You’ve doubtless crossed paths with a resistance band or two alongside your health journey. While they appear like simple gym equipment, they come jam-filled with a full range of advantages.
So, we turned to two Aaptiv trainers to inform us extra about resistance bands and the way to make use of them in our training.
How do resistance bands work?
Aaptiv trainer Candice Cunningham says, “Resistance bands work by adding an exterior resistance power that can be utilized with out having to carry additional weight per se.” They are flat, typically looped bands that range from thin sizes to thick.
Aaptiv coach and owner of Trainers in Transit, Jennifer Giamo, further explains, “They provide resistance at varying levels of issue (mild, medium, heavy, additional heavy) when offering the opposing pressure with your personal physique weight. When they are anchored in place, you possibly can push, pull, curl, and so on. towards the rubber resistance.”
What are some advantages of resistance bands?
Travel-pleasant
There are a number of benefits to using resistance bands, which makes them so well-liked amongst gym goers and trainers alike. “They are portable [and] cheap,” Giamo says.
Resistance bands can be utilized anywhere-the gym, at the park, in your house. They’re compact and gentle so they don’t take up a lot house or add weight. Basically, they’re good for fitting in workouts on-the-go.
Just pop one of those bands in your luggage, and jacquard elastic webbing you’ll set up your personal residence gym in the midst of your hotel room.
Multi-stage
You may have noticed that resistance bands are available in various colors and knitted elastic band thickness. Each size and colour usually correlates with a sure resistance level.
So, you may choose which band to use based in your skill and the exercise you’re doing. It makes this multi-stage fitness tool great for all levels, says Giamo.
Variety
“They’re great for activating muscle teams prior to heavy lifting or cardio train to ensure correct muscle teams are working and doing their jobs,” Cunningham adds. “They’re also nice for toning smaller muscle areas.”
But you don’t need to learn new workout routines or movements to use the bands. Take exercises you’re already accustomed to, and make them extra challenging by adding further resistance. Alternatively, you possibly can really make some strikes simpler by using the bands as leverage and offsetting some of your bodyweight.
“They present variety to a routine workout and also allow for muscles to work concentrically and eccentrically-providing resistance during the ‘work phase’ and the ‘rest section,’” says Giamo. “[Resistance bands] are also quite simple to make use of when working out by yourself. They’re safe and efficient.”
What exercises can I do with resistance bands?
You can use resistance bands as a part of a wide range of fitness routines and workouts. But they’re notably helpful in relation to energy and toning workouts.
“The benefits of utilizing resistance bands for strength coaching are limitless,” Giamo says. “You can carry out workout routines for each major muscle group, challenge your existing routine ([for instance], add them to push-ups for increased problem). You too can enhance your vary of motion, flexibility and muscular endurance.”
There is a variety of workouts you should use them with similar to assisted pull-ups, chest press, bicep curls, and tricep extensions.
“Some [other] great workouts are scapular retraction pulls and pull ups for higher physique, for lower body glute bridges, lateral kicks or walks, and clams,” says Cunningham.
Are resistance bands higher than free weights and gym machines?
While resistance bands are great, it doesn’t imply that you should shun the free weights and gym machines utterly.
“I think they are a superb complement to weights and machines,” Giamo explains. If you have any questions regarding the place and how to use jacquard elastic webbing, you can contact us at the web page. “They assist add a special ingredient to strength coaching and are particularly great when weights and machines usually are not obtainable. You can mimic virtually all workouts and work the same muscle groups utilizing resistance bands.”
In reality, studies show the consequences of mixing elastic and free weight resistance on power and power in athletes. A mix of the bands and free weights, for example, reveals significantly higher outcomes in contrast to only using free weights alone.
Ultimately, to improve your total physique composition, don’t simply depend on one or the opposite. Use a mixture of resistance bands, free weights, and machines to provide yourself an important workout – you can find this and more inside the Aaptiv app.