Mr Britain

What's the difference between resistance training and weight lifting?

I have been doing both, resistance training and weight lifting, but never could tell the difference between them. Do they work difference muscles or do different things?

Public Comments

1. Resistance training is a form of strength training in which each effort is performed against a specific opposing force generated by resistance.
2. Resistance training is usually done with a pully system such as the Bowflex Machine. Resistance training is usually lighter weight, more reps. This tones your body to give you that cut look.. Weight training is heavy weight, less reps and is done to get bigger and stronger.
3. Resistance training has two different, sometimes confused meanings - a more broad meaning that refers to any training that uses a resistance to the force of muscular contraction (better termed strength training), and elastic or hydraulic resistance, which refers to a specific type of strength training that uses elastic or hydraulic tension to provide this resistance. This article discusses the more limited definition, of elastic/hydraulic resistance training. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resistance_training
4. not that i know of. resistance training is pretty much just things that bend or stretch at different strength levels, like the bowflex. weight lifting, in my opinion, is better for gaining muscle,especially freeweights and resistance training is better for toning.
5. Hey Renoman1221, If your lifting weights then your doing resistance training but if your doing resistance training your not necessarily lifting weights. For example doing a push-up is not lifting weights but is a great resistance training exercise. Body weight conditioning is a great way to incorporate resistance training in to your physical fitness program. It quickly builds your base and you have to stabilize your self while doing them so this really prepares you for when you start to lift weights. So, the second part of your question "Do they work difference muslces or do different things?". YES but it depends on the exercise. Again, using the push up as an example compared to the bench press. When you do a push up your core has to stabilize your torso making the push up much harder than the bench press. There are several variations of the push ups and you can make push ups harder or easier depending on your level of conditioning. Check www.100pushps.com for a really cool workout program. I haven't started it yet but I will TODAY actually. No more excuses. I hope that helps. Jesse
6. Hi, there! There is no one universal way to use words. Often, there is no difference in denotation between 'resistance training' and 'weight lifting.' On the other hand, static contraction training, for example, is resistance training, but, since there is no movement, obviously no weight is being lifted, which means that it is not weight lifting. In other words, often weight lifting is thought of as one kind of resistance training. I hope this helps. All my best wishes.