Health Aspects of Resistance Exercise and Training

RESISTANCE TRAINING, WHICH includes the regular use of free weights, weight machines, body weight, elastic bands, and other forms of equipment to improve muscular strength, muscular power, and muscular endurance, has become an increasingly popular form of physical activity. Recent recommendations have been made regarding the use of resistance training in healthy populations (2, 43). Resistance training is currently being advocated for use with special populations such as cardiac rehabilitation patients (158) and the elderly (3). It is generally accepted that resistance training increases muscular size, strength, and power and is useful for enhancing athletic performance. Benefits resulting from resistance training are strongly influenced by the large number of training variables that can be manipulated in a program. Variations in load, volume, intensity, active muscle mass, muscle contraction type, rest interval, equipment, technique, initial level of fitness, training status, and program type can all influence the magnitude and duration of the response to resistance exercise and ultimately the adaptations associated with resistance training. Taking all of these factors into consideration, there is an accumulating base of scientific evidence suggesting that a number of health-related benefits may be derived from participation in a well-designed resistance training program. Having reviewed the available scientific literature on resistance training and health, it is the position of the NSCA that: