Resistance Training Exercises

Lately, many articles about resistance training exercises have been featured in newspapers, magazines and fitness websites. This interest has been inspired from both a heath and a beauty perspective. From the beauty perspective, as women grow less afraid of “building muscles,” resistance exercises are gaining popularity. From the health perspective, one only needs to turn to the research. In the past few years, there have been an abundance of studies that prove the important health benefits of resistance exercises. Here are some of them:

• Weight loss: While most people associate aerobic exercise with weight loss, resistance exercises can work wonders on your metabolism. In fact, studies have shown that resistance exercise can raise your basal metabolic rate as high as 15 percent.

• Increase bone mass: Resistance exercise can increase bone mass, which will eventually protect you from osteoporosis. In fact, according to a study by the Mayo Clinic, this type of training exercise might even be helpful for women who already have osteoporosis. According to the study, exercise can reduce the pain of osteoporosis and make it easier to perform daily tasks.

• Improved posture: Resistance training exercises can improve your posture by correcting muscular imbalances. For example, if you spend too much time at your computer or mothering a newborn child, you probably tend to be round-shouldered. This can easily be corrected by performing exercises for the upper back.

• Injury prevention: Muscular imbalances can also make you more susceptible to injury. For example, women whose quadriceps are significantly stronger than their hamstrings may be susceptible to ACL injuries. Performing hamstring exercises can be a precautionary measure.

• Muscle tone and definition: While aerobic activity burns calories, resistance training exercise can increase muscle tone and create a sculpted and well defined body. Keep in mind that muscle weighs more than fat so use the mirror, as opposed to the scale, as a guideline for your fitness program.

• Muscular proportion: Do you want to make your hips look smaller? Some women do this by wearing blouses and jackets with shoulder pads. Others build natural shoulder pads by working on their deltoids. By performing exercises such as the lateral raise, you can make your shoulders look somewhat bigger, which will in turn make your hips look smaller. The lat pulldown exercise can create a “V' shape in the torso, which will create the appearance of a smaller waistline. Although you can't really make your breasts bigger through breast lifting exercises, the bench press and the chest fly will tone the underlying muscles, thereby enhancing the appearance of the entire chest area.

Resistance exercises can inspire a feeling of competency. When you feel strong enough to tackle your workout, you might just feel strong enough to tackle the problems of daily living. It also works to improve self-confidence, self-image and self respect. Some women even claim that resistance training helps them make better food choices. After all, if you spend so much time sculpting a beautiful body, why ruin it by feeding it junk?

There are a number of ways to perform resistance exercises. These include:

• Weights
• Weight training machines
• Resistance bands
• Resistance tubes
• Your own body weight
• Stability balls can be used for ab exercises, legs, butt and upper body
• Medicine balls can add resistance to your ab workout
• Kettle ball training
• Aqua resistance training

With all of these wonderful ways to get toned and fit, why not join the resistance? Your body will thank you!

• Pictures of People Exercising
• Women Fitness Models
• Male Fitness Model

• Breast Lifting Exercise
• Contour Abs
• Naked Exercise
• Naked Pilates
• Hula Hoop Exercises

• Free Weight Resistance Exercise
• Ab Exercises with Resistance Bands
• Category:Strength Training
• Strength Training Exercises
• Resistance Training