Why resistance training matters

Sharing my notes on the importance of resistance training. Do add it to your workout routine. (I forgot to document the source. Probably from one of the books I’d have read. Will update when I find it.)

• To build a leaner, muscular or toned physique, we need to tear muscle fibres. That can be done by creating tension on the muscle. This tearing off boosts our metabolism and burns more calories.

• When we work for resistance, we tear more muscle fibres — these fibres need repairing after every workout for which they use calories from food and amino acids from protein.

• So instead of these calories adding inches to our waistline, effective training uses them to repair after workout. And in oreder for your muscles to repair, the metabolism increases, and you burn more calories at rest.

• Tension-style training keeps the muscle we are workin on under optimal tension throughout the duration of the movement: it is not just about moving from from point A to B — but about creating tension for the duration of the movement and actually feel the muscle you are working on as mind-muscle connection. And do it in the right form.

• Creating tension on muscle in every single movemeny is key to change body composition, increae metabolism and build leaner body.

• It is not just about doing different exercies. But about making our muscles work harder. That’s why we talk about progressive overload.

• Also, it is not about the weight per se — what matters more is how you move the weight.

• Compound exercises (involve multiple joints and muscles) should be preferred over isolation exercises (just one joing and limited muscles). That’s because it trains more muscles at once, and allow lifting heavier weights.