Ever noticed those brightly colored bands that people have wrapped around their thighs?  These are resistance bands, although sometimes they may be referred to as Power Bands. They’re a great tool to have in your arsenal, especially if you train at home or travel a lot. Let this be your go-to guide on their benefits, as well as several links to the workouts that feature them here in the ZGYM!

Resistance Bands

What exactly are resistance bands? They’re a special tool designed for either stretching or strengthening your muscles. And their use can go towards several things, including isolating smaller or supporting muscles, flexibility, mobility, physical therapy, and athletic performance.

There are different types of bands to choose from. There are tubes with handles attached at the end, which can be used as a replacement for free weight exercises like bicep curls and rows. Then there are flat bands that can easily wrap around your hands, thighs, and ankles; these are often used for pilates workouts, physical therapy, and strengthening. You also have loop bands, which are similar to flat bands. The difference here, though, is that they’re much smaller and create a “loop”; these are best for isolating the lower body and can be used to work the thighs and glutes. Woodoo bands (we use them in the ZGYM in Mob Therapy) which are wide and long bands used for improving mobility and occlusive training (application of the bands around your extremities while performing exercise) and finally, you have the power (or mobility) bands, which are thick, double-duty loop bands that are used for flexibility and mobility training along with resistance training. They’re also good for adding assistance to pull-ups- excellent for beginners or newcomers to this advanced exercise!

Benefits of Resistance Bands 

Here’s why you should consider training with resistance bands!

 Safe Resistance Training: Bands are very effective training tools. Just because they don’t have any weight does not mean you shouldn’t use them! Some research suggests they provide as much, if not greater, muscle activity than traditional weight lifting! That’s because they barely have (if any) impact on the joints, allowing you to focus more on the muscles themselves. So, if you need to go low impact or prefer that style of training, then consider going with the bands! [1]

Tension: Another advantage of bands over weights is tension. Why care about tension? With tension comes greater muscle activation, leading to more strength and growth. Compared to free weights, bands provide consistent tension. When performing an exercise with weights, one can use momentum throughout the range of motion causing a portion of the exercise to be weightless. Resistance bands provide constant tension through every movement, no matter how fast you move. In fact, resistance bands deliver what is called progressive resistance, which means the resistance actually increases across the concentric phase of an exercise (once again, causing even more muscle activation).

Load Placement: Weights are gravity dependent and gravity only pulls the weight in one direction and that is down. Because of that you have to move your body and joints in the correct position in order to target the desired muscles. Resistance bands can provide resistance independent of gravity depending on where the end  of the resistance band is anchored. You can target the same muscle  groups with a different line of pull.

 Total Body Workout: Depending on the type and number of bands you buy, you can have a complete, total body workout. Similar to an entire gym! And it changes according to how you use them. For some, all you need to do is put them around a muscle group, like the thighs. With others, you have to step on one end or loop them around a stable surface. Either way, they’re effective at training the whole body and can often be used as a substitute for exercises that require dumbbells (tricep extension, curls, row, etc.)

 Flexibility, Mobility, and Rehab: All three of these things can be done with resistance bands. Aside from being safe for the joints, they’re very useful for stretching exercises that would require a partner for adding pressure (think stretching your hamstrings while lying down). You can wrap a powerband around a chair or piece of furniture and use it to improve mobility in areas like the hips and ankles by distracting and stretching the joints. If you need to rehab a muscle, bands are a gentle way to strengthen, stretch, and increase mobilization without putting the rest of the body at risk for further injury. You’re not just supporting recovery; you’re training them, too (killing multiple birds with one stone- or, band, in this case).

Great for Travel: The next time you book a vacation, why not take them with you? Bands are super easy to pack. You can even fit them in your purse! They’re small, light, and portable, making them one of the top pieces of travel-friendly equipment. Got a small space? Pressed for time? Bands to the rescue!

User-Friendly: Most people can use resistance bands especially seniors, pregnant women, people with arthritis or sensitive joints, and those with injuries (with a doctor’s approval, of course). Athletes can still reap the benefits, though. National boxing champion Daniel Sanchez whole-heartedly recommends them, saying, “As an athlete, I learned that there is nothing better out there to make you faster and stronger than resistance bands. You can take them with you everywhere and get a good workout no matter where you are- very important for my training, especially with my shadow boxing, punching speed, and even toning with no weight involved. If I had to pick dumbbells or bands, I would choose bands every time.” [2]

 Inexpensive: While buying exercise equipment is an investment in your health and physique, they can burn a hole in your wallet. And if you’re already short on space as it is, then bands are a worthy option worth looking into. They practically take zero space, are not dangerous to keep around kids or pets (if you have any), and can be easily stored (shelf, bag, cabinet, etc.).

My Favorite Bands

Here are the bands I use in the ZGYM:

Power Bands
Assist Pull Up Band (Power Band); the red band gives light support for pull-ups, the green or blue ones are best for complete beginners since they provide the most support (so start with blue and work your way up to red).
Woodoo Floss Bands

Start Right Now 

Ready to get started? Grab yourself a set of bands and log in or sign up for the ZGYM and try these workouts!

Beginners

Bunny Slope Workout #16
Bunny Slope Workout #17
Bunny Slope Workout #19
Beginner Power Band #1 

Intermediate to Advanced

5-Minute Workout #66: Butt and Abs
Stretch and Tone #2
Summer Shred #15 X
Lifted Butt Series #16
Heartbreaker Body #9
Low Impact Full Body #17

Sources:

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16558530
[2] https://www.prosourcefit.com/blogs/news/9-reasons-to-use-resistance-bands-for-working-out