Adding resistance bands to your workout routine is an intimidation-free tactic to start testing out muscle-busting moves before trying dumbbells or the barbell to make gains.
But if there’s anything that can be learned from the benefits of resistance bands, it’s that the simple piece of equipment shouldn’t be reserved for just the beginner exerciser. In fact, they deserve a place in even the most seasoned athlete's equipment closet. Here’s what trainers want you to know about this potentially overlooked exercise tool.
7 Benefits of Resistance Bands
1. They’re super affordable and easy to transport.If you’re stocking up your home gym and can’t decide if you should buy a rack of dumbbells or a set of bands, do yourself, your closet space, and your wallet a favour and skip the free weights — at least for now.
2. They help stretch and warm up your muscles before a tough workout.
If you have about as much flexibility as a wooden board, resistance bands are going to be your BFF for stretching. Looping a band around your foot, rather than trying and failing to grab your heel with your hand, can help you better stretch out your hamstring if you're extra tight. Plus, bands can be used in warm-ups to activate the muscles that will need to be recruited in the upcoming workout, including weight lifting, running, and other strenuous exercises.
3. They test your muscles throughout an entire exercise.
Just because bands are cheaper than free weights doesn’t mean they’ll give you a workout so easy you barely break a sweat. In fact, one of the key benefits of resistance bands is their ability to strengthen your muscles by increasing the time they spend under tension.
4. They great for functional fitness training.
Unlike gym machines, which keep your body moving in one set plane of motion, resistance bands can be pushed and pulled in nearly any way you want, so you’ll develop a degree of motor control and coordination as you use them, says Steele.
But that’s not the only functional-training benefit of resistance bands: Bands offer more planes of resistance than dumbbells, so you can actually perform a greater variety of exercises with them.
5. They keep your form in check.
As you progress through the workout and start feeling ready to call it quits, it’s tempting to let your form go to the wayside and your effort level flatline. But with your resistance bands acting as your accountability buddy, there’s no chance for you to slack off. Resistance bands help create a “muscle-mind connection” that helps keep your form right on the money during the entire exercise.
6. They are incredibly safe to use.
Sure, you won’t have to worry about dropping a heavy weight on your foot, but that’s not the only safety benefit of resistance bands. Weight training can just be very hard on your muscles, tendons, and ligaments, and sometimes you're not in full control. With resistance band training, you’re in control the entire time. You’re not worried about jerking weights, and you’re going to protect your ligaments and tendons by controlling your muscles throughout the entire movement.
7. They can help modify or progress an exercise.
Frantically squirming your way to the top of a pull-up bar isn’t doing your upper body any muscle-building favours. So if you can’t gradually lift your body up in a controlled movement, strap a long loop resistance band to the bar and step into it.
Perform Better have a wide range of resistance bands, check out our collection HERE
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Perform Better have a wide range of resistance bands, check out our collection HERE
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