Have you ever been at the gym and wondered, “What are those enlarged rubber bands?” Of course, the answer is, resistance bands! Well, question no more, our performance-based coaches here at Fit Societe are here to share some useful information. Here are 5 major benefits that come with utilizing resistance bands.
When you’re at the gym, you tend to see people using heavy free weights, loud cable machines, or even standard plate machines. Oftentimes, but not every time, you look over and see that the gym you’re in provides an array of colors hanging along the wall. You take a moment to realize that this array is brought by different colored resistance bands. It’s most likely you and many others brush it off and pay zero attention to why they are even being provided. The common thought is, “oh they’re colorful”, but even the band's color has meaning.
Before we begin listing the benefits, let’s take a second to discuss why resistance bands have different colors, because this plays a crucial part. From afar you may not notice, but in close range, you’ll begin to notice that as the bands change color, they begin to get thicker. It isn't until the thickest band lies in your hands, then you ponder the thought of why you can barely stretch the band.
Bands range from lighter resistance to heavier resistance. When buying, packaging usually comes with 3 levels of resistance bands. Labeling will provide a description of each band’s resistance level and compare it to a level of weight in pounds (lbs).
Those colorful rubber bands are truly game-changing. Its main function is, adding resistance during exercise, concentrating more on muscle contraction, helping with flexibility, increasing strength, and even promoting good form/balance.
But there’s more to the story, down below I'll explain 5 crucial benefits of resistance bands. Then you make the decision of hopping over to your local gym or merchandising store near you and giving them a try!
1. Improves Flexibility
When using resistance bands you gain a whole lot of range of motion. You can do everything with a band that you can do with weight. You won’t be restricted to a singular motion with weights but the ability to increase your flexibility in your workouts.
For rehabilitation, resistance bands have proved time and time again that they are essential for aiding recovery and especially useful when it comes to working on hip, shoulder, and knee injuries. Not only will you use more energy and burn more calories as a result, but you can also utilize a singular resistance band for an entire full-body workout.
2. Easy On the Joints, Creating Better Form & Balance.
Training with resistance bands is low impact. Meaning, they cause little to no strain on joints, if done properly. When using weights you have a higher risk of overloading the joints. Injuries occur when people ignore the pain and the importance of form and proper muscle activation when doing strength training with weights.
Resistance bands offer a light loading to the muscles around those painful joints. However, some people in the weightlifting scene tend to use bands and weights at the same time in order to create stability and even distribution of motion! That brings us to our next benefit.
3. Increases Strength Evenly
You may be thinking how can resistance bands even build muscle? Resistance bands may look flimsy but don’t underestimate them. Resistance band exercises increase strength evenly due to their natural ability to stabilize muscle groups and help with balance even when increasing intensity. If you are looking to increase power, tone muscles, and strength, resistance bands should be your go-to.
4. Fights Against Muscle Loss and Increases Mobility
As we grow older, our range of movement decreases due to the constant wear and tear or muscle deterioration caused by age. One of the best ways to keep your mobility is to use resistance bands.
Consistent movement and gentle stretching with a resistance band can do wonders in terms of increasing your range of motion as time goes on and age begins to take its toll on the body. With proper resistance band training, you can easily prevent and treat muscle wasting.
5. Great for All Fitness Levels
Whether you’re just starting to get into your fitness flow or you’re a total athlete, resistance band training is for everyone because of its versatile capabilities. You are able to scale and intensify your workouts according to your fitness needs. This piece of workout equipment should seriously be considered by everyone in their next workout.
Conclusion
For someone who doesn’t primarily like to use free-weights, cables, or machines, resistance bands are a go-to! Resistance bands provide a variety of uses and they are utilized in a variety of fields, not just fitness. From Physical Therapists to CrossFit gyms, or even your local commercial gym, you’ll begin to discover many who keep these bands by their side. I advise you to ask anyone you come across, who has a band, and ask what their purpose for the band is for? 10/10 times, you will receive positive feedback and only how they’ve benefited from using resistance bands.
Let us know what you think about resistance bands? We have trained professionals to answer any of your questions you might have!
Afraid of not knowing how to use a resistance band? Don’t worry, we got you! Before using it on your own, consider discovering certain workouts you can do with resistance bands with us. We can guarantee that you’d feel confident using them on your own after trying it out with a professional fitness coach or personal trainer here at Fit Societe.
If you’d like to try out a resistance band workout with a coach today, we’ll offer a FREE 30 min fitness consultation where you and a coach sit down face-to-face. We evaluate your body type, take body measurements, and create a personalized fitness plan just for you.
If you’re interested, click the link below or give us a call at 858.279.3132