Different Forms of Resistance Training

Resistance training is now widely considered to be the most important form of exercise for longevity and quality of life. There are many different forms of resistance training and choosing which one(s) is right for you can depend on a number of factors including your goals, age, weight, etc. To start off, some different forms of resistance training include powerlifting, crossfit, bodybuilding, olympic lifting, calisthenics, explosive/speed training, isometric training, etc. The list can go on and on. In this blog we are going to cover some of the most popular forms of strength training, so you can determine which type of training works best for you.

The first type of strength training we will cover is bodybuilding. Bodybuilding is what the majority of the population first thinks of when they think about lifting weights. This can mostly be dated back to the rise of bodybuilding and figures like Arnold Schwarzenegger back in the 1970s. Lifting weights was not something on most people’s radar back in this time, and seeing Arnold with his extreme muscle development and clips of him lifting in the gym, people started to associate weightlifting with bodybuilding. The main goal of bodybuilding is hypertrophy. Hypertrophy is defined as,” the enlargement of an organ or tissue from the increase in size of its cells”. More muscle is typically better when it comes to bodybuilding, although there are some exceptions, but we won’t get into those details too much here. Bodybuilding training mostly consists of isolation exercises. In other words, doing an exercise for one specific muscle at a time, i.e. quads, think leg extensions, rather than doing compound lifts, i.e. squats, which target a multitude of muscles simultaneously. Although bodybuilders will still do compound lifts, there will just be a lot more time spent focusing on muscle isolation.

The second type of strength training we will cover is powerlifting. Powerlifting is mainly focused on improving strength in the “Big 3” which comprises the bench press, barbell back squat, and barbell deadlift. The goal is to be able to lift as much weight as possible for one repetition in each of these three lifts. Feats of strength is a pursuit that goes back many centuries to ancient times. But powerlifting as we know it today was formalized and coined in the 1950s. The three big lifts were chosen because they comprise full body strength. Most time spent training for powerlifting is working on the big three lifts in various different rep ranges with much less isolation exercises, although some isolation is still done to work on weak points and/or imbalances of certain muscles.

The third and final type of strength training we will cover in this blog is calisthenics. Calisthenics consists of only bodyweight training. The only equipment used would be pull up bars, gymnastic rings, dip bars or any other piece of equipment that is just a means to perform exercises using only your bodyweight as resistance. Some of the main exercises in calisthenics include pull ups, push ups, dips, squats, lunges, pistol squats, burpees, etc. The main goal of calisthenics is to gain strength and muscle through doing more reps, slowing down or speeding up the tempo of an exercise to make it more challenging, doing an exercise more efficiently overtime to enhance effectiveness, and progressing to more challenging variations of a bodyweight movement to increase strength. An example of this is to progress from a traditional pull up to a muscle up. A muscle up consists of pulling your chin up over the bar and then transitioning to a dip by getting your hands and elbow on top of the bar, so you can extend your arms, so you are in a position where you are holding yourself over top of the bar you were previously hanging from.

When determining which form of resistance training is right for you, it is important to consider your own personal goals. If you are looking to get as big and look as jacked as possible, bodybuilding may be the right choice for you. If you just want to be strong and lift big weights, but are not interested in bulking up, powerlifting may be a better choice. If you would like to be able to work out anywhere and master your bodyweight, calisthenics is probably the right choice. But for most people, it is probably best to include parts of each type of training and beyond in order to be well-rounded, healthy and to maximize longevity. Most people, however, tend to prefer one style over another and spend most of their time training in that way. It is best to experiment and see what works best for you!