

'This makes them a very cost effective loading tool that will last a long time.' They're also easy to stow and carry in your gym bag, making them perfect for travelling, he says.

'Resistance bands are light, durable and capable of generating high amounts of tension,' says Hanrahan.

Resistance Band Exercises Will: Give You Bang for Buck Placing a band just above your knees during squats forces you to 'push your knees out against the band, strengthening your abductors and perfecting your form,' says Lankester. They're also ideal for correcting harder-to-spot errors. Since resistance bands force your muscles to work hard through the entire rep, there's no relying on momentum. JGI/Daniel Grill // Getty Images Resistance Band Exercises Will: Improve Your Form 'Use them when warming up, or as a finisher at the end of the workout to exhaust smaller muscle groups, such as biceps, triceps, and rear delts.' The versatility of resistance bands means you can control the angle you train at, making them 'great for targeting small muscle groups,' says Lankester. 'You can use it in isolation to perform most of your favourite dumbbell and cable machine exercises and you can pair it with your weights to add more resistance.' Resistance Band Exercises Will: Train Small Muscle Groups Whether you're performing total-body exercises or targeting specific muscle groups, 'resistance bands are the most versatile loading method,' says Hanrahan. 'This means less force is placed on joints compared to using traditional loading tools like dumbbells and barbells.' Resistance Band Exercises Will: Add Variety to Your Workouts 'Resistance bands generate the least amount of tension in the bottom position of a lift when muscles are stretched,' says Hanrahan. Since resistance bands work with the natural force curve of the rep, they provide support where you're weaker. Resistance Band Exercises Will: Reduce Your Injury Risk
#REVERSE CRUNCH WITH RESISTANCE BAND FULL#
With a resistance band, your muscle is under constant tension throughout the full range of motion. When you use a set weight to perform an exercise – say, a bicep curl – there's a point near the top of the rep 'where your muscles are actually not exposed to stimulus,' says Lankester. There are myriad reasons to bring a band into your training regimen, as you'll discover below: Resistance Band Exercises Will: Improve the Quality of Your Reps Play icon The triangle icon that indicates to play The Benefits of Resistance Band Exercises
#REVERSE CRUNCH WITH RESISTANCE BAND FREE#
When researchers from the University of Wisconsin measured the peak force and power of a squat, using resistance bands and free weights in tandem was found to have a significant advantage over using free weights alone.

There is method to the resistance band madness, btw. 'This will increase the load, without having to buy more weight plates.' Take a long resistance band, hook the ends outside each of the plates, and then stand on the band,' she says. 'Resistance bands are a great way to increase the load on weights you already have,' says Tash Lankester, PT at FLEX Chelsea. You can make an exercise easier, to improve your form – adding a resistance band to your pull-ups to bring your chest to the bar – or, conversely, more difficult. Play icon The triangle icon that indicates to playīesides turning up the heat on basic bodyweight movements like push-ups and squats, you can pair the band with other weightlifting kit to adjust the resistance for heavyweight results. 'This can range from less than 1kg up to a whopping 90kg, depending on the thickness of the band.' Matching the right resistance band to the right exercise, he says, induces a 'potent muscle-building stimulus'. 'When you stretch a resistance band, it generates increasing amounts of tension, which your muscles have to overcome,' says Hanrahan. That's because unlike dumbbells, kettlebells and weight plates, which remain equally heavy throughout the entire rep, resistance bands become increasingly challenging as they're pulled apart. Resistance bands exercises might look tame on the surface, but they can add serious value to your strength workouts. Here, we explain why resistance band exercises work, divulge the benefits of the band, and share 20 of the best moves for every muscle group: Why Resistance Band Exercises Work Get to grips with resistance band workouts, and you'll wonder what you ever did without this highly-functional bit of kit. 'Or, you can make body-loaded exercises easier or harder.' 'If you use a door anchor, you can replicate cable machine exercises, like pull-downs and chest press,' he says. 'Resistance bands can be used on their own to perform almost every exercise you can think of with traditional weights like dumbbells,' explains certified personal trainer Jack Hanrahan.
