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What are the essentials of strength training? This is an area of exercise that is increasingly popular, not just with fit, young guys, but also with women, and even the elderly.
Whether you are 16 or 90, male of female, a bodybuilder or a beginner, it is important to know that the essentials of strength training are exactly the same. The human body responds in certain ways to any form of resistance, and understanding how these essentials of strength training work will help you get the most from your workouts.
The first thing to understand is the rule of adaptation. What this means is that any time the body is forced to do something that is harder than it is used to, it will find ways to adapt. In the case of resistance workouts, it means that if you begin to work out regularly, your body will adapt by making the muscles stronger.
This leads us naturally to what is called progressive resistance. If you do the same workout for a while and your body adapts, after a while you stop making progress - your body has learned how to deal with the demands you throw at it. In order to progress, you have to up the workload a little.
Progressive resistance is the tool you use to keep making progress. It simply means that each time your body adapts to the workload, you increase it a little bit.
There are various ways of doing this - this most obvious is to increase the weight you use, and certainly for beginners that is a good route to follow. Add a little weight every few weeks, and you'll soon be able to lift far more than when you started.
To learn more about how resistance workouts can benefits you, talk to the trainers at your club or gym.
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