{"id":28987,"date":"2018-07-02T16:43:17","date_gmt":"2018-07-02T22:43:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/evolutionvn.com\/?p=28987"},"modified":"2023-02-24T10:52:45","modified_gmt":"2023-02-24T17:52:45","slug":"resistance-bands-vs-weights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/evolutionvn.com\/resistance-bands-vs-weights\/","title":{"rendered":"Resistance Bands vs. Weights | 7 Exercises You Need to Try With Resistance Bands"},"content":{"rendered":"
There are many reasons for you to exercise<\/a>. Whether it's for strength, endurance, muscle tone, rehabilitation, or general health, the question of resistance bands vs. weights is one that comes up often.<\/p>\n Here's a quick anecdote:<\/p>\n Every construction project requires multiple tools and every tool has a purpose. Yes, the head of an adjustable wrench can be used as a hammer \u2013 don\u2019t be ashamed if you\u2019ve done this \u2013 but it\u2019s much more useful for tightening bolts. Even when using the correct tool, there are specific techniques to maximize efficiency.<\/p>\n Any skilled craftsman will tell you that to start a nail, you want to grip the handle of the hammer closer to the head for more control. And to drive a nail, you want to grip the handle of the hammer closer to the end for more leverage and power. This is before we begin talking about the different types of hammers!<\/p>\n The construction of your body is no different. You have many tools at your disposal, each with a different purpose. Your resistance toolbox consists primarily of weights \u2013 dumbbells, barbells, and plates \u2013 and resistance bands (\u201cbands\u201d).<\/p>\n So, going back to the question of resistance bands vs. weights, specifically the question of which is \u201cmore effective\u201d. This is a big question that can\u2019t be answered without more context; \u201cmore effective\u201d at what? Is a hammer or a wrench more effective? It depends on the application.<\/p>\n Are you driving a nail or tightening a bolt?<\/p>\n If you want to skip all of the detail and jump straight to the list of exercises to try, scroll right to the bottom.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div> Let\u2019s dive in and see where bands belong in your fitness journey. In many side-by-side comparisons of resistance bands vs. weights, the advantages of bands are often simplified to a few obvious points. Bands:<\/p>\n True, true, and true.<\/p>\n But the advantages of resistance bands are much more than that. When used correctly, bands are more than a practical tool for rehabilitation \u2013 the area in which they are most frequently used. By using them properly, you\u2019ll unleash their awesome potential and maximize your exercise.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s start with the unique properties of bands that make them different from weights. Bands:<\/p>\n Bands are not gravity dependent meaning they offer resistance in all planes of motion \u2013 all directions. Bands offer resistance against whichever direction they are being pushed or pulled. Weights only<\/em> offer resistance in the vertical (up and down) plane.<\/p>\n Why does this matter?<\/p>\n We have to look beyond strength and endurance. This is especially important when it comes to the training of movement. I mentioned in my blog on the Importance of Movement<\/a> that your life is full of movement. But, more importantly, your life is full of movement in all planes of motion - movement in every direction. Therefore, effective movement training needs to incorporate resistance outside of the vertical plane. Bands can offer the resistance needed to challenge and develop your side-to-side, forward-and-backward, and rotational movements.<\/p>\n The importance of this is often undervalued and overlooked.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div> It\u2019s no secret that bands are important in the world of physical therapy and rehabilitation. And they should be! The unique resistance (discussed above) and the elasticity are the perfect combination to make bands a safe, low-impact tool for strengthening your joints and the joint stabilizing muscles around them.<\/p>\n The elastic property of bands offers a variable (adaptive) resistance which gives you maximum control and encourages you to move through a complete range of motion. This will help you use the most muscle fibers possible, including the joint stabilizing muscles which are often forgotten or overlooked.<\/p>\n For these reasons, bands are desired in physical therapy. It makes sense \u2013 physical therapy is simply the restoration of movement patterns. But, there\u2019s more to bands. Their potential goes well beyond the restoration and rehabilitation of movement and you\u2019re selling yourself short if you stop there.<\/p>\n The properties that make bands great for physical therapy also make them great for overall development. However, not many people use bands to their full potential. Outside of therapy clinics, those who use bands typically do so to warm-up for weight training. But bands aren\u2019t just a great compliment to weights. For many people, bands could be the more practical alternative.<\/p>\n Today, those that pursue health and fitness for the sole purpose of achieving an exaggerated physique, i.e. chiseled 6-pack or big butt, now represent a smaller population. The rest of us pursue health and fitness with the intention of making our daily lives easier by functioning better, moving better, performing better, and with less risk of injury.<\/p>\n This has less to do with how much weight you lift and more to do with the quality of your movements. It has less to do with physique and more to do with qualities such as functional (usable) strength, endurance, stability, mobility, agility, and body control. These qualities require training that goes beyond moving heavy resistances up and down.<\/p>\n When you\u2019re training for functional strength, endurance, stability, mobility, agility, and body control, you\u2019re less concerned with specific muscles and more concerned with specific movements. And, to train specific movements, you must mimic daily movements while challenging and progressing through the movement with a controlled stimulus. This requires resistance in the same plane of motion as the movement in question: horizontal resistance for forward-backward and side-to-side movements, vertical resistance for up-and-down movements, rotational resistance for rotational movements, and three-dimensional resistance for multi-plane movements.<\/p>\n As mentioned before, bands can offer this. Free weights cannot.<\/p>\n This holds true whether you\u2019re training for day-to-day activities such as lifting or getting up off the ground, or for sports specific activities such as swinging a bat or a golf club.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div> So, resistance bands vs. weights \u2013 which are more effective for you? The intention was not to sway you toward one or the other. The intention was to tell you that you have options in your toolbox. It\u2019s a simple reminder that resistance bands are more than just a tool for rehabilitation and restoration and, when used correctly, resistance bands are extremely powerful. But, to the question of which tool is more effective, the question should be: \u201cmore effective\u201d at what?<\/p>\n It\u2019s your toolbox \u2013 you decide.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div> The exercises demonstrated above were done on an Evolution Training System. If you don't have an Evolution, you can do a variation of these exercises by anchoring (attaching) your bands to a solid foundation. To learn more about the Evolution or get your own, click here<\/a>. To see more exercises you can do on the Evolution, head to our exercise library<\/a>.<\/p>\nAdvantages of Bands<\/h3>\n
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What is this awesome potential?<\/h5>\n
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Pulled in All Directions\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
More Than Therapy<\/h3>\n
Resistance Bands for Overall Development<\/h3>\n
Enter resistance bands.<\/h5>\n
Resistance Bands or Free Weights \u2013 It's All in the Application<\/h3>\n
7 Best Resistance Bands Exercises You Need to Try<\/h3>\n
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