In this article, you will discover the extraordinary benefits of resistance bands and how you can use them to become fitter and stronger.
Resistance bands are one of the most versatile exercise tools you can use. They allow you to work your upper, lower, and mid-body.
They help you to take typical exercises to the next level by adding resistance and flexibility.
No matter your current fitness level, resistance bands can meet your specific needs. If it is rehabilitation or strength training, these tools can come in handy.
If you want to lose weight or improve your athleticism, the bands can help you achieve that.
In case you are still not convinced, here are 12 extraordinary benefits of resistance bands you should know.
Benefits of Resistance Bands Training
1. Accelerates Strength training
You can transform your strength-training workouts into power-packed sessions through resistance bands. This can help you build bigger muscles faster, more effectively and properly.
One of the ways to do this is by attaching a barbell to another machine. That way, you have to overcome as much as 150 pounds to lift the banded weight.
Be aware of the need to balance the level of resistance on both arms for an even workout.
Additionally, ensure that when you start adding resistance bands to your weights, you reduce the weights you used to carry so that you can avoid straining or injuring your muscles.
We recommend these resistance bands for strength training.
2. Helps you stretch
Stretches are essential for anyone who exercises. In this study, it was shown that stretching reduces muscle soreness and injury risk.
Resistance bands add more flexibility to stretches and increase the range of motion than unaided ones.
However, if you use bands and feel your muscles shaking, know that you may have gone too far.
Consider stretching either before or after a workout. Warm-up first when doing them before a workout.
Some of the stretches you can do include the upper back stretch which entails sitting upright with legs stretched out on the floor, placing the band around your feet and moving your chest towards your feet.
Alternatively, you can do a kneeling quad stretch where you rest on one knee and keep the other leg at 90 degrees to your body. Place the resistance band around the bent foot and pull the band towards the glutes and thigh.
3. Promotes bone strength
Some benefits of resistance bands pertain to age. These elastic bands can protect you from osteoporosis; a disease of the bones.
After 30 years, all human beings start to lose bone density. However, if you use resistance bands to train, you can slow down this loss and thus improve your health.
In this study, it was stated that when you expose your bone mass to mechanical loads that are more than you experience in daily life, you preserve those bones.
4. Builds you back muscles
Some people place a lot of their attention on the front of their bodies while neglecting their backs. This usually results in poor posture and a weak midsection.
Resistance bands can help add that much-needed balance in training.
Some of the back exercise you can do include the bent-over row (standing over a band and pulling the band while squeezing the shoulder blades), deadlifts (looping the band around your feet which should be widely apart then squatting to pick up the band and lifting it until your stand) and good morning (bend, loop the band around your neck and feet then raise your neck until you stand upright).
5. Can give you well-shaped and strong glutes
If you would like to get rounder and bigger glutes, resistance bands could be just what you need. They work by making typical butt exercises more effective.
For instance, the squat can become more challenging when you loop the resistance band around your thighs.
You can also do upward glute bridge pulses by placing resistance bands around the knees.
6. Can build sculpted abs
Adding resistance bands to ab exercises will allow you to build abs fast and strengthen your core. You would need to tighten your abs so that you can stay in the proper position.
With time, that makes your core stronger, tones your abdominal muscles and thus provides you with one of the great benefits of resistance bands.
7. Strengthens your legs
Although most people typically rely on weights to strengthen their legs, resistance bands can help to target those smaller muscles.
These smaller ones are responsible for maintaining joint stability and balance. Some include the flexors and adductors.
You could try the standing glute kickbacks, which involves looping the resistance band around your ankles kicking backward slowly up to 8 inches.
You may also do side leg lifts. Lie on the floor and raise your torso by supporting it with your forearm. Tie the resistance band around your ankles and lift each upper leg as high as you can. Alternate and repeat.
8. Can build arm strength
If you want that sculpted look, one of the benefits of resistance bands is that they can give you strong arms.
Combine as many arm exercises as possible during a workout. These could be the side lateral raise which involves lifting one arm (folded as 90 degrees) upward while the other completes the other side of the pair with a loop.
You could do triceps presses with one end of the band around the arm that folds and the other around the other arm which should be resting on the front of your shoulder.
Lat pull-downs are also a great exercise because you would place the resistance band on your raised arms which are above your head and fold each alternate arm at 90 degrees up to your shoulder level.
9. Strengthens the chest
Try military push-ups with resistance bands around your arms and back to increase the challenge.
You can also do a bench press with a resistance band by placing them under the bench legs. Then extend your arms above you for 15 reps.
Pectoral flies with resistance bands involve hooking the bands behind your back then holding their handles and moving your arms laterally so they can meet each other.
10. Rehabilitates the elderly
The elderly often experience challenges with their gait or their flexibility. A number of them don’t have good body balance so they are susceptible to falls.
However, according to this study, an elderly group that did physical therapy with elastic bands had better balance, gait, and function.
11. Helps you lose weight
Weight loss is one of the ultimate benefits of resistance bands. When you build muscle using resistance bands, you boost your metabolism, and as a result, enhance fat loss.
Bands maximize calories burnt by activating various muscle groups at the same time.
12. Boosts Athleticism
Good athletes are flexible, strong, and fast. Resistance bands help you boost all these elements of fitness.
They build endurance and also foster control of body movements. Such qualities make you better at sports.
The Bottom Line
All of the benefits of resistance bands stem from how they add versatility to your exercise routines.
They make you to push a little harder and to develop more stamina. If these are advantages you would like to enjoy without breaking the bank, then get yourself a resistance band.
Luckily, you can incorporate resistance bands in most of the fat-burning exercises in this home workout routine for fast weight loss.
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