Using Resistance Bands for Home Workouts

For men 50 and over, gym time may be at a premium given our busy schedules or the many obstacles that interfere with our lives. (At the time a of this posting, COVID-19 has been a major factor for most of 2020!) The doesn’t mean that our health, fitness, and overall wellness aren’t still first and foremost in our minds, even more now than ever before. So, how do we efficiently use more of our free time to increase of fitness levels? Easy, we incorporate the training and equipment that fits within our lifestyle yet delivers meaningful exercise. It’s time to look at credible alternatives to crowded gyms with our blog: Using Resistance Bands for Home Workouts.

What Is Resistance Band Training?

Exercise bands work by providing external resistance from the muscle in the form of varying degrees of elasticity. The thickness of the band represents the number of “pounds” being worked against. Most products are color-coded and will show the number of pounds of resistance on each set. Typically, each band size increase equates to a 5-pound weight increase.

You can use your total body weight as resistance for exercises like squats and push-ups, or the bands can be anchored in place for pushing, pulling, and curling. Single bands can be shortened, or you can double up in order to achieve the desired resistance to meet your fitness needs.

Benefits of Bands Versus Weights

• Exercise bands are light-weight and elastic, which makes them a conveniently portable piece of exercise equipment that can be stored anywhere for easy access. Put a few sets in a small gym bag and keep it in the trunk of your car for the next time you head to a local park.
• They’re much more affordable than free weights. One single set of ten-pound dumbbells costs approximately $30.00. You can get an entire set of exercise bands that provides five or six resistance levels for around the same price.
• Bands are convenient and space-effective. You may need a fully-stocked gym in order to achieve a thorough full-body work out with weights, but with exercise bands, you can achieve the same variety in the comfort of your own home.
• You’re less likely to suffer injuries with a band because the taut rubber prevents overextension of the joints. Also, because bands are less stable than free weights, they have the added advantage of working the smaller, ancillary muscles which can improve balance.

Are They Effective?

Available research demonstrates that resistance bands are as effective as free weights and weight machines at increasing strength and building muscle. A 2018 quasi-randomized controlled clinical trial compared band training versus weight machines on muscle force, functional exercise capacity, and health-related quality of life in middle-aged to older adults. The study found that training with bands leads to similar positive gains in both strength and function compared to traditional weight machines.

Another 2018 study that examined muscle activity in upper-body exercises using bands versus free weights found that the participants who used bands achieved almost the same degree of muscle activation in the pectoral and deltoid muscles as participants using dumbbells. Additionally, resistance bands significantly increased muscle activation in the smaller, surrounding muscles compared to free-weights.

Several systemic reviews have also supported the conclusion that bands are an effective alternative to traditional weight lifting. A 2016 meta-analysis from the Human Kinetics Journals looked at the body of controlled clinical trials and found that band training was as effective at (though not superior to) improving muscle strength and overall function as other methods such as free weights.

More recently, a 2019 systemic review of available studies that compared band training to dumbbells and weight machines found “…elastic resistance training is able to promote similar strength gains to conventional resistance training, in different population profiles and using diverse protocols.”

Resistance Band Training, Programs and Equipment

Resistance bands have been around since the late 1800s, and getting traction as a physical therapy tool and exercise equivalent here in the U.S. for a few decades now. There are a host of training programs online, from beginner to advanced that you can watch to make the most of your resistance band workouts. Couple these with cardio sessions if you want, although one 30 minute band workout alone will certainly elevate you heart rate. (I use most programs with the husband and wife team at HasFIT, and James Grage when I want to “gorilla” it up. Find a trainer or program that suits your need for intensity and you can match your gym routines.)

Resistance band equipment is as varied as the training programs, but one of the major benefits to bands is the simplicity. You can vary the type, from the regular bands with grip handles to full loops, but the deciding factor really is your choice and the degree of intensity to the band. Accessories can include wall mounts, door adapters (great for tricep work) ankle straps (for leg extensions), straight bars (curls and upright rows) and even full base kits if you don’t want to trust simply standing on the band to exercise.

Final Thoughts

The evidence that using resistance bands for home workouts is just as efficient as other methods of strength training is well founded. Taken together with their many other advantages, and their affordability, it’s clear they’re a valuable piece of exercise equipment that everyone who cares about their fitness should have on hand.

We hope that you’ve found some useful information with our piece; Using Resistance Bands for Home Workouts. As always, if you don’t see something here you want us to cover, feel free to reach out to us directly through our Contact page or leave a comment below. Stay healthy and happy! ~ Glen.

References:

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5844202/

2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5873332/

3. https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/jpah/14/4/article-p317.xml

4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6383082/