Resistance training is the ideal approach to building overall muscle strength. It does this by forcing your muscles to work against a weight or force. A great example of this is lifting weights.
There are a number of different types of resistance exercises which you can use to do this. These include using:
- Free weights,
- Weight machines,
- Resistance bands, or
- Your own bodyweight.
The key to a successful training routine is consistency. Give your body the time it needs to recover from specific workouts because your body will physically react differently to each of these types of workouts.
What happens to the body when doing resistance training
Beneficial Muscle Damage
The first step of muscle growth requires you to break your muscles down microscopically. This is exactly what happens when you put the kind of strain on them that you do while lifting weights. As you work out, you create microscopic tears in the fibres of your muscles.
This in turn triggers a healing process in your muscles as the body attempts to adapt to the new stress it has been put under. So, it is the first crucial step in building that particular muscle.
The Growth of Muscle Fibre
During the following healing process (characterised by stiffness and soreness), your body begins to use satellite cells which fuse together with muscle fibres. This, essentially, increases their density. New protein strands are formed with the muscle fibres and are used to increase the size and mass of muscles by creating even more strands. So now you know, for sure, that if it hurts you must be getting better (so long as you haven’t actually injured something).
The Build-Up of Lactic Acid
As you work out, lactic acid begins to build up in your muscles. It was once believed that lactic acid was just a by-product created by fatigued muscles, however recent research shows that the body may actually use it to burn energy when its own cells cannot produce any more through standard means.
Increased Blood Flow to Muscles
As part of a response to your muscle contractions during a workout, your heart rate rises to pump more blood to your muscles. This gives them more oxygen and enhances their performance.
The results of this are a leaking of blood plasma from capillaries into the muscles and any surrounding tissue. It leads to larger muscles for about 15 to 30 minutes after the routine is completed.
Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness
Following your workout, it is fairly common to feel varying degrees of stiffness and soreness in those muscles that you have worked. This is called delayed onset muscle soreness or DOMS. By the time DOMS is felt, most of your lactic acid has already been removed from your muscles through the action of blood circulating. The pain actually comes from the healing process following a routine, whereby micro-tears in your muscle fibre are being rebuilt. Depending on the severity of the tears, this pain will last until healing is complete. It can last for several days in extreme situations.
Contact Trifocus Fitness Academy to Learn More
There is a lot to be learned in the world of fitness with regards to how our bodies respond to different types of training. Arming yourself with this knowledge can help you reach your fitness goals in better time and with better results. This can also ensure that you can do the same for those around you.
If you have ever wanted to become a qualified fitness professional, why not contact us here at Trifocus Fitness Academy to find out more about our Personal Training Diploma? Contact one of our representatives today or visit our website to learn more about our internationally accredited, online fitness courses.