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What is the community experience with resistance bands? I see them more frequently now and wonder if they aren't a reasonable alternative

yesimahuman 6y ago
They definitely are. I’ve been training with them exclusively and they work and are perfect for a home gym. For someone who needs much higher resistance it might not be enough but you’d need to be pretty strong for that to be the case.
Hnrobert42 6y ago
My experience is they are good, but it takes awhile to figure out the logistics. With bands like I mention below, you can get good resistance. Maybe not for serious hypertrophy training, but enough to keep you toned. I trained with weights regularly for about 8 years before switching to bands when I became more nomadic. Not sure about the availability, but I will attest to the quality of https://bodylastics.com/ https://bodylastics.com/ You may also want something like TRX. Last, conbody.com has good body-weight routines.
arcturus17 6y ago
Been using them for the last couple of months. They are a nice complement to bodyweight training, allowing you to add some resistance to bodyweight basics like the push-up or the squat (or to add assistance in the case of the pull-up / chin-up ) They are not nearly as good as free weights for certain things though. The strength curve is very different to that of a weight and it's not as easy to progressively overload (ie, add weight to) the exercises over time. You can use thicker bands, change your grip to play with the band tension or perform harder exercises (such as one-arm variations of whatever you're doing), but nothing's nearly as easy as adding heavier plates to a barbell or picking up a heavier dumbbell. They can be a great complement to other equipment, or if you're fully sold on calisthenics / bodyweight training, they might be everything you'll ever need. If however you're into traditional strength training or bodybuilding, they will fall short fairly quickly (personally, I can't wait to get back under the bar).
- el_don_almighty 6y ago
  In other words, it's more difficult to be precise about the resistance increments. With weights, you know exactly how much you added and how you are manipulating them. With bands, you have infinite variation, but less control over it. You can combine them in steps, but they are very big steps. This makes a lot of sense
shmel 6y ago
I tried them during the lockdown and found the whole experience very frustrating. The force follows Hooke's law and scales linearly. Let's say you take one marked as 14-34kg. Suppose you replace a dumbbell of 24kg. It means that in extremes of your range of motion it is either way too easy or way too hard. Sometimes it is not too bad, If you do shoulder press, you're at your weakest in the bottom. Sometimes it is the other way around and you start craving iron.
scottlocklin 6y ago
I've been using them for years; I took a job where I was on the road a lot, and they're way better than hotel gyms. I like them better for arms than weights. Middlin to very good for upper back and shoulders. Buy a chest expander. "The Hook" by Sierra exercise[0] or Samson Cable Set[1]. Then read "Fatman's guide to cable training."[2] Useless for lower body, and they build a fairly different kind of upper body strength; more useful for grappling than picking up barbells. The True Archer Pull is pretty amazing as an exercise and should be considered a standard feat of strength the same way as the deadlift, IMO. They make a great combination with sandbags and/or kettlebells and are now part of my staple exercises (unnatural garbage like bench press are long gone). [0] https://www.sierraexercise.com/ https://www.sierraexercise.com/ [1] https://leviticus11.com/exercise-equipment/samson-cable-set/ https://leviticus11.com/exercise-equipment/samson-cable-set/ [2] http://yoga-horizons.com/pdfs/Fatmans-Guide-to-Cable-Training-2.pdf http://yoga-horizons.com/pdfs/Fatmans-Guide-to-Cable-Trainin...
- el_don_almighty 6y ago
  Excellent, thank you.

yesimahuman 6y ago

They definitely are. I’ve been training with them exclusively and they work and are perfect for a home gym. For someone who needs much higher resistance it might not be enough but you’d need to be pretty strong for that to be the case.

Hnrobert42 6y ago

My experience is they are good, but it takes awhile to figure out the logistics. With bands like I mention below, you can get good resistance. Maybe not for serious hypertrophy training, but enough to keep you toned. I trained with weights regularly for about 8 years before switching to bands when I became more nomadic. Not sure about the availability, but I will attest to the quality of https://bodylastics.com/ https://bodylastics.com/ You may also want something like TRX. Last, conbody.com has good body-weight routines.

arcturus17 6y ago

Been using them for the last couple of months. They are a nice complement to bodyweight training, allowing you to add some resistance to bodyweight basics like the push-up or the squat (or to add assistance in the case of the pull-up / chin-up ) They are not nearly as good as free weights for certain things though. The strength curve is very different to that of a weight and it's not as easy to progressively overload (ie, add weight to) the exercises over time. You can use thicker bands, change your grip to play with the band tension or perform harder exercises (such as one-arm variations of whatever you're doing), but nothing's nearly as easy as adding heavier plates to a barbell or picking up a heavier dumbbell. They can be a great complement to other equipment, or if you're fully sold on calisthenics / bodyweight training, they might be everything you'll ever need. If however you're into traditional strength training or bodybuilding, they will fall short fairly quickly (personally, I can't wait to get back under the bar).

el_don_almighty 6y ago
In other words, it's more difficult to be precise about the resistance increments. With weights, you know exactly how much you added and how you are manipulating them. With bands, you have infinite variation, but less control over it. You can combine them in steps, but they are very big steps. This makes a lot of sense

shmel 6y ago

I tried them during the lockdown and found the whole experience very frustrating. The force follows Hooke's law and scales linearly. Let's say you take one marked as 14-34kg. Suppose you replace a dumbbell of 24kg. It means that in extremes of your range of motion it is either way too easy or way too hard. Sometimes it is not too bad, If you do shoulder press, you're at your weakest in the bottom. Sometimes it is the other way around and you start craving iron.

scottlocklin 6y ago

I've been using them for years; I took a job where I was on the road a lot, and they're way better than hotel gyms. I like them better for arms than weights. Middlin to very good for upper back and shoulders. Buy a chest expander. "The Hook" by Sierra exercise[0] or Samson Cable Set[1]. Then read "Fatman's guide to cable training."[2] Useless for lower body, and they build a fairly different kind of upper body strength; more useful for grappling than picking up barbells. The True Archer Pull is pretty amazing as an exercise and should be considered a standard feat of strength the same way as the deadlift, IMO. They make a great combination with sandbags and/or kettlebells and are now part of my staple exercises (unnatural garbage like bench press are long gone). [0] https://www.sierraexercise.com/ https://www.sierraexercise.com/ [1] https://leviticus11.com/exercise-equipment/samson-cable-set/ https://leviticus11.com/exercise-equipment/samson-cable-set/ [2] http://yoga-horizons.com/pdfs/Fatmans-Guide-to-Cable-Training-2.pdf http://yoga-horizons.com/pdfs/Fatmans-Guide-to-Cable-Trainin...

el_don_almighty 6y ago
Excellent, thank you.