Why You Should Be Using Bands

Of All of the equipment in any gym, nothing compares to a good set of bands.

So versatile, so accommodating, so simple. That’s the name of the game when it comes to effectiveness in the gym.

Plus, it just makes everything a little more fun and nothings wrong with that.

Bands come in all shapes and sizes.

They can be short, long, light, heavy, and some are just for butt stuff and no one can argue with that.

In general, the most commonly used bands will be Thera Bands, Pull-up Bands, and Booty Bands (for lack of a better term).

For the most part, you can rely on Thera bands for traditional physical therapy and fine motor skills exercises. They are cheap, thin, and can be cut to any length for any movement needed. This comes with the downside of being fairly flimsy and also not super versatile (in my opinion).

Booty bands have become a tried and true trend that doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Although they are fantastic for lateral walks, squats, and are fairly durable + reliable, they are also limited in their uses.

Both of these are affordable, beneficial options but for the purposes of this post we will be focusing on pull-up bands and the plethora of options available to you when you grab one or many.

What you should get

The primary reason these bands sit atop the throne of greatness is that they can essentially replace and serve the same exercises as both the Thera bands and booty bands. Yet, they are so much more.

It’s important here to note that bands offer what’s called Accommodating Resistance. This means that as the band is stretched the tension becomes greater which means more weight is added the more you pull it.

I recommend purchasing the “Pull-Up Package 2” from Rogue Fitness. You can get cheaper ones, but i’ve had sets last upwards of 10+ years so you get what you pay for.

Strength Benefits

Elite Powerlifters use this accommodation to challenge exercises equally throughout the movement. A squat is hardest at the bottom and easiest at the top. Adding bands can challenge this so that as you stand up, tension on the bar becomes heavier and heavier, allowing you to become stronger at a specific portion of each lift. Ultimately making you stronger in general in the process.

On the other end of the spectrum, If you have never or can’t perform a pull-up you can slap a band around a bar, step into it and now the hardest part of the movement at a dead hang is where the tension is the greatest giving you assistance to be able to do a full range of motion pull-up.

Each of these scenarios can be intimately modified to give you any range of more or less added resistance to either challenge or assist you. This concept can be applied to virtually any movement with your imagination being the only limitation.

It goes without saying that less is more, and just because you CAN add a band, doesn’t always mean you should.

General Use

Bands are great for strength, but they’re even better for what the industry calls “General Physical Preparedness” which is the category 99% of us will fall into.

It’s for those of us that want to feel better, perform better, and most importantly look better naked (don’t lie, you do too).

NO EQUIPMENT NEEDED

Without needing any additional equipment whatsoever, bands offer an entire spectrum of bodyweight exercises that are great for quick and simple workouts.

They also introduce the ability to do “pulling” exercises. These are important because as humans we “Push” way more in general and incorporating pulling just makes you more balanced and that should make you feel better! The general recommendation is actually to perform twice as many pulling exercises as pushing to counteract the daily cost of pushing.

Pro-Tip: For any exercise you can use a doorknob as an anchor.

TRAVEL

Possibly the greatest benefit of these how easy it is to throw it in a bag and take it with you when you travel, giving you access to all of the same exercises you have at home anywhere else you find yourself in this crazy world we live in.

Now, the list of exercises is theoretically endless and only limited by your imagination, but feel free to browse the bottom of this post for a general list of recommended exercises you can do without needing anything but a band.

Don’t forget about using a doorknob! They’re everywhere when you travel.

TO SUM IT UP

Above all, remember that there is always a way to make an exercise easier, and always a way to make things harder.

It never hurts to spice it up and add variety every now and then, and ultimately something will always be better than nothing.

Keep a band in your bag for when you travel, and use it as an additional layer of accountability that helps you MAKE time to achieve your goals.

If you’re interested in a more exhaustive list of movements (not all band specific) feel free to check out the impressive libraries that Functional Bodybuilding and Thundrbro have created.

As always, reach out if you want more information! Tons more to dig into if you’d like.