength training?” That should motivate you to keep smashing it rule of 10, and reaping all the juicy, healthy benefits!
