RESISTANCE BAND BENEFITS
Resistance bands are the fastest growing fitness accessory for women and men alike. This is due to their versatility, health benefits, transportability and low cost. It doesn’t matter whether you’re looking to tone, build, strengthen or work on an old shoulder injury, they can be used in almost an infinite amount of exercises to benefit these.
Below, we cover all the fundamentals of resistance band training to get you off to the best start possible.
WHAT ARE RESISTANCE BANDS?
There are different types of resistance bands and MADFITT focuses on the two most common types. Our short resistance bands, also known as glute bands, are designed specifically for leg exercise. And our long resistance bands, or strength bands are designed for all other muscle groups.
Our short bands come in different sizes and resistances to match your preferred specification. Our long bands are all the same length but again come in different resistances.
The lighter the band the more it’s suited to exercises that require a greater range of movement. And it's also slightly easier to use so ideal for anyone who is just starting out. The heavier the band the more resistance it provides like adding weights to a bar or machine.
MADFITT bands are made from high quality elasticated fabric which can be looped round gym equipment such as a rack or a stand, or simply used on their own. They can be knotted to make them smaller – this can help when targeting your lower body. Or you can use your feet to stretch and anchor the band, to suit your height and ability.
WHAT DO RESISTANCE BANDS DO?
Resistance bands have a variety of uses:
To build strength – each band exerts a particular amount of force on your muscles when stretched and can be used in both upper and lower body training.
To improve mobility – resistance bands are a great way to help you improve your flexibility.
For rehabilitation – resistance bands are low impact and perfect for aiding recovery as you control the force. They are especially useful when it comes to working on shoulder, hip and knee injuries.
For weightlifting – resistance bands can also used in weight training. Wrap them around the ends of a weight bar or dumbbell and they make exercises more challenging. This is a great addition to a home weights set where you might not have as heavy weights as the gym.
For assistance – resistance bands can be used as your own training assistant. For example, loop them around the pull up bar and place your knee inside the band to support your weight and increase your reps.
RESISTANCE BAND BENEFITS
Resistance bands have thousands of uses and associated benefits making them the essential item in your kit bag:
1) THEY IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF YOUR EXERCISES
When training with a resistance band your muscles are under constant tension rather than something like a dumbbell which relaxes the muscle at the top and bottom of the range of motion. This means your muscles are working harder and you’ve got better contraction which is the key to getting stronger.
2) THEY HELP TO FOCUS YOUR CONTROL
Free weights get their name from being free from control from a machine or anchor point. The require more effort put in to control the movement which works not just the target muscle but also multiple stabilising muscles. This improves functional strength helping build core strength.
Resistance bands are very much like using free weights. You have to use stabilising muscles which can make you feel a little shaky at first. Controlling both the tension and the release improves this and takes a good amount of concentration which makes for a more stimulating workout.
3) THEY’RE FUNDAMENTAL FOR FUNCTIONAL TRAINING
There is a lot more movement involved when using resistance bands compared to static gym exercises. This is great for stretching your joints and allowing for more natural movements that you do everyday.
Building this sort of strength will help you reach your goals but also stay flexible, mobile and healthy in later life too.
4) A GREAT ALTERNATIVE TO GYM MACHINES
Gym machines can be good if you are just beginning training as they teach you the general movements and feel required to target specific muscle groups.
However, you will quickly find that they can feel restrictive and, depending on your body type, can make you move in an unnatural plane of motion which can quickly cause injuries.
Resistance bands allow you to work the full muscle, regardless of body shape, from extension to contraction which will give you the best results.
5) THEY’RE LIGHTWEIGHT
Resistance bands weigh less than 200g! This makes them easy to move around. You can carry them to your gym and use a band you are familiar with, safe in the knowledge only you have used it. If you can’t get to the gym then resistance bands mean you can train effectively at home without taking up loads of space. Equally, if you travel regularly and you don’t want to let your training slide then just chuck a band in your bag and use them wherever. You can even take them on holiday to remove some of that holiday guilt.
6) THEY’RE DESIGNED FOR COMPOUND EXERCISES
Compound exercises are when you use several muscles at the same time. Resistance band exercises are geared more towards compound movements which will give you a full body workout. This makes for a really efficient workout which will use more energy in a shorter period and will improve your coordination.
7) YOU HAVE CONTROL OVER THE ANGLE
Training with a straight barbell in the gym can be beneficial for heavy lifting but can also be restrictive or painful if you have joint or wrist injuries.
When using resistance bands, you have greater control over the angle you hold and move the band in. This means you avoid training in uncomfortable positions while still targeting the right muscle groups.
8) THEY PROMOTE BETTER FORM
Ultimately, using momentum to squeeze out the last few reps while doing an exercise is cheating and will not benefit you in the long run. Resistance bands make cheating a lot harder as you have to maintain tension on the bands throughout the workout. This means each rep needs to be high quality working the muscles from start to finish.
9) BANDS WILL TEACH YOU TO FEEL WHAT’S WORKING
As resistance bands are so dynamic the force you feel with be affected by many factors including; your set up, positioning, angle and movement. To tell what muscle is working and how much you need to be really focused on the feel of each exercise. Training your brain to feel the target muscle working will allow you to focus on squeezing them right until the very end of the exercise to reach that full contraction.