Fred Dimenna - As an athlete, I avoid resistance training because I heard it could adversely affect my performance. Is that true?
As an athlete, I avoid resistance training because I heard it could adversely affect my performance. Is that true?
The old theory that athletes should not train with weights because it will make them muscle-bound has been proven false time and time again. Many successful participants in all types of sports train with weights to enhance their performance. Resistance training won’t make you inflexible if you continue to include regular range of motion enhancement work in your exercise regime. There are, for example, a number of competitive bodybuilders with huge legs that can still do full splits! Added muscle provides a number of advantages in many sports. In those where bodyweight is important (football, for example), adding muscle is the better way to increase your bodyweight, as compared to adding fat. Stronger muscles also decrease injury risk, both by augmenting the integrity of the joints, as well as by providing a type of armor to lessen the severity of impact-related traumas.