Resistance Band Training 101

Resistance bands are an incredibly popular and affordable piece of training equipment which can be used by anybody as a means of strengthening and/or stretching your muscles for a wide variety of reasons, be it for aesthetics, athletic performance, or as part of recovery from an injury.

The versatility of the resistance band allows it to be used to modify a wide range of exercises, offering benefits that you just cannot get from dumbbells, weights or gym machines.

One of the big pluses when it comes to resistance bands is that, similar to isolation, they offer similar or sometimes greater activation of the muscles, but with a lower amount of force on the joints, reducing the risk of injury.

Not only is this good news for those in great physical shape, but also for those who may be just starting out, in a recovery phase, or for those who experience joint pain.

You have a great amount of control with resistance bands, as they enable you to utilize your bodyweight and current strength capacity. Using that against the tension provided by the band, can be a lot easier in training versus trying to lift fixed weights like dumbbells for strength training. 

Incorporating resistance bands into your workouts will allow you to modify the difficulty of exercises, making them easier if you are new to exercise and more challenging if you are looking to progress and enhance your strength.

Tougher bodyweight exercises like Pullups or Muscleups can be made easier with resistance bands, giving you additional support as you lift and lower yourself in those exercises, becoming Assisted Pullups and Assisted Muscleups. 

The assisted versions using the bands can help you learn the mechanics of the movement and become more aware of your body positioning before you increase the challenge and focus on building strength. 

They also allow you to up the intensity and difficulty levels of almost any bodyweight exercise, through the level of added tension you need to work against (the resistance for which it’s named!) This adds to the intensity and challenge because your muscles are working harder throughout the exercises.

Another benefit of using resistance bands is that they also enable you to do some unique exercises (like Shoulder Pull-Aparts, for example) that cannot be done with weights. 

The constant tension from resistance bands also adds an element of stabilization to most exercises, requiring your body to activate your core and other muscle groups for balance and control. 

Finally, resistance bands are also ideal for stretching and mobility, and as they are small, they are perfect for use on the go, or when you are travelling.

One of the drawbacks of resistance bands is that you cannot easily track progress. With weights or machines, you can easily see how you are improving and adapt the settings or increase the weight as you get stronger.

However, this is not easy to do with resistance bands, which can make it slightly harder to motivate yourself.

Depending on your goals, training with resistance bands may not be enough, as there is a limit to the load a resistance band can provide.

Making sure you invest in the right resistance bands can also be tricky. Make sure to know where you are at in your training and capabilities, do your research, and opt for the type of band which best suits your needs and fitness goals.

It is also important to look at the quality of the band you are buying, as cheaper options may stretch overtime or snap and fray after lots of use.

Another factor to keep in mind is that the resistance offered by bands will increase as the band stretches, meaning that resistance bands do not provide an equal overload throughout the movement.

This can make exercises harder as they progress or towards the end of the move and result in the exercise seeming easier in parts where it is supposed to be hardest and vice-versa.

When incorporating resistance bands into your workout you need to pay extra attention as they can be the source of preventable injuries.

One of the main dangers is the band breaking or users letting go of the band while under tension, which could cause the band to snap back at speed, resulting in an injury.

Normal wear and tear can also break down resistance bands over time, so it is important to inspect your bands before every use.

As a rule of thumb and to keep your bands in the best condition, try not to overstretch them and be mindful of the surfaces you use them on, as well as where and how they are anchored.

Whether you are looking to lose weight, gain strength, increase muscle mass or simply stay fit, resistance bands can and will help.

Research shows that resistance training, whether done using weights or resistance bands, is super effective for weight loss. In short, the higher your muscle mass, the greater your body’s ability to burn calories, so building strength via resistance bands will likely help in your bid to lose weight, as well as tone up.

In terms of gaining strength and lean muscle, resistance bands also offer benefits that can complement and provide alternatives (in some specific cases) to lifting weights.

This is because they allow for full range of motion through the joints which, in turn, allows you to build strength and muscle whilst also aiding functional fitness to improve your body’s efficiency.