HomeExerciseExercise Bands:  Resistence Is Key: Try Bands

Bands Strengthen with Resistence

Resistence bands are a valuable piece of workout equipment that no one should ignore. Although they are incredibly simple, lightweight, and cheap, this does not mean that they have no serious benefits in a workout. They have been around for a while now and have been used by many doctors in prescribing physical therapy for injured muscles and joints, but many people still believe that only the biggest and most expensive workout equipment will transform their exercise and their bodies.

As with all forms of exercise, resistence bands are not for everyone. However, why not give them a try to see what they can do for you? Buying a resistence band and trying it for a few days or even weeks (even if you decide you don't like it later) is smarter than spending a large sum of money on a costly treadmill or exercise bike and using it to hang your clothes on, don't you think?

Resistence Bands vs. Other Weights

People really only have two options for muscle strengthening exercises: free weights/weight machines and resistence bands. While it is true that resistence bands are not for you if you want to bench press a hundred pounds or more, the reality is that most people--especially most women--are more concerned about strengthening and toning existing muscles instead of building large, bulky muscle mass. And this means that resistence bands are exactly what most people need: a controlled, effective way to strengthen and tone muscles.

Resistence bands work by providing continual, uniform resistence throughout the entire range of the exercise. Many people who use free weights or dumbbells for their muscle-strengthening exercise are actually getting very little benefit out of their workout because they perform the exercises incorrectly. With free weights or dumbbells, it is very easy to let muscles other than the ones you are trying to strengthen do the work or to only feel the effort for a portion of the exercise. This is because gravity--or the lack of--plays a significant role in lifting weights. Think about it: When you are doing a simple bicep curl with a dumbbell, once you get the dumbbell raised a little more than halfway, it is much easier to do the rest. And lowering the dumbbell often gives no benefit at all because people simply drop it back down, letting gravity pull it, instead of resisting slowly so they can feel the effort. Resistence bands provide continual resistence throughout all phases of the exercise, so it is harder to "cheat" yourself and get less of a workout than you intended.

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