Often people have difficulty getting a resistance workout in because they either can’t get to a gym due to lack of time or the cost of a gym membership. They may want to set up a home gym but lack space to accommodate it. These are definitely real issues confronted by a lot of folks.
However, a great solution that they might not be aware of is using elastic resistance, either in the form of resistance tubing or flat bands (the most common flat bands being Therabands®).
In addition to those items, there are innovative elastic resistance based devices on the market that allow for a lot of versatile workout options, such as Bodylastics (pictured below), Lifeline's TNT System (and their other products) and the Powerbase® which was invented by Mike Flynt (the author of "The Senior", who returned to play college football at 59 years old).
I wrote a detailed review of the Bodylastics Max Tension set and made comparisons between it, the Lifeline and Powerbase systems in this blog post (click on link):
My Review Of Bodylastics Max Tension and More About Elastic Resistance Training
I wanted to mention that in this article I often will refer to tubing, bands or cables somewhat interchangeably though technically "bands" are actually flat of elastic resistance devices and tubing or cables are more.... well.... tubular.
Anway, I’ve been using elastic resistance as part of my training arsenal for close to 20 years and I can vouch for the fact that you can get a real workout using this equipment!
My first experience with elastic tubing was in 1990, I purchased a Cory Everson “Body Shaping Home Gym” (which was elastic surgical tubing w/ plastic handles and a door attachment). Cory is a multiple Ms.Olympia winner who had a show on ESPN called Bodyshaping for many years which is where I saw this new (at least new to me) device advertised.
The package also came w/ a workout video (back in the days before dvds) which I still have. In fact for fun, I broke it out one day not that long ago and ran through it and it was STILL a great workout, kudos to Cory for being so far ahead of her time!
Being a fitness-a-holic even back then, I bought it so I could continue my workouts when I went on vacation. I knew the cabin in Lake George, N.Y. where I was going with my then Fiance’ (and now wife of 19 years), wouldn’t have any workout facilities available. The thought of going a week without some resistance training was “unthinkable” to me. I know, a bit loony, I admit it, but I still bring workout equipment with me when we go anywhere (at least a yoga mat and some elastic resistance).
I would wake up early each morning on vacation and I’d wrap the tubing around a tree trunk because the cabin didn’t have a door strong enough to anchor the bands to. It was actually really nice working out in the fresh air by the lake doing rows and chest presses with it and then a variety of exercises just anchoring the tubing with my feet. I definitely felt those workouts and loved the convenience of being able to “bring the gym with me” no matter where I was!
Over the years I’ve learned that there are many benefits to using elastic resistance, many of which I will cover in this post.
However, a great solution that they might not be aware of is using elastic resistance, either in the form of resistance tubing or flat bands (the most common flat bands being Therabands®).
In addition to those items, there are innovative elastic resistance based devices on the market that allow for a lot of versatile workout options, such as Bodylastics (pictured below), Lifeline's TNT System (and their other products) and the Powerbase® which was invented by Mike Flynt (the author of "The Senior", who returned to play college football at 59 years old).
I wrote a detailed review of the Bodylastics Max Tension set and made comparisons between it, the Lifeline and Powerbase systems in this blog post (click on link):
My Review Of Bodylastics Max Tension and More About Elastic Resistance Training
I wanted to mention that in this article I often will refer to tubing, bands or cables somewhat interchangeably though technically "bands" are actually flat of elastic resistance devices and tubing or cables are more.... well.... tubular.
Anway, I’ve been using elastic resistance as part of my training arsenal for close to 20 years and I can vouch for the fact that you can get a real workout using this equipment!
My first experience with elastic tubing was in 1990, I purchased a Cory Everson “Body Shaping Home Gym” (which was elastic surgical tubing w/ plastic handles and a door attachment). Cory is a multiple Ms.Olympia winner who had a show on ESPN called Bodyshaping for many years which is where I saw this new (at least new to me) device advertised.
The package also came w/ a workout video (back in the days before dvds) which I still have. In fact for fun, I broke it out one day not that long ago and ran through it and it was STILL a great workout, kudos to Cory for being so far ahead of her time!
Being a fitness-a-holic even back then, I bought it so I could continue my workouts when I went on vacation. I knew the cabin in Lake George, N.Y. where I was going with my then Fiance’ (and now wife of 19 years), wouldn’t have any workout facilities available. The thought of going a week without some resistance training was “unthinkable” to me. I know, a bit loony, I admit it, but I still bring workout equipment with me when we go anywhere (at least a yoga mat and some elastic resistance).
I would wake up early each morning on vacation and I’d wrap the tubing around a tree trunk because the cabin didn’t have a door strong enough to anchor the bands to. It was actually really nice working out in the fresh air by the lake doing rows and chest presses with it and then a variety of exercises just anchoring the tubing with my feet. I definitely felt those workouts and loved the convenience of being able to “bring the gym with me” no matter where I was!
Over the years I’ve learned that there are many benefits to using elastic resistance, many of which I will cover in this post.
- Affordability: Elastic resistance is very affordable. You can purchase resistance tubing at most large chain stores, such as Walmart, Target and the like, as well as Sporting goods stores and various online outlets. The best brands though, Bodylastics or Lifeline, are worth getting because they are of a significantly higher quality and are considerably more versatile due to the ability to connect several resistance cables at one time.
- Portability: As mentioned in my "vacation remembrance" above, it’s a very portable form of equipment. In fact, flat resistance bands can pretty much fit in your pocket if need be, and even more easily into a briefcase, so you can take them anywhere. You can even use them during a lunch break for a quick workout, or take them with you when you walk in a park to include some resistance training.
- Convenience, availability, and time efficient: These are all closely related to portability. The simple idea is that if working out is convenient, it is much easier to make time for it. Rather than having to get in your car and spend time driving to a gym, having a quality elastic resistance system available at any time means you can always find time to exercise if you really are commited to doing so.
- Versatility: They are incredibly versatile! With the addition of a door attachment, you can mimic a lot of exercises that would normally be limited to the equipment found in a gym setting.
- Joint Friendly: Elastic resistance is easy on the joints because it is a form of variable resistance which increases in intensity as they lengthen. This means that the most resistance occurs in the place where you generally have the greatest degree of strength from a biomechanical perspective (elastic variable resistance works in sync with the "strength curve" of the human body for most exercises where the body). This means that in the weaker ranges of motion, your joints aren’t having to be subjected to too much overload. This means less stress on the joints and connective tissue and less chance of injury.
- Transitional Fluidity: With elastic resistance it's very easy to flow from one exercise to the next. For example, you can easily go from doing chest presses to rows without having to make much of an adjustment. This makes the process of resistance training very efficient and "user friendly".
- Mind-Muscle Connection: Elastic resistance is a great way for people to learn to make a “mind-muscle” connection with resistance training. Since there isn’t any way to use gravity or momentum (as opposed to dumbbells or barbells which people can “swing” back and forth), you learn to feel the sensation of the muscles contracting and releasing as you flex and extend your limbs. I often find I feel more subtle delayed onset muscles soreness (aka DOMS) from a band workout than a free weight workout. Not that soreness is ever a goal of mine, but it shows that this form of resistance can really create overload.
- Preparation/Adaptation: I have found that anytime I've had to have a "layoff" from training due to illness or any other reason, elastic resistance is a great way me to gradually get my muscles stimulated again and prepared for resuming my overall resistance training program. Along those same lines, for someone who has never done any resistance training or just hasn't done any for a long time, elastic resistance is a great way to ease into it. In truth, I really feel that for most people, elastic resistance is a superior modality of training compared to free weights or even cable machines.
- Safety: Elastic resistance is generally very safe. “Not having to worry about “dropping” a weight on your hands, face or feet” is a nice benefit. The only caveat regarding safety and elastic resistance is to make sure that if you anchor the resistance that it is completely secure. If you use a door, it should be a solid, heavy door (not hollow). Also, I highly recommend using a door you can lock with a bolt to make it even more secure. You should also check the bands before each use to make sure there’s no frays or tears in them because you wouldn’t want them to come apart while you are using them, particularly if you are doing an exercise where they could snap back into your face. Also, it is important not to "overstretch" the bands if you need more resistance but rather use a heavier band or add additional bands (for systems like the Bodylastics and Lifeline TNT system which give you that option).
- Reactive: Resistance Band Training enhances muscle reaction and response time. This is because the elastic resistance is very "alive", as you stretch it, it builds up energy which isn't limited by gravity. This also means you can work explosively against elastic resistance in a way that is different and in my opinion more effective than any other form of resistance. While you can work explosively with medicine balls and cables, the increasing "accomodating resistance" creates a different type of deceleration component.
- Multiplanar/Multiple Vector Training: Elastic resistance tubing allows you to set up the resistance along many “lines of pull” at many angles. This means you can also work in multiple planes of motion against different force vectors rather than just up and down against gravity as in free weight resistance.
- Ground Based Training: This type of training such as rowing or press from a split stance or parallel stance position is incredible whole body training. You have to incorporate all of the segments of the kinetic chain for stability in order to properly perform the movements. This means you are getting core stabilization training at the same time as working on the muscles creating movement.
- Combination movements: also a form of ground based training, you can do squats, split squats or lunges combined with rows and presses of various types. These upper body movements can be performed bilaterally, unilaterally, alternating or reciprocally to create whole body exercises that work you from your toes upwards!
- Buildups: I learned about these from J.C. Santana. The idea is to use elastic resistance exercises from a more functional ground based position and then moving on to more supported resistance training. So you may do a split stance alternating chest press with elastic resistance and then move into doing a dumbbell bench press.
- Supersets: This is somewhat the opposite of the buildup. You would perform a supported exercise followed by a more functional ground based exercise. An example would be to do a one arm D.B. row followed by a split stance unilateral row w/ elastic resistance.
- Deloading Days: Another concept I learned from J.C. Santana. This would be doing a lighter loading day using elastic resistance as a form of active recovery. I do need to specify that just because one is using elastic resistance doesn't automatically equal lower loading. If you have either Bodylastics or Lifeline TNT systems you can have a substantial load available, so you would have to select lower loading from the available elastic cables available.
- Partner Training: with elastic tubing you can work with a partner doing rows, presses many other types of training as a team. For this type of training I recommend using a brand called "Slastix" tubing. These bands are covered in a protective sleeve. This not only protects the bands themselves from damage, but if the band does break it is designed to stay in the sleeve, protecting you from contact. These can be purchased at Perform Better:
For solo training I would have to say that my favorite resistance cables are the Bodylastics band mentioned above, and you can learn more about them from the detailed review I wrote which is linked in the beginning of this blog post.
Bodylastics Website (click on this link)
I'm sure there are more reasons I haven't thought up at this time (and I'll add them in if I find them) but as you can see, I'm a big fan of elastic resistance and highly recommend using them in your fitness program.
Bodylastics Website (click on this link)
I'm sure there are more reasons I haven't thought up at this time (and I'll add them in if I find them) but as you can see, I'm a big fan of elastic resistance and highly recommend using them in your fitness program.
2009 Scott Fishkind Time4You Fitness
Please visit my website at http://www.time4youfitness.com/
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