I see so many people giving overcomplicated advice on social media about resistance training, and quite frankly, I think this is putting people off just getting started. So let’s look at the brand new study from the American College of Sports Medicine on resistance training.
The ACSM – which is widely accepted as the gold standard of evidence-based fitness guidelines – has just updated its stance around strength training for the first time in 17 years.
The Position Stand synthesized findings from 137 systematic reviews representing more than 30,000 participants (46% female), offering the most comprehensive evidence-based guidance to date on how resistance training supports muscle strength, muscle size (hypertrophy), power, and physical performance across adulthood.
The most meaningful gains come from a simple shift: moving from no resistance training to any form of resistance training. While specific training variables can be tweaked, the primary goal for most adults should be regular participation in any form of resistance training.
WHAT’S NEW?
The big message is reassuring: many forms of resistance training work. Free weights, machines, elastic bands, home-based training, circuit training, velocity-based training, and power-focused training can all improve
- Strength
- Muscle size
- Muscular endurance
- Contraction velocity
- Gait speed
- Balance
- Chair stand performance
- Timed up-and-go
What Matters?
The key is CONSISTENCY and PROGRESSION – this means as you get stronger you add more weight, more reps, more resistance, an extra day of training.
A few variables seem to matter most if you want to optimise outcomes. For strength, heavier loads, a full range of motion, about 2 to 3 sets, and training at least twice per week stand out. For hypertrophy, higher weekly volume, especially 10+ sets per muscle group per week, and eccentric overload seem to matter most. For power, moderate loads moved fast, Olympic-style lifts, and power training are favoured.
What Doesn’t Matter?
Just as interesting is what did NOT consistently matter: training to (absolute) failure, equipment type, set structure, time under tension, blood flow restriction, and periodisation were not shown to reliably improve outcomes across the evidence base.
Simple Take Home
The best program is not always the fanciest one. What matters most is doing resistance training regularly, doing it with effort, and making it fit the person in front of you.
So just start! Twice a week of full body resistance training, 2-3 sets each time will make a HUGE difference to your life. To me, this is especially relevant in midlife, when people often begin to notice the first hints that muscle function is not something to take for granted. Recovery feels a bit different. Stairs feel a bit steeper. Long days feel a bit longer. Midlife is the time to build or preserve strength and power before losses become more obvious and more limiting. Women benefit enormously from resistance training for strength, physical function, confidence, and healthy ageing. At some point, if we live long enough, most of us will be limited by a loss of muscle strength or power in some activity of daily living. It may be getting out of a chair, climbing stairs, catching yourself from a stumble, lifting luggage, or simply keeping up with the life you want to live. The goal of resistance training is to delay that limit for as long as possible, or ideally, never experience it at all.
So what actually matters is: getting people to actually DO resistance training getting them to do it CONSISTENTLY!
Click here for link to the full study.
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