Resistance bands (also called power bands) offer a variety of training options. Due to the unique properties of elastic, you get a unique training stimulus by training with resistance bands.

PROPERTIES

Resistance bands are in fact nothing more than large elastic bands, made of natural rubber (latex). You have traditional resistance bands, to which you can attach handles and ankle bands, for example, and loop bands, which have no ends and which you have to keep in or around your hands.

Two types of resistance bands: traditional (left) and loop bands.

The bands are available in different strengths, which allows for different resistance levels, making them suitable for every strength level. You can also combine different bands to get a higher resistance. The lightest tires offer a (maximum) resistance of about 10 kg. The heaviest tire we know offers a (maximum) resistance of no less than 125 kg.

When a resistance band is stretched, the resistance increases. This increase is (slightly) degressive. This means that the resistance increases less quickly the further the tire is stretched. The variable resistance makes resistance bands unique in the arsenal of training materials.

APPLICATIONS

Resistance bands are extremely versatile and have various fields of application. The main ones are:

• injury prevention and treatment;
• flexibility and mobility;
• strength/resistance training – as an alternative to or to make exercises with dumbbells or body weight (calisthenics) heavier or lighter;
• plyometric, or jump exercises;
• speed and agility training.

The exact application depends, among other things, on the resistance. In this article, we will focus on using resistance bands in resistance/strength training. But the resistance band also has various applications in this field.

APPLICATIONS IN STRENGTH TRAINING

Resistance bands are used in strength training:

• to make exercises with dumbbells or body weight lighter;
• to make exercises with dumbbells or body weight heavier;
• as an alternative to dumbbells or equipment.

For example, resistance bands can be attached to pins (called band pegs) at the top or bottom of a power rack or cage. Deadlift platforms also often offer the option of attaching straps. You can also attach resistance bands to weight and training benches in various ways.

MAKING EXERCISES PARTIALLY LIGHTER OR HEAVIER

By attaching the bands to the top of the rack and to the barbell, you can facilitate the early stages of exercises such as squats, bench presses and deadlifts. The bands then help you especially in the beginning of the concentric, or positive phase of the exercise. That is, when rising from the bottom position on the squat, pushing the weight off your chest on the bench press, and lifting the bar off the floor on the deadlift. Because the stretch and the tension on the bands gradually decrease, they provide less and less help, making the exercise more and more difficult towards the end.

By attaching the straps at the bottom of the rack and to the barbell, you make the lockout phase of squat, bench press or deadlift more difficult. After all, when attached in this way, the tires will offer more and more resistance. Before resistance bands became fashionable, powerlifters used chains for this purpose, which are still used today.

By using resistance bands in these two different ways, you can emphasize certain phases of an exercise and the muscles involved. They actually help you train more specifically and, for example, train the lockout on the bench press in a targeted manner – with the emphasis on the triceps – without having to perform the entire exercise heavily. This benefits training specificity, an important training principle. In this way you can work out with resistance bands compare with doing partial reps (or simply partials), with the added advantage that you exercise over the entire range of motion (ROM).

EXPLOSIVITY AND SPEED TRAINING

We tacitly assumed that you have weighted the barbell with weight plates. But you can also train with just a barbell and resistance bands. In this way, resistance bands are mainly used in training aimed at explosiveness and speed – important aspects in strength training!

CALISTHENICS

Resistance bands are also a valuable tool when doing exercises with your body weight, or calisthenics. Depending on your training experience, you can make bodyweight exercises lighter or heavier with resistance bands.

Pull-ups and chin-ups for example. Many novice strength athletes can’t even pull themselves up once. By attaching resistance bands to the chin-up bar and looping them under your knees or feet, you make the exercise lighter and you can still perform it. Progress is achieved by doing more and more reps and eventually using lighter resistance bands until you can perform pull/chin-ups independently.

In more or less the same way, you can use resistance bands for dips. The advantage of bodyweight exercises with resistance bands over machines is that they help you learn the correct movement pattern and improve your technique.

Bodyweight exercises such as push-ups and bodyweight squats, on the other hand, can be made heavier with resistance bands. After all, the advanced strength athlete will receive little stimulation from exercises with only body weight.

RESISTANCE BANDS AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO DUMBBELLS AND EQUIPMENT

Finally, there is a whole range of exercises that you can perform with resistance bands, where you can see the bands as an alternative to dumbbells and training equipment.

Flyes, reverse flyes (or band pull-aparts), biceps curls and triceps extensions are some exercises that you can all perform without too much imagination with just resistance bands. Although you do need an anchor point for some exercises to attach the band to.

As mentioned before, you can also attach handles and ankle bands to traditional resistance bands. With the help of a door anchor you then have a considerable arsenal of exercises at your disposal. In combination with bodyweight exercises, you can put together a fairly complete workout at home or on vacation.

Fitness elastic set consisting of 11 different parts. Make your home workout as heavy and extensive as you want.

Keep in mind that you will have to train your sets to or near muscle failure if you want to create any serious growth stimulus for muscle maintenance or possibly even for muscle growth.

But then again: if you normally mainly do compound exercises with heavy weights, it becomes difficult with resistance bands to create just as much mechanical tension and therefore an equivalent training stimulus.

See training with bands, supplemented with bodyweight exercises, mainly as a tool to maintain muscle mass as much as possible when you are not able to train for a long time.

EXERCISES WITH TRADITIONAL RESISTANCE BANDS

With traditional resistance bands, including handles, ankle bands and door anchors, you can train your entire body in a way similar to what you do at the gym. In the video below many suggestions for exercises.

EXERCISES WITH LOOP BANDS

What kind of exercises can you do with loop bands? Coach John Meadows* gives you some suggestions below.

* Update 10-8-2021: John Meadows has passed away at the age of 49.

Keep in mind that John uses different types of bands and that you need a pole or pillar for some exercises. However, you can also use a door anchor.

UPPER BODY: PUSH

• Chest: activating chest press (3:35), push-up (4:40), single-hand chest fly (5:55), low-angle crossover (7:33)
• Shoulders: delt raises (9:10), shoulder press (9:42)
• Triceps: kickbacks (10:45), pushdown (11:22)

UPPER BODY: PULL

• Back: bent-over single-arm row (1:03), two-arm row (1:56), pulldown (3:15)
• Rear delts: pull apart (4:00), single-arm pull apart (4:09)
• Biceps: biceps curl (4:48), hammer curl (5:40)

LOWER BODY

Bulgarian split squat (1:30), single leg glute bridges (3:30), stiff legged deadlift (4:26), terminal knee extension (5:40), step squat (6:50), calf raises (9: 09)

COMBINE WEIGHTS WITH TIRES

If you have weights, for example a set of dumbbells, you can increase the resistance by adding bands. For example with (split) squats and the floor press.

EVEN MORE EXERCISES

Face pulls (00:39), pull throughs (1:36), triceps extensions (2:49), front squat (3:30), biceps/hammer curls (5:20)

And another row of exercises for your upper body that you can do with a basic set of bands.

BUY RESISTANCE BANDS

There are a few things to keep in mind when purchasing resistance bands.

First of all, the band must of course match your training level and the application. For help with body weight, for example, you need lighter ones than the bands you use to weight your squat or deadlift.

Second, quality is something to look out for. The better resistance bands are made of 100 percent natural rubber (latex), without cheap filler materials. A good resistance band also forms a seamless whole.

You can of course buy one resistance band and, depending on the application, buy a lighter or heavier band as you progress. However, complete sets of resistance bands are also available at a discount.

DURABILITY

Good resistance bands are quite durable, but nevertheless subject to wear and tear. You can limit this wear by, for example, using two lighter tires instead of one heavier tire, or by regularly switching between tires. It is also better not to stretch the tires to more than twice their original length. If the bands have come into contact with perspiration, it is best to wipe them with a damp cleaning cloth and then dry them. Talcum powder protects resistance bands from moisture. Also, do not store them in direct sunlight.

With frequent and intensive use, resistance bands will last about one to two years. During that time, the elasticity of the tires and thus the resistance they offer will (very) slowly decrease. To continue using resistance bands safely, check them regularly for signs of wear, such as hairline cracks. The discoloration is also a good indicator of the condition of your resistance bands.