On the evening of the 11th of November, our research team hosted a workshop for UL Science Week on the mental and physical benefits of resistance exercise training (RET). This event wasn’t just an opportunity to share our findings; it was a rare and meaningful chance to practically apply our work and see its impact unfold right in front of us.
We opened the workshop with a seminar highlighting the wide-ranging benefits of RET. Associate Professor Mark Lyons kicked things off with an engaging discussion on attendees’ knowledge of the physical activity guidelines and the well-established physical benefits of resistance exercise.
I then took to the floor to give an overview of our team’s research over the past number of years on the psychological benefits of RET, including groundbreaking work led by Professor Matthew Herring, Dr. Darragh O’Sullivan, and Dr. Brett Gordon. I shared findings from our most recent randomised controlled trial examining the effects of resistance exercise training on anxiety and depressive symptoms in young women with Analogue Generalized Anxiety Disorder; an area where practical, accessible interventions are very much needed.
After the seminar, we moved to the sports hall for the practical element of the workshop. Here, we demonstrated simple RET exercises that can be performed at home with little to no equipment. This was followed by a short workout that allowed attendees to try the exercises themselves and experience first-hand just how manageable and time-efficient RET can be in everyday life.
The turnout and engagement exceeded our expectations, and the feedback we received was incredibly encouraging:
“Such an engaging and interesting session.”
“Such important work and delivered in a really engaging format.”
“Amazing presentation and practical session.”
For us, the highlight of the evening was the chance to bridge the gap between research and practice. It allowed us to turn our scientific work into something people could use to support their mental and physical health. It’s not often that research teams get the opportunity to see their work making an impact in real time, and we thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it.
We look forward to many more events like this in the future, where we can continue to share, apply, and expand the reach of our work in meaningful and accessible ways.
We would also like to express our sincere thanks to Rosie Daniel, whose excellent organisation made this workshop possible.
Jennifer Rice is a PhD student in the Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences at the University of Limerick.
Contact: jennifer.rice@ul.ie ORCID LinkedIn ResearchGate Follow on X
PESS News & Information 