Manual resistance is something that I rarely see used in the gym anymore, which is too bad because, when implemented appropriately, it can be very affective for increasing strength, particularly for female and elderly clients or those with movement disabilities. Okay, it probably sounds awful that I am grouping all females into the same category as the elderly and physically disabled, but please bear with me and let me explain.
First, what is manual resistance? Basically, manual resistance is any type of controlled external resistance loaded against your movement by another human being, such as a training partner, personal trainer, or performance coach. What manual resistance allows you to do is generate a lot of force without having to a move a lot of weight.
Examples of manual resistance exercises would be towel curls or extensions where the client or athlete is holding on to one end of the towel and performing an overhead triceps extension or a biceps curl and the trainer or coach is holding the other end of the towel and pulling down, providing an appropriate amount of resistance throughout the range of motion.
As I stated earlier, I like using manual resistance with my elderly and female clients, in particular. The reason I like using it with the elderly is because I can have them train a bunch of different muscle groups without having to make them move around the gym from machine to machine or rig up a bunch of different pulleys at the cable station. Instead, they can just stand, sit, or lie in one place and I can provide the resistance as they move their limbs.
For females, manual resistance can be a very important training tool as well. The reason I like using it with my female clients is because a lot of them are afraid to use bigger weights, even though they are stronger than they think. So instead of having to deal with a hissy fit when I give them certain dumbbells for an exercise, I can apply an appropriate resistance to them and they have no idea what the exact number is.
One of the downfalls of manual resistance is unilateral movements. Reason being, it is extremely difficult to ensure you are applying the same amount of resistance to each limb during the set. For this reason, I would not suggest using manual resistance as your sole form of resistance for unilateral exercises, but instead use it to supplement weights or bands.
Get big or die tryin'.
Charlie Cates is a human performance specialist and the owner of Self Made (http://selfmadefitness.com/) in Chicago, IL. He is a Certified Personal Trainer and Performance Enhancement Specialist through NASM and has worked with competitive and everyday athletes of all ages and ability levels, from 9-year-old kids to NFL MVP's. He can be reached via e-mail at charlie@selfmadefitness.com.
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