People set goals before getting into training that involves physical exercise. Some people begin training to improve their general health, to gain physical fitness, to avoid disease complications, or to change their body shapes. The specific objective of a trainee determines a type of training that he will choose. Resistance training is the type preferred for purposes of achieving fitness goals and obtaining good-looking body shapes, among other objectives. It involves promoting contractions of body muscles by applying resistance to increase body strength and endurance. The benefits of resistance training include improving cardiovascular functioning, increasing tendon, and muscle strength, enhancing physical appearance, and adjusting to professional demands in sports and related professions. This paper discusses various principles of resistance training and how they impact current practice.
Overload
The principle of overload entails subjecting the body muscles to strains that they do not encounter daily. It means that during an exercise, the burden to the body increases beyond normal to achieve a new level of strength. The 'get out of your comfort zone' phrase clearly explains the principle of overload (Franchi, Atherton, Maganaris, & Narici, 2016). For the body to achieve new goals of strength and fitness, it does not need to get comfortable with the usual load it carries during regular exercise. Each training session is an opportunity to add more load until the desired results appear.
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The goals of my current training include gaining physical fitness and improving general health. In the beginning, I need to know the load my muscles can support without straining. This knowledge allows me to know the amount of load I need to apply in every session to reach the goals (Schoenfeld, Grgic, Ogborn, & Krieger, 2017). For example, if the muscles can comfortably support bench pressing of 160 pounds, I need to add 5 pounds in the proceeding sessions to reach new fitness and health levels.
Progression
The primary purpose of training is to improve by moving from one point to another. As the sessions continue, the trainee must set new objectives to help in reaching the overall goals. It involves applying the principle of overload to increase body strength and endurance. The amount of load added needs to change gradually. If the workload increases rapidly, the muscles might get injured (Fairman, Zourdos, Helms, & Focht, 2017). The progressive principle helps in resistance training by requiring that trainees gradually increase the exercise loads. After achieving new heights, the trainee must repeat the burden applied until the body gets accustomed to it before gradually moving to the next step (Franchi et al., 2016). In my training, I know that I want to maintain some level of fitness. However, I cannot jump right to it by lifting heavy weights and doing strenuous exercise sessions. I must progress from one step to the next until I achieve my ultimate goals.
Specificity
Before beginning resistance training, one must know what he wants, the body parts involved, and the relevant training activities involved. The specificity principle implies that the muscles involved during exercises, intensity, and the type of contraction used will determine the final results. For example, if one has a goal of increasing elbow strength, the muscles involved include the biceps, and contractions should primarily aim at them (Kraemer et al., 2017). Similarly, athletes train to gain strength on the body parts that they use most. Footballers focus on strengthening their lower limbs on top of improving general fitness and endurance (Colquhoun et al., 2018). I will apply the principle of specificity by concentrating on exercises that make my body joints flexible to be physically fit. Also, I will focus on training techniques that improve blood circulation, burn excess calories, and reduce fat accumulation in my body tissues (Grandou, Wallace, Impellizzeri, Allen, & Coutts, 2019). The specific routines will help me in achieving fitness and health goals.
Variation
According to the principle of variation, each individual is unique and must exercise according to some specific demands of the body. The body's uniqueness results from differences in gender, nutrition, training, and genetic factors. The load that one trainee can comfortably carry is different from the one another person can manage. Even people with the same training goals need to apply different loads depending on these factors. Some people build muscles after a few sessions, while others would need to train more to achieve the same goals (Schoenfeld et al., 2017). Generally, elderly trainees and women would need to apply more intensity than the other populations to build muscles.
My resistance training goals are tied to my unique characteristics in terms of genetics, age, training, and nutrition, among others. These are factors that I understand and know how they impact my health and physique. During resistance training, I set objectives that are compatible with my being while also enabling me to achieve the limits I desire (Kraemer et al., 2017). I know that I need several sessions to gain muscle strength because of genetic factors.
Reversibility
Reversibility is an undesirable principle because it implies that whatever goal a trainee sets, he cannot stop exercising after achieving it. It takes hard work, persistence, and consistency to train and increase muscle strength and fitness. If the trainee stops at this point, the strength, fitness, and endurance begin to reduce gradually, and it takes a few months to return to the initial level before the training sessions (Colquhoun et al., 2018). Therefore, I will need to continue training regularly to maintain the body fitness and good health I achieve. The good thing is that human muscles have a memory system. After initial subjection to training and gaining muscle density and strength, the body remembers this level even upon the stoppage of training. As a result, the trainee will attain the level faster than it took initially.
References
Colquhoun, R. J., Gai, C. M., Aguilar, D., Bove, D., Dolan, J., Vargas, A. ... & Campbell, B. I. (2018). Training volume, not frequency, indicative of maximal strength adaptations to resistance training. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research , 32 (5), 1207-1213. Retrieved from https://journals.lww.com/nscajscr/fulltext/2018/05000/Training_Volume,_Not_Frequency,_Indicative_of.3.aspx
Fairman, C. M., Zourdos, M. C., Helms, E. R., & Focht, B. C. (2017). A scientific rationale to improve resistance training prescription in exercise oncology. Sports Medicine , 47 (8), 1457-1465. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-017-0673-7
Franchi, M. V., Atherton, P. J., Maganaris, C. N., & Narici, M. V. (2016). Fascicle length does increase in response to longitudinal resistance training and in a contraction-mode specific manner. Springerplus , 5 (1), 1-3. Retrieved from https://springerplus.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40064-015-1548-8
Grandou, C., Wallace, L., Impellizzeri, F. M., Allen, N. G., & Coutts, A. J. (2019). Overtraining in resistance exercise: An exploratory systematic review and methodological appraisal of the literature. Sports Medicine , 1-14. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-019-01242-2
Kraemer, W. J., Ratamess, N. A., Flanagan, S. D., Shurley, J. P., Todd, J. S., & Todd, T. C. (2017). Understanding the science of resistance training: an evolutionary perspective. Sports Medicine , 47 (12), 2415-2435. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-017-0779-y
Schoenfeld, B. J., Grgic, J., Ogborn, D., & Krieger, J. W. (2017). Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low-vs. high-load resistance training: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research , 31 (12), 3508-3523. Retrieved from https://journals.lww.com/nscajscr/Abstract/2017/12000/Strength_and_Hypertrophy_Adaptations_Between_Low_.31.aspx
