Understanding Different Types of Strength Training
Any kind of resistance works when trying to add strength and muscle, so long as it’s challenging enough.
Introduction
Strength training impacts quality of life and therefore belongs in any fitness program. Overall body strength increases health span, decreases age-related muscle loss, and boosts cognition.
That doesn’t mean, however, that you must follow the same program as everyone else. You’ll need to stay consistent over time to reap the benefits of strength training. It’s helpful to find a type of training that you find enjoyable (or at least tolerable).
With that in mind, let’s dive into the options.
What is Strength Training?
Let’s start with a quasi-scientific definition. Strength training is any exercise movement that causes adaptations within the body.
There is wide variation in the type of exercise movements. Any external resistance will work, as will your body weight. But the result is improved muscle size, strength, and endurance. Other soft tissues also benefit, including increased bone density and sturdier ligaments and tendons.
These physical changes create a more capable and resilient body in various settings. For athletics, stronger soft tissues improve movement efficiency and power. More resilience means quicker recovery from regular tweaks or injuries from daily living.
A fundamental principle of strength training is progressive overload. Regardless of your training, continually increase reps, weight, or tempo.
Strength Training Types and Equipment
Every form of strength training has its place.
If you prefer simplicity and routine, focus on a single type. Alternatively, including a mix of styles can keep things fun. Like anything else, experiment a bit to see what you like. Try out a personal trainer or strength coach, or ask a friend to be your workout partner.
Bodyweight movements
Examples: Squats, pushups, bench dips, hip thrusts.
Pros
A couch, bed, or bench is all you need for a full-body workout
Easy to learn since you don’t have a lot of extra equipment
Cons
It’s more challenging to hit specific muscle groups (like pulling movements).
It’s trickier to progress these since you can’t just add 5 lbs like with a machine or free weights.
Less variety.
Weight Machines
Examples: Most of the equipment you see in a standard gym. Leg extensions, leg presses, lat pulldown, row.
Precor, Nautilus, Cybex, and Life Fitness are the leading brands.
Pros
Easy and safe to use
Machines provide a consistent range of motion and tension, which helps muscles grow
Lots of options
Easy to progress and overload with a simple pin inserted into a weight stack
Cons
Requires access to a gym or a big budget and space
Inefficient; may need to use many machines to hit all muscle groups
DUMBBELLS
Examples: Adjustable or fixed. Read this article to understand the differences.
Pros
Very good for isolation and one-sided exercises
Develops more coordination
Lots of range of motion
Adaptable to different movements
Easy to progress (typically in 2.5 lb or 5 lb increments)
Cons
Limit to how heavily you can progress them
Unwieldy at heavier weights.
Kettlebells
Examples: classic or competition. Click here for a good overview.
Pros
Good for conditioning and strength.
Very good for one-sided movements.
They build coordination.
Lots of range of motion.
Cons
They are less practical for some core lifts like bench press and deadlift.
Space inefficient (adjustable ones exist, but they’re cumbersome).
Unwieldy at certain weights.
Barbells
Examples: multipurpose, Olympic, power bars, training bars.
Pros
Versatile; loadable for a wide range of movements.
Easy to set up for different movements using a rack.
Infinitely incremental loading capacity with plates ranging from 1.25 lbs to 100 lbs.
Very efficient; 5-6 barbell movements hit most major muscle groups.
They are ideal for pushing heavy weights and maximum strength.
Cons
Access. Requires either a gym membership or investment in a home gym.
Space inefficient. The necessary rack, barbell, weights, and bench take up a lot of room.
Complexity. Movements require some coaching to get right.
MOVEMENT TYPES
Beyond knowing the five types of strength training, understanding movement types is also helpful. These will add variety and balance your training.
Bilateral: Movements using two limbs simultaneously.
An example is a pushup. Both arms and pecs move in unison.
Unilateral: Movements using only one side of the body.
An example is a single-leg Romanian deadlift.
Ipsilateral: The same side.
Example: A single-leg Romanian deadlift. But done with just the right leg while holding a weight with the right arm.
Contralateral: The opposite side.
Example: A single-leg Romanian deadlift. But done with just the right leg while holding a weight with the left arm.
Planes of motion: Movements through space with your training. You can go forward, backward, side-to-side, and rotational. If you’re interested in learning the physics behind planes of motion, NASM offers this great article.
Organizing your workout program
Now you have options with your training. The next step is creating a plan. Here’s how to put it all together:
Strength train 2-3 days per week, depending on your schedule and interests.
Build your sessions based on available and enjoyable equipment.
Push yourself! Your final repetition should be highly challenging - enough that you could only do one or two more reps.
The rep ranges will depend on your equipment. After you’ve trained bodyweight for a while, you will need very high reps or access to weights.
Here’s a sample plan:
Squat - 6 sets total per week (ex: barbell squat and single leg split squat)
Hip hinge - 6 sets per week (ex: barbell deadlift and kettlebell hip thrust)
Vertical press - 5 sets per week (ex: banded overhead press or delt raises)
Horizontal press - 10 sets per week (ex: dumbbell bench press and pushups)
Vertical pull - 3 sets per week (ex: pullup or lat pull)
Horizontal pull - 3 sets per week (ex: machine row or barbell row)
Arm curl - 8 sets per week (ex: bicep curl with functional trainer and dumbbell hammer curl)
Arm extension - 10 sets per week (ex: tricep pushdowns and bench dips)
Core complex - 5 min density block 2x/week (ex: Russian twists, planks, side lying hip abductions)
CONCLUSION
With the various ways to strength train, you should be able to find the best option for you. You can make tremendous progress so long as your sessions are challenging. If your routine becomes stale, try new movements, equipment, planes of motion, or tempos. Add box jumps and medicine balls to add explosiveness. And keep in mind that strength plus aerobic fitness strongly correlates with longevity!
If you’re looking for an online strength coach to personalize your program, feel free to reach out to me. I offer standalone strength packages to get you started.
