If you like accessories and other tools and gadgets for your workout, you’ll love today’s article, as we’re looking at the key benefits of resistance bands.
Not only are they budget-friendly, but they also help you work on your gains and lose weight while preventing injuries. Every athlete should have resistance bands in their closet to spice up a workout—they can be used in so many ways!
Can it be that you've overlooked this fantastic workout tool? Let's see if I can convince you to start using resistance bands in your workout.
1. Resistance Bands Are Affordable
The first benefit of resistance bands that we’ll examine today is their affordability. Resistance bands are just large rubber bands, so they don’t cost as much money as weights would. They're affordable, so they’re accessible to everyone, no matter the budget. You'll find high quality resistance bands on Amazon for everything between $9-$25.
2. Great For Static Stretching And Cooling Down
As well as warming up after a testing workout, you should always take a few minutes to stretch and cool down. Just look at the many benefits of stretching if you don't believe me.
Resistance bands are great because you can use them to perform a whole host of gentle stretches and movements to cool down after you’ve finished training and working out. This will not only improve mobility and flexibility but will also reduce your risk of post-workout injury.
3. You Can Perform a Full Body Workout
With resistance bands, you can work your entire upper and lower body, making them ideal for full-body training. If you're prepared enough and have different resistances, the video below will show you a great full-body workout that you can do only using resistance bands.
4. Different Levels Of Resistance
Just as with weights, one has to be able to adjust the resistance according to his/her own strength. The same can be applied with resistance bands – there are plenty of different levels of resistance bands, from beginner to intermediate. They come in varying thicknesses, offering different levels of resistance. Basically, this is the equivalent of using heavier weights when training.
5. Resistance Band Offer So Much Training Variety
Another awesome benefit that we can’t overlook is the fact that they offer so much variety in training. Resistance bands can be used in many different ways to perform a wide range of exercises, and they can be used with ankle weights or a weighted vest for more pressure. I use them to perform presses, curls, pulls, warm-up stretches, just to mention a few exercises.
Basically, if you can do the exercise with a free weight, you can also use resistance bands to mimic the exercise and work for the same muscle groups. Not eager to use them during the exercise? That's alright, but why not give them a try during warm up?
6. Great For Warming Up
Speaking of warming up, another awesome benefit is that they are great for warming up. Before you exercise, it doesn’t matter what you do; it’s essential that you take the time to warm up before you begin training.
Warming up will help you get your blood pumping, raise your core temperature, loosen up stiff muscles, and prevent rips and tears. In terms of injury prevention, resistance bands are ideal. Speaking of which…
7. Resistance Bands Can Help Prevent Injury
Another fantastic benefit of resistance bands is that they can help prevent injury when working out. If, for example, you lift weights, before you start lifting heavy weights, I recommend that you warm up your muscles and get them stretched out and loose.
Another great use of a resistance band!
Rotator cuff injuries when lifting, for example, are very common, which is why it is worth taking the time to warm up the shoulders and rotator cuff with resistance bands before you begin training.
8. Great For Home Workouts
Yes, we know we already mentioned that resistance bands are portable and great for use on the move, but we didn’t go into much detail regarding how resistance bands are so great for home workouts.
More people than ever before are working out from home, and granted; this is partly because they’ve had no choice, but it is also because they enjoy doing so.
If you want to train from home or if you have no option but to work out from home, one of the best things about resistance bands is that they are the ultimate home workout accessory.
You can wrap them around doors, wedge them under table and chair legs, stand on them, use them in the garden, and a whole lot more besides.
9. Alter Familiar Exercises
Another reason why you should consider incorporating resistance bands into your routine is due to the fact that they allow you to alter familiar exercises.
If you are looking to perform shoulder presses, for example, you can wedge the bands under your feet, take a seat in a chair, and press them over your head to mimic the action of pressing a set of dumbbells or a shoulder press machine.
The same goes for preacher curls, triceps kickbacks, lateral raises, and a whole lot more on top of that.
10. Can Be Used As An Extra Resistance
When we speak of the benefits, we must also remember that resistance bands can make awesome accessory lifts, too. One great reason to add resistance bands to your workout routine is that you can use them with weights to get more from the exercise. You can wrap them around a barbell when you’re doing bench presses, deadlifts, squats, or even overhead presses. The added resistance will not only help to assist with muscle growth but can also increase overall strength and power.
Many powerlifters and strongmen, such as Eddie Hall And Stefi Cohen use resistance bands as part of their training to increase their strength, and we can understand why.
11. Great For Functional Strength And Fitness
One thing that sets resistance bands apart from say, machines is that resistance bands are great for building functional strength and fitness. Whereas machines will only allow for your body to move in one straight plane range of motion, resistance bands can move freely and can mimic everyday movements and actions.
As you use them, you will also recruit core stabilizer muscles, so your abs and core will become stronger and more defined, too.
12. Great For Rehabbing Injuries
Injuries happen, and whether yours is gym-related or not, it is important that you take your time to ease back into training. This is where resistance bands prove to be especially useful.
You see, resistance bands are great for rehabbing injuries because they don’t put any pressure on the joints and they are far more forgiving than free weights and machines. For example, if you’ve recently undergone shoulder surgery, it will be a while before you can lift heavy weights to train your shoulders.
If you go with resistance bands, you can work the shoulders while protecting them and keeping them safe. Until you are able to use weights, resistance bands are ideal for people who have undergone surgery or are rehabbing injuries.
13. Saves Storage Space
In a perfect world, we’d all have a home gym complete with plenty of kits and accessories. The main issue with working out at home is that most of us do not have storage space, so we just don’t have anywhere for all of this kit to go. I wish I could use my garage as a gym, but that place is taken up as a kid's area. So whenever I work out from home, I get to settle with a small space in our bedroom.
The great thing about resistance bands is that they are essentially portable gyms you can carry anywhere and store anywhere, taking up virtually no space at all. Resistance bands can go in boxes, drawers, bags, under beds, in wardrobes, in gym bags, or anywhere else for that matter, and they will take up virtually no space at all.
14. Safe To Use When Alone
Some resistance training can be dangerous, especially if you train alone. Lifting heavy weights by yourself, for example, could result in a painful injury, which is why you need to be careful. Training alone with resistance bands, though, is much, much safer. There’s no risk of dropping a heavyweight or crushing your joints, making them very safe indeed.
Who Should Use Resistance Bands?
- Anyone Trying to Lose Weight
- Anyone Trying to Gain Weight
- Pregnant Women
- Athletes
- Those rehabilitating from a Muscle Injury
Resistance Bands Pros and Cons
| Pros |
|---|
| Lightweight and portable |
| It can be used for both upper and lower body workouts |
| Suitable for all fitness levels |
| It can be used for both upper and lower-body workouts |
| Offers variable resistance levels |
| Safe and easy to use for beginners |
| Helps improve muscle strength and endurance |
| Allows for targeted muscle activation |
| Cons |
|---|
| Limited resistance compared to free weights |
| May require multiple bands for higher resistance |
| Elasticity may degrade over time with extended use |
| Some exercises may require anchoring the band to a stable surface |
| Resistance level may not be consistent throughout the movement |
| Can be difficult to gauge progress with resistance bands alone |
The Bottom Line On-Resistance Bands:
So, now that we’ve listed the many benefits of resistance bands, what’s the verdict on these bad boys?
Well, we love them. The bands are safe, affordable, and portable, and they really work. If you want to try something new as part of your training, resistance bands are perfect. They can be used by seasoned gym rats, kids, and pregnant women as they are so safe.
