The Problem: Resistance training (RT) is an exercise type commonly associated with the performance of muscle contractions against external resistance. This training model is very popular and has been recommended as an essential part of an exercise program by several important associations (ACSM, 2009; Garber et al., 2011). Its benefits are commonly associated with muscle strength and mass gains and expand to several areas such as blood pressure control (MacDonald et al., 2016), improved bone mineral density (Zhao et al., 2015), depression management (Gordon et al., 2018), cancer treatment (Fuller et al., 2018), controlling blood glucose (Codella et al., 2018), weight management (Paoli et al., 2014), among others. Such benefits, largely mediated by strength gains, culminate in reductions in mortality rates in different populations (Ruiz et al., 2008; Artero et al., 2011; Ortega et al., 2012; Hardee et al., 2014; Dankel et al., 2016). Many of the problems that RT has been shown to counteract are related to increased mortality and morbidity associated with COVID, like hypertension, diabetes, coronary diseases, overweight (Muniyappa and Gubbi, 2020; Salerno et al., 2020; Shahid et al., 2020; Singh et al., 2020; Zhou et al., 2020). Although it is not possible to attribute a direct cause-effect relationship between RT and mortality risk during COVID, it might be important to perform RT to improve general health and help in a better prognostic in case of contamination. Notwithstanding, in the face of the coronavirus or COVID-19 outbreak, the practice of RT has been strongly threatened. Considering that this virus is highly contagious and may be transmitted by close contact among people and by sharing subjects, public health policies generally recommend distance from other people, avoidance of tight spaces and agglomeration as preventive measures (Adhikari et al., 2020). Therefore, RT practice faces new challenges and these should be addressed in the near future, for practical and logistical reasons. However, this might not be an inherent problem to RT, but rather in the way that it is commonly understood and applied. Although it originally involved exercises with body weight or objects obtained from the nature itself, RT began to be increasingly associated with sophisticated equipment and facilities, and with time-consuming, and complicated routines. As a result, RT is being mainly performed in facilities such as gyms, health clubs, fitness centers, and with high-cost specialized machines. Such conceptions regarding RT imposes a barrier for its implementation in the current scenario, since its performance would involve agglomeration, climatized environments, sharing of materials, and other characteristics that may favor an increased risk of infection. However, is it important to note that RT does not necessarily involve the need of conventional equipment and facilities which allows it to be performed in a range of alternative situations. When analyzing current scientific evidence, it seems that RT can safely, time-efficient and easily be implemented, in almost anywhere and with minimal resources, which makes it fully feasible within measures adopted to control coronavirus dissemination. Therefore, this opinion aimed to discuss practical and uncomplicated evidence-based RT alternatives to overcome the restrictions measures adopted during COVID-19 outbreak.
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