What is Adaptive Resistance? Understanding the Benefits for Your Workout
Adaptive, dynamic or variable resistance training simply refers to a form of resistance training that adjusts based on your effort level. Most gym equipment uses static resistance which you manually change by increasing the weight on the given machine or barbell etc.
Training with adaptive resistance can benefit just about any fitness enthusiast, whether your goal is building strength or burning calories read on to find out how adaptive resistance can support your fitness journey!
The Origins of Adaptive Resistance & Why It’s Worth Considering
The idea of adaptive resistance isn’t new, innovations like Dr. Gustav Zander’s mechanotherapy devices (1860) were developed to overcome inefficiencies in static resistance training. Other notable innovations like Nautilus cams (1979) and even elastic bands (1895) were all developed with similar objectives.
There has been a recent resurgence in adaptive resistance training solutions, designed to better match the fluctuating strength levels experienced in exercise.
Traditional weightlifting methods can lead to two common types of training mismatch:
Underloading occurs when the resistance is below your strength capacity, forcing the user to perform more reps/sets to achieve the desired effort level.
Overloading is training with the resistance level too high which can lead to injury and over exertion. The body struggles to absorb the excessive force resulting in inefficient muscle contractions.
This is how our SpaceGym flywheel trainer produces adaptive resistance. The harder you pull the handle the greater the resistance.
Benefits of Adaptive Resistance
If you’re a well-read fitness fanatic like myself, you may also be questioning how this applies to you. Several scientific studies have identified numerous physiological benefits associated with adaptive resistance (see references at the very end of this article). One particularly noteworthy example is a study from the National Center for Biotechnology information that found the “greater the variation in resistance, the greater the muscle engagement”.
These study findings should pique the interest of not only fitness legends like Arnold Schwarzenegger. But, perhaps what’s perhaps more exciting is that the findings suggest these benefits are even more profound for us wannabees who want to just shed some pounds or tone those troublesome “bingo wings”!
Here’s a breakdown of further benefits:
Customisable Workouts: One of the most notable aspects of adaptive resistance is its ability to adjust to various fitness levels. Whether you're a beginner just starting out in fitness or an expert athlete looking to push yourself, adjustable resistance offers a personalised exercise experience. You may practice at your own pace and make incremental progress without feeling intimidated by hefty weights.
Increased Engagement and Enjoyment: Traditional routines can become tedious and monotonous. Adaptive resistance engages you by offering a diverse and exciting workout experience. As the resistance adapts to your performance, you'll be constantly pushed, making workouts more pleasurable and encouraging.
Increased strength and endurance: Adaptive resistance promotes progressive overload, an important element in strength training. As your strength increases, steadily increase the resistance. Muscle strength and endurance will continue to increase with time. This strategy ensures that you are continually pushing yourself and getting better outcomes over time.
Reduced risk of injury: The possibility of injury is a serious concern with any exercise practice. Adaptive resistance allows you to train more safely. The technology allows you to gently modify the resistance based on your abilities, assisting you in maintaining perfect form and lowering the risk of strains or accidents. This is especially useful for novices and those recuperating from injury.
Efficient and convenient: In today's fast-paced and distracting lifestyle, making time for good workouts can be difficult. Adaptive resistance increases the efficiency of your training sessions, allowing you to get better results in shorter periods of time. Reducing the duration of your workouts, making it easier to stay on track with your fitness regime.
Incorporating Adaptive Resistance Training into Your Workouts
First off you will need to identify what type of equipment best suits your requirements, whether it’s resistance bands, a flywheel trainer (like our SpaceGym) or one of those techy “AI” all-in-one training gadgets, consider your goals, lifestyle, workout space and what is going to help you on your fitness journey.
Once you are ready to make a start, here’s a few helpful tips to make sure you get the best out of your new adaptive resistance fitness program:
Warm-up: Be sure to always start with a warm up to prepare your body for a workout. Focus on dynamic stretches and light exercises to get your blood flowing. Something like a flywheel trainer actually allows you to warm up the specified muscle groups and joints prior to each exercise simply by performing the movement extra slowly to maintain a low resistance.
Choose Your Exercises: Start out with simple isolated movements to get a feel for the dynamic resistance before moving on to more complex compound exercises.
Monitor Your Effort: Listen to your body throughout each exercise and carefully adjust your effort level to ensure you get the maximum benefit from every single repetition.
Progress Gradually: As you become more comfortable with the adaptive sensation and are comfortable, it’s time to slowly increase the intensity to ensure maximum results.
Remember: Adaptive resistance training will feel very different to static weight training, it may even feel harder initially as your body adjusts to this new form of workout. Especially with something like a flywheel trainer which has an increased emphasis on the eccentric movement, the recoil of the flywheel can feel uncomfortable for the first few uses while your body adjusts to this more taxing workout.
Conclusion
Adaptive resistance is changing the way we approach fitness by offering a personalised, entertaining, and safer workout experience. Adding adaptive resistance to your regimen can help you improve your strength, endurance, and overall fitness level.
Are you ready to see the benefits of adaptive resistance for yourself? Try SpaceGym today and elevate your exercises to the next level!
Click here to watch some exercise demos using our SpaceGym Flywheel Trainer.
Click here to learn more about the benefits of increased eccentric emphasis in your workouts.
Click here to learn about flywheel training for weight loss
References
The Journal of Sports Sciences, Roland van den Tillaar: The “sticking period” in a maximum bench press
The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, Anderson, Corey E; Sforzo, Gary A; Sigg, John A: The Effects of Combining Elastic and Free Weight Resistance on Strength and Power in Athletes
National Center for Biotechnology Information, Vidar Andersen, Marius S Fimland, Dag-Andrè Mo, Vegard M Iversen, Tommy M Larsen, Fredrik Solheim, Atle H Saeterbakken, Electromyographic comparison of the barbell deadlift using constant versus variable resistance in healthy, trained men