Resistance Band Training

When it comes to working out, most people feel that hitting heavy weights, doing bench press, curls, squats, etc. is the best way to go.  While there is nothing wrong with that, there are different ways and techniques of working out to get the results you want.  The most used  excuses that people give for not working out is that they don’t have the time or money to go to the gym, OR they do not have the room in their house to buy a bench press and store all the weights.  Here’s a solution: resistance bands.  One response I get from people is, ”That little band? I can bench press 170lbs – that will do nothing for me.” Give it a try, I guarantee your mind will change.

What makes resistance bands so good?

1. Builds “whole body” strength.  Band training allows you to train the whole body using multiple vectors, multiple speeds, and a changing ascending resistance while exercising in any posture or position you choose to use.

2. Less chance of injury and easier on the joints. Band training is easy to learn and any fitness level can work with them.  They are a great tool to work full range of motion, and you build strength while doing so. Using free weights only, over time, causes joint surfaces and surrounding soft tissues to develop wear patterns which ultimately leads to longer lasting post exercise inflammation — noted by joint pain and stiffness.

3. Band training allows body weight training to remain highly portable while being able to impact traditional body weight training with multiple resistance vectors. This includes assisted body weight exercises that are often too challenging for many of us to do…. like pull ups.

4. Improves balance. Balance is keeping your base of support over your center of gravity. Therefore, to improve standing balance, strength training exercises should be done on our feet. Resistance band strength training was designed to strength train in an upright standing position versus lying down or sitting.

5. Greater Convenience. Band training provides significantly more strength training convenience in regards to where, what and how you wish to train on a particular day.

6. Strengthens the core with every exercise. The bands force the core to be on call at all times as a dynamic stabilizer.

7. Improves Flexibility. As you stretch out the band, you lengethen your muscles. This repeated lengthening allows band training to influence flexibility and mobility far more than free weights can.

8. The best reason of all, is that it costs so much less and takes up less space than free weights and other machines!