Have you ever thought about how every square is a rectangle, but not every rectangle is a square? 

The difference between resistance training and strength training is the same concept: All strength training can be considered resistance training, but not all resistance training can be considered strength training.

Consider the following example- if I were to put on a 40-pound backpack and go for a walk, I wouldn’t necessarily be getting stronger, but I would be participating in resistance training. I could go for that walk for quite some time before getting fatigued, and I likely could do this again tomorrow or the next day. 

Now consider this example: A high school Jiu-Jitsu athlete grapples and lifts his training partner who weighs 150 pounds daily at practice. He does this each week for about 30-45 minutes as they do drills. Then he goes to the gym and deadlifts 150 pounds. Would this be getting him stronger? The answer is no. Again, this would simply be adding to his resistance training time, just in a different environment. 

Let’s look at one more example. A 43 year old woman does 3 sets of 2 Front Squats at a high percentage of her maximum capacity output for a training session. Now, she is doing actual STRENGTH training. Yes, she is facing resistance as in the other examples, but in this case, she is pushing her body to adapt to a stimulus that is at or near her full ability. This is how she will get stronger over time. 

Folks, learn to pick heavy things up—I mean really heavy. Flip your resistance training on its head. Start strength training for strength and consider your current resistance training plan as another form of cardiovascular work. This is a new year. Let’s get fu**ing strong! 

Yours in STRENGTH, 

Nick and Tom