1. Don’t resist. Resistance band training is stretching it’s way across the globe. And it makes sense, resistance bands are the best way to get a complete workout, at any level, for an awesome price.
2. They’re easy to pick up and jump right in, so if you’re new to the gains game, there’s nothing to worry about. And even the most advanced athletes can complement their routines with resistance training and would benefit from adding it to their arsenal. But if you’re not convinced, check out these 6 ways resistance bands will step up your workout.
3. Constant Tension
- No headaches here. Resistance bands are simply more effective. By providing constant resistance through every rep, your muscles spend more time under tension than they do with regular free-weights and dumbbells.
- Sometimes with free-weights, once you reach second position and lock, a new set of muscles is activated to help with the strain, shifting the focus of the workout and lessening the gains.
- But with resistance bands, the tension builds as you extend the band, increasing tension, reaching its strongest pull at second position, giving you more time under tension on every rep. Over time, this promotes greater muscle growth.
4. Muscle Targeting
- Don’t let gravity hold you down. Free weights use gravity to make workouts effective. That means your range of motion when targeting muscles is limited to vertical movements. Think about all the muscles you’re missing at angles you just can’t hit with free weights.
- With resistance bands you can target more muscle groups than you could with a free-weight or dumbbell, just by adding a new set of angles to apply resistance. This is because instead of gravity, bands rely on tension to provide resistance on any plane of motion.
- These unique angles also allow for training specific movements or sports specific activities for a more focused and effective workout. Targeted exercises make resistance bands perfect for injury therapy and rehabilitation, that’s why physical therapists and sports trainers keep them at the ready. We have prepared 7 ways to keep yourself in shape this winter, more details in our article.
5. Safer to Use
- Rest easier when you work safely. Resistance bands eliminate so many of the dangers to working out. One obvious way is by taking heavy, clunking objects out of the mix. This means more than saving some toes and fingers. Without the risk of gravity weighing down your dumbbells, resistance bands allow you to train to failure without the need for a spotter to help you safely offload the weight.
- This added safety also means you have more muscle control through each rep, making it safer to bail when necessary. More control means less wear on joints, tendons, and ligaments, so you can keep exercising.
6. Find Your Form
- With free weights, it’s easy to slack and slouch, especially as that last rep inches closer. But here’s the thing, with resistance bands, good luck cheating your way through a work out.
- You see, with resistance bands there’s no momentum to help you swing into your rep. With free weights, it’s not uncommon to see beginners or even exhausted pros start to rely on momentum to carry them to the end of a workout. Resistance bands require constant tension which keeps your muscles working and building through each rep and to the end. Overtime, this teaches your mind to maintain form as your body pushes through each exercise, with the muscle-mind connection. This connection will even carry over as you integrate free-weights into your workouts.
7. Just a Warm Up
- At the end of the day, the best thing about resistance bands is that they do what you need. They can be your total home gym solution for a head to toe workout, or the first 15 min of hard hour long session. Bands are the perfect compliment to your exercise at every level, because they can adjust directly to your needs.
- Whether you’re a beginner looking to get fit, or a professional athlete rehabbing a pitching arm, resistance bands are versatile and ready to tackle your needs. That means that they fit into every part of your fitness journey, including all the ups and down in between. So take your first step, rehab an injury, or get a quick warm-up, whatever you choose, resistance bands are an easy way to get you going.
