Your rhythm to go to the gym is fine. Every now and then you prefer to hang out on the couch, but in general you regularly go to the gym with your sports bag. But as soon as you cross the threshold and see half of your peers toil with dumbells and the other half do pushups and burpees as if they've never done anything else, you start to ask yourself again: which of the two is better now? Or, also not unimportant, which one do you have to do to achieve the result you have in mind?
To answer these questions that may run through your mind during your workout, we have delved into the literature and listed the pros and cons of training with your own body weight and training with weights.
Training with body weight vs training with weights
What do the statistics say?
Training with your own body weight
leads to a 23 percent decrease in the risk of premature death, according to
research. Weight training also pays off, because taking the dumbells off
the rack twice a week can lower your long-term risk of dying from cardiovascular
disease by as much as 41 percent.
And the science?
Good news for fans of training with
your own body weight. These exercises belong to the 'closed chain'
category, while the weight exercises are 'open chain'. An open chain means
that you push or pull an object, while with a closed chain you move your body. And
the latter can therefore provide a boost in strength from your lower body,
because this is 18% more than when you train with open chain exercises, so the
weights.
But if you are a fan of training with
weights, don't worry, because this form of training is associated with a 37%
decrease in the risk of metabolic syndrome, which can cause cardiovascular
disease and diabetes. This is probably related to an increase in muscle
mass.
The advantages…
The most obvious when it comes to training with your own body weight is of course that you can do this anywhere. Whether you stop during a run for a few push ups, or if you just prefer to train at home, this form of training is always possible.
But there is also an advantage when you train with weights, by choosing the bicep curls, leg extensions and lat pull downs in the gym you choose total control over which part of your body you train. Something that can also be very nice if you are recovering from an injury.
...and the disadvantages
If you are mainly interested in increasing your strength, you can only rise to a certain height with training with your own body weight. There comes a time when you can no longer make them more challenging without weights.
Unfortunately, there are not only
benefits for weight fans, because choosing this form of exercise too often can
cause your blood pressure to rise significantly, which increases the risk of
heart disease. It may therefore be wise to check this first with a trainer
if this is important for your medical history and you would like to train with
weights.
What do the experts say?
Personal trainer Bradley Simmons was also asked to give his opinion on the two training methods: 'Exercising with weights carries a higher risk of injury than training with your own body weight, so it may be good to start with the latter. This also promotes your balance, agility and flexibility.' But that's not all, says LIFTED fitness personal trainer Laura Hoggins: 'Strength training burns fat and builds muscle mass. By using materials for this you can keep track of your progress and by choosing increasingly heavier weights you can get the maximum result from your workouts.'
Which moves literally and figuratively make you sweat?
If you like training with your body weight, you know that sustaining a plank exercise can be quite a challenge. But if you are ready for a more challenging variant of this exercise, you can go for the 'cross plank toe-tap' variant. You start with a high plank (on your hands and toes), lift your hips and touch your right foot with your left hand and then return to the starting position. Of course you repeat this on the other side. Guaranteed that the sweat will be on your back after a few uses!
Do you prefer the weights if you read this? The 'clean and press' is a real winner here. You lift the weight first to your chest, and then above your head. You can add weight to this exercise to make it more challenging, but the exercise does require some technique. It is therefore wise to start with a low weight until you have mastered the exercise well. It is also wise to have a trainer watch if you have not done this exercise before, so that you can prevent injuries.
And the winner is....
Exercise with weights. To get or stay fit, training with your own body weight is a very good option, but adding weights to your routine will give you the most gains in your workouts. Triggered to add weights to your next workout right away?
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