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Exercise bands
PETE GLADDEN
Pete’s World
Published: December 9, 2019
Every so often I like to highlight a workout apparatus that’s sometimes looked down upon simply because of its simplicity and/or mundaneness when compared to today’s high tech fitness machines and electronic gizmos.
One such training tool––which doesn’t seem to get a whole lot of cred nowadays––is the exercise band.
Exercise bands come in a plethora of styles: handled bands, tubular bands, tape bands, figure-8 bands, ring bands, loop bands, etc., etc. And I think one of the coolest things about the exercise band is the fact that it's so cost-effective. Heck, most bands can be purchased for under ten dollars apiece, and even the larger, thicker loop-type bands, used for assisted pull-ups and the like, can be had for $30-50 each. That’s a pittance compared to most exercise equipment.
Another nice thing about exercise bands is their adaptability to most any fitness participant’s ability level. They’re available in light, moderate, or heavy thicknesses, and you can further adjust band tension by changing your grip positions. Shoot, you can even use a couple of bands at the same time to manipulate tension.
Now if you’re still scoffing at the idea of getting in a good, hard workout with an exercise band, I challenge you to try them based on the info I’m about to provide. I’ve been programming band workouts for over a decade, and I still have clients marveling at how tough these band exercises can be. So let’s look at why using an exercise bands is different from using weights, and then examine several ways to utilize these exercise bands.
First, unlike lifting a weight, where the resistance remains the same throughout the full range of motion, a band's resistance increases as you continue to stretch it through that same range of motion, with the greatest resistance occurring at the apex (top) of the exercise. It’s that particular fact which makes using a band really tough, because different muscles might have to engage in order to stabilize the joint at that apex point - which is a big plus if you’re shooting for enhanced muscle activation.
Don’t believe me? Try a seated shoulder press with a moderate weight and hold that weight for a few seconds at the top of the lift with arms fully extended - it’s almost like there’s recovery point at the apex. But use a moderate band for the same exercise and hold for a few seconds at the apex - you’ll soon find it’s really tough, with no recovery whatsoever.
Second, bands give you more mobility, allowing movement in directions and patterns that weights cannot. And this has everything to do with gravity. Gravity is always pulling the weight down, whereas the band doesn’t undergo the physics of gravity. Don’t believe me? Try doing a standing barbell chest press with a moderate weight…you won’t be able to because the weight will pull yours arms down to the ground well before you can fully extend your arms to the apex. But do a standing chest press with a band…and you can fight as much resistance as you can possibly muster, yet the arms will never drop down towards the floor.
Another cool way to utilize the band is by doing static contractions at that apex and/or at the muscle’s strongest point of contraction. And when I say “static,” I’m talking about lack of movement such that you hold the band in a fixed position for 10, 15 or even 20 seconds or more. These can be excruciatingly difficult.
Want to crush your core? Again, bring on the band. Take the side plank exercise…which you can make exponentially harder with a band. Fix the band to a secure object, assume the side plank position with your waist in line with the band’s anchor point, grab the free end of the band with the elevated hand and do reps that consist of pulling the band to the side of your waist - essentially you’re one-arm rowing while in plank.
You can use the band as an adjunct to twists, squats, lunges, good mornings, pushing and pulling exercises––the list is endless. And again, because the band continues to get harder to stretch through the full range of motion you can totally blast those muscles into oblivion.
Yup, bands are pretty cool. So why not…jump on the bandwagon?