Training with resistance bands...thoughts? page

[gators52]

I was wondering if anyone had any experience training with resistance bands or any scientific evidence that says they work or dont work.

I've recently started my primal journey. I've started incorporating bodyweight exercise into my routine, before I was a typical 4x a week gymrat while I was in college and I had much more free time to workout that often. I'm attempting to decrease my gym time to about 1-2 days a week mainly relying on heavy compound movements, like squats, deadlifts, various forms of bench press in the gym. I'm looking to experiment with resistance bands to cover all the other exercises. Resistance is Resistance, and your muscles can't tell the difference, or can they?

Does anyone have any experience or thoughts about the pros and cons of using bands as another tool in ones workout plan.

[mikebike]

I've been using resistance bands, with great success, for six months. I'm in my 40's and have some joint issues and resistance bands have allowed me to build muscle with minimal stress. Just like weights, you get out of it what you put into it. I also do some body weight work.

I use bands by Bodylastics and highly recommend them. BTW, Terrell Owens almost exclusively uses resistance bands for his work outs and he's seriously yoked and credits using them to lengthening his career in the NFL.

[pyro13g]

Those 1-2 days in the gym are enough. Maybe even too much. Adding single joint movements in between cuts into your recovery time(counter productive). You'd be better off alternating workouts of big compound moves and isolation or combining them into one workout. Use the compounds to pre-exhaust before the single joint moves. You'll likely need more rest in between workouts. I combine because I just can't do some compounds because of injury.

In general, as long the bands provide enough resistance to experience failure in a single set, you're good to go. I actually use rod resistance to experience failure in moves I otherwise couldn't due to lack of a spotter.

[gators52]

Those 1-2 days in the gym are enough. Maybe even too much.

Thats highly debatable, over training is different for everyone. I'm a very fit 24 year old male, so I can handle a higher workload than maybe someone in their 50's. It's also not always about the frequency as it is about the intensity, duration, about of reps/sets, etc. My gym workouts are 45 minutes max, less than 20 sets, usually around 16, not always to failure.

I love going to the gym but only to do the big high intensity lifts like deads, squats, bench, stiff legged deads, maybe some heavy rows and shrugs. I wont do all those exercises every time but I would like to rotate them week to week. Ideally I would like to go to the gym just once a week concentrating on the big lifts, do bands once a week focusing on some of the smaller muscles, and maybe a light bodyweight workout once a week.

[pyro13g]

Study after study has shown that once a week yields the same results as more than once per week. Overtraining's classic definition is getting sick from your training and nutrition. Over training to stimulate adaptation, or interfere with it, is much different.

[Apex Predator]

Study after study has shown that once a week yields the same results as more than once per week. Overtraining's classic definition is getting sick from your training and nutrition. Over training to stimulate adaptation, or interfere with it, is much different.

Link?

[gators52]

Link?

+1

However lets try not to get too off track

[Apex Predator]

I find resistance bands somewhat useful for lighter workouts, they don't seem to be quite as intense as free weights. Unless you have a lot of them, they are not as scalable, though.

[gators52]

I find resistance bands somewhat useful for lighter workouts, they don't seem to be quite as intense as free weights. Unless you have a lot of them, they are not as scalable, though.

Why not as intense. I haven't used them, but seems like you can add enough weight to make the workout as intense as you want to.

[Apex Predator]

Remember the full resistance is only at the most stretched point, not the full range.