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Weight Lifting vs. resistance training

History shows man has been interested in physical and strength enhancement since the times of the ancient Egyptians if the pictures displayed on tombs are any indication, with men portrayed exercising by throwing and swinging rock and sand. Weightlifting competitions date back to early Greek civilization and these events led up to the Greeks creating the Olympic games in 776 B.C. and continued until 393 A.D. when Emperor Theodosis terminated the games stating it was a pagan religous event.

Well, the Olympics are back and have been entering weightlifting events since 1896, and women have been entering since 2000.

Weightlifting and strength training didn't become popular until an easily adjustable barbell was created in 1910 by Alvin Calvert, that allowed the user to conveniently remove or add more weight. More and more people were now training at home and the easy to adjust and handle equipment was eventually implemented by athletic and physical education departments that gave the adjustable barbell even more popularity.

It wasn't until the early 1970's when the Nautilus machines were introduced that the industry really took off. The Nautilus was a more sophisticated version of the previous Universal machines. The Nautilus now made it possible to get a full body workout with the safe use of pullies and cables, allowing the user proper fluid natural movement and resistance.

Women also became a part of the new fitness revolution with the introduction of the Nautilis and they were joining health clubs and gyms in droves. This was about the same time aerobics became popular, so now women had an easy enjoyable way to get and stay fit. Athletic departments to this day, use both free weights and resistance equipment.

In 1973 I graduated from high school and immediatly two friends and I joined The Chicago Health Club ( Bally's ). After I used the Nautilus machines I never looked back and very seldom used free weights anymore for my strenghth training and bodybuilding and to this day use the same techniques to maintain a lean cut physique and only need 40 minutes, three days a week to keep myself in excellent shape.

After the success and popularity of the Nautilus, all kinds of different resistance type contraptions emerged onto the market. The problem with all of these devices is they are expensive and bulky.

I also discovered the use of free weights can be dangerous, since once you begin a set, you are at the mercy of the weight and can cause torn muscle and ligaments or have the weights fall off, which happened to me more than once.

Resistance bands have also become a part of many peoples fitness program, including myself. With the careful and clever use of bands or tubes you can adjust the resistance by simply adding or removing bands or use color coated bands for different ranges of resistance.

For almost fifteen years now, I have been using a resistance band workout routine I formulated that imitates the same methods and gets the same total body results I recieved when using the Nautilus equipment.

A quality resistance band workout routine depends on a properly anchored band, to enable the most natural movement, with the proper amount of resistance to the isolated muscle group that is being exercised, 10 to 12 times comfortably.

Bands are also very inexpensive compared to other workout devices and equipment. When used properly and consistantly you can achieve the same results as free weights or resistance equipment.

As with free weights the results will depend on the proper resistance, smooth fluid movement and frequency of the workouts.

Resistance bands can be safely used by kids and teenagers, men and women, boomers and seniors, and can be used for bodybuilding and strength training, weight management and flexibility, physical therapy and fitness conditioning, or to enhance athleticism.

Studies have been conducted by researchers on the affects of resistance exercise (RE) and the findings confirm that a consistant RE workout can have physical and mental positive outcomes, including cardiovascular improvements.

If you are looking for a inexpensive but effective way to get and stay fit, resistance bands should not be overlooked since some form of strength training should be on everyones todo list.

A user friendly version of the workout resistance program I use today will be available in the coming near future, so stay tuned.