The Resistance and Impact of Physical Activity Can Yield Spectacular Results

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The Resistance and Impact of Physical Activity Can Yield Spectacular Results
Resistance and low, medium, and high impact training can be uplifting, reduce stress, and promote musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and immune health. There are many ways to create resistance via physical activity. Swimming is a notable way, with the weight of the water resisting your body as you move through it. Resistance exercises that use your bodyweight include pull-ups, push-ups, squats, leg raises, and plank pose. Other resistance training may entail using:

Exercise bands – resists when stretched
Free weights – engages your secondary muscles (stabilizers) as well as major muscles
Weight machines – maintains stability and works major muscles groups but does not challenge or develop the secondary muscles as much as free weights

Professional fitness trainer and author Andrew Peloquin highlights how muscle mass increases when you lift more weight and do fewer repetitions per set (4 to 6); strengthens when you use less weight and do more repetitions per set (12 to 15); and boosts endurance when you use less weight and do more repetitions per set (20 to 25). In finding the optimal amount of weight to lift, you may want to consider that weights that are too heavy may hinder your ability to reach your rep goals; whereas, weights that are too light may limit you from developing your desired tone, mass, strength, and endurance. For designing your resistance training program, Peloquin outlines the typical amount of work each muscle/muscle group needs:

chest, back, and legs need more sets (8 to 12)
shoulders and arms need fewer sets (5 to 8)
forearms, calves, traps, and core muscles need even fewer sets (1 to 5) (Peloquin, 2022)

During resistance workouts, muscle fibers tear down. When the body repairs them, they are made stronger. It is important to allow your muscles between 48 and 72 hours to rest and rebuild between workouts. Muscle is metabolically active tissue. The more muscle you have in proportion to your body weight, the more calories you burn at rest.

Landing on one or both feet, such as in dancing, running, or jumping, causes resistance in the body. If your bones, cartilage, tendons, and muscles are healthy and strong this can have a positive impact and build even more strength. Bouncing on a flexible medium, such as a mini trampoline, is low impact. Trampoline bouncing, like swimming, lacks the impact needed to strengthen bones; however, it effectively stimulates the flow of lymph, enhancing the immune system. Medium and high impact sports and exercises significantly increase the density and strength of the bones. Upon impact, bones endure small strains to their living tissue that cause them to grow back stronger. While exercising to build strong bones that can prevent fractures, it takes being mindful to gauge what level of impact will strengthen your bones without putting too much pressure on them. Osteopathic physicians and fitness coaches can help assess your body’s need and capacity to benefit from impact exercises. Resistance and impact sports and exercises offer an abundance of ways to enjoy physical activity and raise your state of health and well-being.

References
Peloquin, A. (2022). What is resistance exercise? Retrieved from: https://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/exercises/what-is-resistance-exercise.html.

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