{"id":482360,"date":"2026-03-18T15:09:25","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T15:09:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/482360\/"},"modified":"2026-03-18T15:09:25","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T15:09:25","slug":"the-resistance-training-traps-we-fall-into-and-how-to-fix-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/482360\/","title":{"rendered":"The resistance training traps we fall into \u2013 and how to fix them"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most of us know by now that staying fit<\/a> doesn\u2019t just mean \u201caerobic\u201d exercise, when you get out of breath \u2013 it should also involve strength training, which is known as resistance exercises<\/a>.<\/p>\n

These days it\u2019s no longer just body builders who are found lifting weights<\/a> at the gym \u2013 the machines may be used by all.<\/p>\n

But there is a bewildering array of activities that count as resistance exercise, and a cornucopia of videos, podcasts and websites that tell us exactly how we should be doing it.<\/p>\n

New FeatureIn ShortQuick Stories. Same trusted journalism.<\/p>\n

Now, though, the American College of Sports Medicine has completed a major review of the scientific research on resistance exercise, for the average person \u2013 as opposed to professional athletes \u2013 and their conclusions might be surprising.<\/p>\n

Here are four ways that the US experts say most people should rethink their approach to strength training.<\/p>\n

Training to failure is out<\/p>\n

\u201cTraining to failure\u201d means instead of doing a certain exercise \u2013 like lifting a weight \u2013 a set number of times, you do it until your muscles are so tired you feel that you cannot do it a single time more. You then rest, and repeat the process a couple more times.<\/p>\n

The approach is claimed to help build more muscle mass, because it triggers release of certain hormones and other biochemicals.<\/p>\n

But there is no evidence that training to failure does, in fact, lead to bigger muscles, according to the US guidelines.<\/p>\n

And a previous study<\/a> found the approach slowed down recovery after the exercise. \u201cAvoiding failure would allow athletes to be in a better neuromuscular condition to undertake a new training session or competition in a shorter period of time,\u201d that study concluded.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe closer you go to failure, probably the more risk you are at of getting injured,\u201d said Dr Jonathan Taylor, a senior lecturer in sport and exercise at Teesside University, who was not involved in the guidelines.<\/p>\n

No need to slow down<\/p>\n

Another trend is to slow down movements, to increase the \u201ctime under tension\u201d experienced by muscles. This is claimed to increase stress on muscle fibres. But again, it has not been found to help build muscles.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe theory is it increases metabolic stress,\u201d said Dr Taylor. \u201cThe more well trained people become, you have to change the stimulus to get further gain.\u201d <\/p>\n

But this is not needed for most people, he said.<\/p>\n

Workouts don\u2019t have to be complicated<\/p>\n

Different advice sources may recommend complex routines, like alternating sets \u2013 groups of repetitions \u2013 with heavy loads, followed by sets with lighter loads.<\/p>\n

Or people may break traditional sets into smaller mini-sets, separated by preplanned rests. The idea is that this reduces muscle fatigue, allowing more work overall.<\/p>\n

But none of this is necessary, according to the guidelines. \u201cThe best resistance training program is probably not the most complicated one. It is the one you can do consistently, progress sensibly, and stick with over time,\u201d said Professor Stuart Phillips, a muscle researcher at McMaster University in Ontario, who is one of the guideline authors.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t even need to go to the gym<\/p>\n

Gyms usually have much better equipment than people can have in their homes \u2013 and can be social places too.<\/p>\n

But home workouts are also fine, say the guidelines. \u201cElastic bands, bodyweight training and home-based routines offer clear and measurable improvements in strength, muscle size and functional performance,\u201d the authors said. <\/p>\n

This is worth stressing for people who currently do little or zero strength training and may be reluctant to join a gym, said Professor Lindsay Bottoms, a sports scientist at the University of Hertfordshire. \u201cIf you\u2019re sedentary, don\u2019t be put off by thinking you have got to go the gym. Anything that\u2019s muscle building will help you.\u201d<\/p>\n

The key takeaways<\/p>\n

So much for we shouldn\u2019t do \u2013 what should we be doing?<\/p>\n

\u201cFor strength, the evidence points to a few variables that matter most,\u201d said Prof Phillips. \u201cTrain at least two times per week; use heavier loads; lift through a full range of motion; perform about two to three sets; and place key lifts at the beginning of the session.<\/p>\n

\u201cTraining all major muscle groups at least twice a week matters far more than chasing\u00a0the idea of a\u00a0perfect or complex training\u00a0plan.<\/p>\n

The benefits to health from resistance training include a lower risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and depression, as well as better sleep quality. \u201cThe big headline is resistance training works,\u201d said Prof Phillips.<\/p>\n

The guidelines were published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Most of us know by now that staying fit doesn\u2019t just mean \u201caerobic\u201d exercise, when you get out…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":482361,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[1167,6647,102,56,54,55,61530],"class_list":["post-482360","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-exercise","tag-fitness","tag-health","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-weightlifting"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482360","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=482360"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482360\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/482361"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=482360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=482360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=482360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}