By Scott Thompson, Global Athletics Director | September 2022
Functional resistance training is beneficial for building muscle and improving movement patterns in order to safely and effectively move in your everyday activities. F45 Training incorporates a variety of different types of resistance training that will enhance general health management as well as fitness and strength goals. The resistance workouts that you will see during this challenge focus on overload, supersets and tempo.
Overloading
Let’s start with overloading techniques. This is a favorite in the network, and is seen in workouts like Red Diamond and Panthers. The aim is to utilize a heavy weight for back to back working sets in order to overload and fatigue the same muscles. These workouts allow members to concentrate on their technique and adjust their weights before moving stations. Members enjoy this style of training as they feel much more accomplished after finishing the sets, due to the muscle fatigue. They are also more mentally prepared for the next exercise, as in these types of workouts you do not return to the station.
Supersets
Supersetting exercises is another common technique used in F45 resistance training programs which involve the pairing of two or more exercises together. You may see supersets in our workout named Renegade, which is programmed on Sundays during this challenge. Renegade works the same muscle groups across different movement patterns in order to maximize muscle fatigue and recruit different muscle fibers. Training agonist muscle groups (muscles that are contracting) also increases the production of metabolic stress and blood flow to the muscles, thus leading to muscle growth. The superset technique is an efficient method to increase workout intensity, duration or rep volume of the exercise.
Time Under Tension
Time under tension is another great resistance training technique that F45 incorporates into our workouts like Angry Birds and Liberty. Time under tension increases the time of the eccentric movement on an exercise; for example slowing down the movement from chest to floor in a push up. This longer eccentric movement initiates a greater muscle building response compared to regular timed movement. The main reason for this is that there are less muscle fibers attached during the eccentric contraction therefore more muscle tearing, which in turn, promotes muscle growth. The tempo workouts F45 provide are generally less reps which allow members to restore movement and work on developing lifting techniques. It is also a great tool to progress a particular exercise for the more athletic members.
Resistance training can be more than just overloading techniques and repetitive movements. Through these different movements and stabilizers, F45 members may see an increased range of movement and muscle activation that will create more effective lifts. Remember, functional training is not just about performance, but it also improves the ability to move well through everyday life and take on physical challenges we may be presented with.
