Adding resistance bands into your exercise regime is a great way to increase your strength, get your heart rate pumping, and increase your flexibility and balance. And all without putting any undue strain on your joints.
Here are our top ten benefits of using resistance bands for exercise. And if you don’t have any resistance bands yet, you can grab yours at victoremgear.com.
1. Resistance bands are portable
Unlike barbells, resistance bands are easy to pop into your bag to exercise anywhere you like. No need to find a gym everywhere you go, either. You can get a full-body work-out no matter where you are.
You can also easily bring them to the gym and use them on the mats or with other equipment.
2. Resistance bands are inexpensive
Compared to the price of a treadmill, power tower, or exercise bike, resistance bands are way cheaper. A set of resistance bands can cost as little as $28.
3. Resistance bands are flexible
They stretch, so they’re flexible, but what we mean here is that you can choose how hard you want to work out, depending on the strength of the band. Generally speaking, resistance bands that are lighter in color have less resistance than the darker ones.
You can start at a level that works for you and work your way up as you like.
Just don’t start with a level that’s too difficult for you: resistance bands are tougher than they look!
4. Resistance bands can help with rehab
If you are recovering from an injury, you want to be able to work out at a pace that won’t put too much pressure as your body is healing.
You can gently increase your strength, improve your range of motion, and get a good stretch using resistance bands.
Because you are in control of the angle at which you’re working out rather than following the limits of a machine, you can target problem areas in a way that suits your body best.
Resistance bands can even be helpful for people with arthritis.
5. Resistance bands are useful for warmups and cooldowns
Because resistance bands are excellent for improving flexibility in joints and muscles, you can use them either before or after a work-out.
For your warmup, resistance bands can provide an easy way to get your heart rate up (think star jacks with the band around your ankles). The idea is to provide a light amount of work-out for the muscles that you’ll be focusing on in your main series of exercises.
For your cooldown, you want to stretch those muscles that you just worked to keep their range of motion. This is easily done with resistance bands.
6. Resistance bands provide variety
It’s easy to incorporate resistance bands into exercises that you’re already doing, to give yourself a bit of variety while still building strength.
Simple exercises such as squats, plank, lunges, crab walks, leg raises and others can all be done with resistance bands.
7. Resistance bands help improve the overall quality of your work-out
With resistance bands, your muscles are taut the entire time, unlike with weightlifting. Therefore your muscles are working harder, which means you’re getting more out of each repetition.
You can easily combine resistance bands with existing equipment, too.
8. Resistance bands help you focus
Bands bring a mindfulness aspect to your work-out because you need to focus on where your body is in space. This is because resistance bands offer a more extensive range of motion, so it’s important to check yourself throughout the exercise for form.
If you’re someone who has difficulty concentrating, resistance bands are an excellent way to give your mind a work-out at the same time as your muscles!
9. Resistance bands help strengthen the muscles that stabilize your body
Because you need to focus on your form when using resistance bands, you’re working on other parts of your body at the same time. For example, doing pullbacks for your arms will engage your core muscles too.
You’re also working your muscles fully, from extension to contraction. This will improve your overall strength – and, therefore, your results. Unlike weights, where you work hard for each rep and then relax, with resistance bands, your muscles work the entire time.
10. Resistance bands help improve your sports performance
There are specific exercises you can do with resistance bands that can improve your performance, whether you’re into cycling, yoga, baseball, running, or something else.
Resistance bands have been proven to build strength just as much as training with weights.
And because resistance bands work on every part of the body, the sky’s the limit!