Well, that's an excellent question! This underrated and unassuming piece of exercise equipment gets first prize for the best "all -you’ll-ever-need" piece of fitness equipment! (Please note that this blog does contain affiliate links)
The benefits far outweigh the simple structure and size, making a resistance band the one piece of exercise equipment that there's no excuse to not own!
You can use resistance bands for so many types of exercises that can help you build and stabilize muscle and increase flexibility. Looking for some examples? Grab my free twenty minute video by clicking
here
Anybody can benefit from the use of resistance bands: whether you're a beginner; someone who usually uses weights; you're recovering from an injury; or even have limited mobility.
Resistance bands really have got a lot to offer!
1. They're inexpensive and easy to store. They take up hardly any space and you can perform a variety of exercises with one band. This means you don’t need so many weights or other kit. If you work-out at home, a set of resistance bands are essential.
2. You can train anywhere. They're so portable and lightweight and can be easily stored in your backpack, handbag, or suitcase. No matter where you're going, you'll have a portable gym in your pocket.
3. They're versatile. You can train almost any muscle in your body with a band. By narrowing your grip, you can increase the resistance of the elastic band, increasing the difficulty of the exercise. This creates countless possibilities to train your body and adapt the level of your workout according to the progress of your training.
4 You get the same muscle activity with bands as with weights, but less chance of injury. In fact, training with resistance bands provides similar and sometimes even greater muscle activity versus weight training. One major difference is that there's a lower amount of force applied to your joints, which means that more stimulus can be provided to the muscles with less chance of injury - the need to control the bands from snapping back into place means greater stimulation and strength through the muscle’s full range of motion,
5. The constant tension from bands requires you to stabilise the rest of your body to maintain form during many exercises. This also means that you'll often need to activate your core for balance. It's also much more difficult to "cheat" the exercise by using momentum.
6. Resistance bands are ideal for rehabilitation. They've been proven to improve strength, size, and function of muscles in the elderly as well as those undergoing rehabilitation. Bands can provide very light or heavy resistance which can be used in targeted ways for specific muscles while protecting joints.
7. Bands are epic for both, post-workout stretches, and pre-workout mobility. Using a band in a stretch acts as a support while you extend your range; and can also help you to reach stretches that you might not usually be able to reach! Power bands are also excellent for improving ankle and hip mobility while squatting when wrapped around a sturdy object (e.g. a pillar or tree).
8. Using bands reduces the pressure on your joints versus weights. They're not dependent on gravity and therefore reduce joint compression, which helps to prevent injuries on your joints in the long-term. Due to the flexible and variable execution of movements during an exercise, the workouts are also less repetitive, therefore reducing stress on your joints.
