So what do weighted vests, Pilates, and muscle ‘toning’ programs all have in common?
They are not resistance training or strength training.
First, a little background. Resistance training refers to training that is done at 70-80% of your 1 rep max.
It is recommended that most adults do resistance training 2-3x a week for each muscle group.
A 1 rep max is the most weight you can lift in a single lift. The good news is that you don’t actually have to do a 1 rep max.
The bad news is that weighted vests, Pilates, and muscle toning programs aren’t cutting it to get you even close to that threshold.
A good rule of thumb is to know if what you’re doing qualifies as resistance training is that you do a set and feel like you get close to failure within 12 reps or fewer, ideally 8-10 reps. You should feel like you could only do a couple more reps before taking a 1-2 minute rest break.
Wearing a weighted vest while walking does qualify as cardio, but it has minimal benefit for bone, tendon or muscle strength. If you enjoy walking with a weighted vest, keep it up, it definitely counts as cardio!
I will give Pilates and HIIT classes this - there may be a few movements within any one session that are hard enough to be considered resistance training, but generally these are working muscular endurance. The ratio of hard work to rest is high enough that instead of focusing on building muscle and bone your body is focused on maintaining at that intensity without rest.
Yes Pilates, HIIT classes, and muscle toning can all be extremely challenging, but they don’t build muscle or bone. (Side note: an athlete with great cardio or muscular endurance will always be limited in what they can do by how much muscle and bone they have if they never prioritize building muscle and bone.)
A common misconception of exercise is that it should make you sweat or sore in order to be effective.
Many people find that they sweat less and get less sore after a few weeks of resistance training instead of HIIT classes and Pilates. I have even found that people enjoy strength training more than they realize once they learn this about it.
If preventing muscle or bone loss is part of your 2026 goals and you have never learned to enjoy strength training, now is a great time.
You’ll want to be able to add weight to your exercises so that you get close to your limit, for this reason I always recommend having a variety of dumbbells or access to a gym.
Remember you’re shooting for almost getting to failure within 8-10 reps so if you can do 12-15 reps of an exercise before you take a rest break, add a little more weight to the next set. If you’re getting close to failure, over time you’ll be able to add weight so that it takes more weight to get to close to your limit. Keep track so that you really know it’s working!
Happy New Year!
Katy
P.S. If you want support with learning how to enjoy strength training, reply to this email. My mission is to help mountain athletes build muscle and bone so that they can continue to safely play outside throughout their life!