Benefits Of Resistance Bands In Training

How to get the benefits of exercise resistance bands in training, and what is the difference between loop style and tube style exercise resistance bands? Where can we use them, and in what ways? Can they replace weights? Are they maybe even better than weights? Are resistance bands good for weight loss? What about muscle gain? What is the linear variable resistance that they provide? How many levels of resistance is there in a band?

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Getting Started with Exercise Resistance Bands

Knowing the benefits of resistance bands in training can be confusing initially. The first thing to do would be to choose the style of the exercise resistance bands. There are tube-style and loop-style bands. Loop-style bands are better because they have fewer limitations and are more efficient.

Many people start with tube bands, and they can be more appealing at first because of all the accessories they have, like handles. Loop-style exercise resistance bands can be used in more ways, like anchored or unanchored exercises. That gives you more exercises you can do, more flexibility, and mobility. Getting yourself a set of loop bands with a door anchor gives you almost the whole gym in a bag.

People often have a question when starting: What kind of exercises can they do with exercise resistance bands? The logic behind it is actually straightforward. The best way to go about it is to mimic the movements you would do with free weights or any other machine in the gym.

Weight Loss And Muscle Gain

It is common knowledge that in order to lose weight, one needs to be active and train. But people think that all you need is to go for a jog. Now, don’t get me wrong, aerobic exercising is absolutely a must, and not just for weight loss, but for a good deal of other health-related reasons also, like heart health.

Combining aerobic and anaerobic types of exercises gives us the best results to get fit, lose weight, or build muscles. Strength training is often neglected, but it is even more important than cardio if you want to get that beach look for the summer. It has to become your way of life to keep excellent physics and health instead of just an occasional thing.

Training with exercise resistance bands falls under an anaerobic strength workout that makes it possible to gain muscles and a nice toned body. Weight loss comes from the logic that as you build more muscles, your resting metabolism rate gets higher and thus burns fat and food you eat more quickly.

Comparing Exercise Resistance Bands To Weights

To get stronger, build more muscles, and lose fat, we have to use progressive resistance. That means lifting heavier weights, and in the case of exercise resistance bands, we can use thicker bands or pre-stretch them to get more resistance, which is just one of the benefits of resistance bands in training.

Variable speed comes to play when doing the reps, and it means that with bands, same as with weights, you can control time under tension by going slower or faster or even holding the band when stretched for a while. Bands have an advantage here because you can do your reps more explosively with them. Weights in the same scenario rob us of some resistance with the momentum we get when trying to do the same exercise with them.

The free range of movement with bands is greater because we can train at different angles and positions, something you can’t do with weights. For example, training some muscle groups in a standing position.

Also, one of the benefits of an exercise resistance bands workout is constant tension. Resistance is present throughout the whole range of motion when pulling or pressing the band. With weights, when you get near peak contraction where you want most resistance, it actually gets easier, which is something you don’t want.

Linear Variable Resistance And Resistance Levels

Linear variable resistance is the most noticeable when stretching the band. The more you stretch it, the harder it gets. That is very good because people are weaker at the beginning of the movement and stronger at the end. That gives us the possibility to use that resistance more efficiently.

When training with weights, resistance comes from gravity. With bands, it comes from the bands themselves, which is another advantage of the bands. The tension created by bands more naturally matches the strength curve of our muscles.

One would think that free weights give more options since there is a whole rack of them in a gym and thus more levels of resistance they provide. That isn’t true because there is more resistance diversity in a set of five resistance bands, depending on how much you pre-stretch them.

Exercise resistance bands can be used in combination, two or more together, for people who need really heavy resistance. Other ways to increase resistance are to move further away from the anchor point or stand wider on a band when doing unanchored exercises.

Where and When to use them?

The thing that many like about resistance band training is that you can do it anywhere you want. If you are traveling and want to do your workout, you can do so in a hotel room, for instance, or maybe on vacation, and there isn’t a gym nearby.

If you are an outdoor person who loves nature, you can do your exercises in really cool places and enjoy working out in an environment where you feel nice and relaxed.

Maybe you are very busy, and there is no time in your schedule to go to the gym. In that case, you can use exercise resistance bands in the comfort of your own home when there is time for it. You don’t have to organize your life around exercise. With bands, you can do the opposite.

Why Would You Use Exercise Resistance Bands?

Knowing the right technic, and having a good set of exercise resistance bands with a door anchor, gives more diversity and possibility than a gym can give you. There are many benefits of resistance bands in training compared to free weights. They are light to carry with you wherever you go and very portable.

Also, exercise resistance bands are a much cheaper version of a quality workout than a gym when you add up monthly memberships throughout the year. I guess there really are a lot of benefits of resistance bands in training.