7 Reasons to Use Resistance Bands

Learn more about the benefits of resistance bands and why this training tool is one of the best portable fitness devices, helping you to stay fit and strong in 2021.

Traveling a lot and don’t have the opportunity to work out? Bored of running in the winter or doing push-ups and squats in the living room? Resistance bands might be the perfect solution for your problems, especially during the dark and cold winter period. 

Resistance bands, which in this blog refer to looped and flat elastic bands without handles, are one of the best choices for versatile training if you are trying to improve your fitness and get stronger. Why? The following sections will describe the advantages that resistance band workouts have to offer:

1. Train Anywhere

Resistance bands are extremely portable, and you can take them anywhere. They are lightweight and can be easily stored in your backpack, purse, or suitcase. Take your resistance band to business trips, holidays, or even to work. Whether you plan to set up your home gym, or you're on the go, you will have a portable gym in your pocket. Check out the video below for different use cases.

2. Train Anytime

Resistance bands are highly versatile which means you can train at any time. Just woke up and in need of mobilization to start the day? Want to fight your food coma right at your workplace? Or do you want to empty your batteries doing a full-body workout in the evening? Go for it! You can perform a variety of resistance band workouts at any time of the day based on your specific requirements.

3. Versatile Strength Training

You can perform over 100 exercises using resistance bands to train almost any muscle in your body. By narrowing your grip, you can increase the resistance of the elastic band, which enables you to control 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 – it is like having several dumbbells in just one elastic band.

 

 

4. Dynamic Stretching Using Resistance Bands

Studies show that the fitness industry is transforming, and stretching is becoming the new workout. Using resistance bands, you can complement your mandatory stretching program after your workout by performing static and especially dynamic stretching. Remember that you should always stretch after working out to increase your flexibility, range of motion and improve your posture as well as your performance as an athlete [1].

5. Easy On Your Joints

Unlike free weights, resistance bands are 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 not as repetitive as well and therefore easier on your joints [2]

6. Tailor Your Resistance Band Workout To Your Needs As An Athlete

No matter if you are playing soccer, volleyball, badminton, or football you can tailor your resistance band exercises to your needs within these specific areas. Due to the described versatility of the workouts, you can train all fitness aspects including speed, endurance, strength, flexibility, coordination, balance, and much more, targeting different areas of your body [2].

7. Grow and Tone Your Muscles

Research has proven that resistance band exercises grow your muscles and tone them at the same time. Toning your muscles is simply the process of losing body fat so that muscles appear on the surface of your skin. There are no specific exercises to tone your muscles. Free weight training and machine weight training have some advantages in muscle hypertrophy (growth of muscle volume) and muscle activation, but resistance bands are not far from it! Give it a shot and you will be amazed how strong you will get [3].

Do you want to get a free training plan, and start your personalized training routine? Head over to our website to download the free STRAFFR App now.


 

[1] Harvard Health Letter: The importance of stretching; CB Insights: Reinventing The Gym: Startups Reshaping Fitness

[2] frnation: Resistance Band Training – Pros and Cons; 8it: Resistance Band Benefits and Workouts 

[3] Bergquist et. al: Muscle Activity in Upper-Body Single-Joint Resistance Exercises with Elastic Resistance Bands vs. Free Weights; Colado & Triplett: Effects of a short-term resistance program using elastic bands versus weight machines for sedentary middle-aged women