Hey!
It kind of depends on what you are looking to do tbh. During lockdown last year I bought a set of the small circular resistance bands (the ones commonly used for leg and glute exercises). I was fairly new to exercising so I did find them to be somewhat beneficial and felt that after using them for sometime my body had slightly changed shape. HOWEVER, at the beginning of summer this year I began going to the gym and lifting weights (just dumbbells so far, I have braved the barbells) I can say they are a lot more effective and I now only really use the resistance bands for activation exercises preworkout (or to take with me when I'm travelling).
That being said, I do have friends who workout and primarily do pilates with resistance bands (which is a very common form of workout) - I guess it depends on your overall goals and what kind of exercising you like to do. I would say though that if you are wanting to really build muscle, weights would be a better option.
It kind of depends on what you are looking to do tbh. During lockdown last year I bought a set of the small circular resistance bands (the ones commonly used for leg and glute exercises). I was fairly new to exercising so I did find them to be somewhat beneficial and felt that after using them for sometime my body had slightly changed shape. HOWEVER, at the beginning of summer this year I began going to the gym and lifting weights (just dumbbells so far, I have braved the barbells) I can say they are a lot more effective and I now only really use the resistance bands for activation exercises preworkout (or to take with me when I'm travelling).
That being said, I do have friends who workout and primarily do pilates with resistance bands (which is a very common form of workout) - I guess it depends on your overall goals and what kind of exercising you like to do. I would say though that if you are wanting to really build muscle, weights would be a better option.
Original post by danperg
Hi,
Can anyone with experience help me - are resistance bands capable of building muscle? I've heard conflicting advice.
Also can anyone recommend a good brand?
Thanks!
Can anyone with experience help me - are resistance bands capable of building muscle? I've heard conflicting advice.
Also can anyone recommend a good brand?
Thanks!
They can help build muscle, most muscle building they will do is usually at the beginner stage.. After that its used but alongside weights.
Remember to concentrate on eccentric stress when using resistance bands as that is what helps builds the most muscle, and any branded bands will be good.
Original post by flowerpotpeony
Hey!
It kind of depends on what you are looking to do tbh. During lockdown last year I bought a set of the small circular resistance bands (the ones commonly used for leg and glute exercises). I was fairly new to exercising so I did find them to be somewhat beneficial and felt that after using them for sometime my body had slightly changed shape. HOWEVER, at the beginning of summer this year I began going to the gym and lifting weights (just dumbbells so far, I have braved the barbells) I can say they are a lot more effective and I now only really use the resistance bands for activation exercises preworkout (or to take with me when I'm travelling).
That being said, I do have friends who workout and primarily do pilates with resistance bands (which is a very common form of workout) - I guess it depends on your overall goals and what kind of exercising you like to do. I would say though that if you are wanting to really build muscle, weights would be a better option.
It kind of depends on what you are looking to do tbh. During lockdown last year I bought a set of the small circular resistance bands (the ones commonly used for leg and glute exercises). I was fairly new to exercising so I did find them to be somewhat beneficial and felt that after using them for sometime my body had slightly changed shape. HOWEVER, at the beginning of summer this year I began going to the gym and lifting weights (just dumbbells so far, I have braved the barbells) I can say they are a lot more effective and I now only really use the resistance bands for activation exercises preworkout (or to take with me when I'm travelling).
That being said, I do have friends who workout and primarily do pilates with resistance bands (which is a very common form of workout) - I guess it depends on your overall goals and what kind of exercising you like to do. I would say though that if you are wanting to really build muscle, weights would be a better option.
I agree, also resistance bands can be used at the end of the workout to really burn out that muscle
Original post by danperg
Hi,
Can anyone with experience help me - are resistance bands capable of building muscle? I've heard conflicting advice.
Also can anyone recommend a good brand?
Thanks!
Can anyone with experience help me - are resistance bands capable of building muscle? I've heard conflicting advice.
Also can anyone recommend a good brand?
Thanks!
Hey,
Resistance bands can be used for toning muscle and burning fat and also helps with progression but If u really would like to build muscle I’d suggest getting some weights.
A good brand is beast bands.
Honestly, resistance bands are very suboptimal very gaining muscle beyond the beginner stage.
- They have very little resistance at the start of the range of motion and loads at the end of the range.
- It's very hard to progressively overload. Even if you have different bands, they feel hardly different at the start of the range of motion then a huge jump in difficulty at the end of the range, leading on from the above point. It's far easier to add 2.5kg of extra weight with barbells.
- it's hard to be consistent with the resistance you feel each time because it's highly dependent on how far you stand from the anchor point. So it compounds the point above this one... Hard to progressively overload.
It's not all bad though. They're good for rehab, corrective work, and very unlikely to injure you. Also they're cheap, easy to carry, and better than nothing. I use them myself at the end of my sessions for things like band pull parts and face pulls. So what I'm saying is they're useful, but weights should be the main tool to build muscle and strength.
Also bands don't "tone" as mentioned in some other posts, at least not in the way people mean it. When people say "tone" they mean build a bit of muscle and cut fat. Weights build muscle and do it better than bands. Fat is burned through a calorie deficit. Muscle tonus is something else.
- They have very little resistance at the start of the range of motion and loads at the end of the range.
- It's very hard to progressively overload. Even if you have different bands, they feel hardly different at the start of the range of motion then a huge jump in difficulty at the end of the range, leading on from the above point. It's far easier to add 2.5kg of extra weight with barbells.
- it's hard to be consistent with the resistance you feel each time because it's highly dependent on how far you stand from the anchor point. So it compounds the point above this one... Hard to progressively overload.
It's not all bad though. They're good for rehab, corrective work, and very unlikely to injure you. Also they're cheap, easy to carry, and better than nothing. I use them myself at the end of my sessions for things like band pull parts and face pulls. So what I'm saying is they're useful, but weights should be the main tool to build muscle and strength.
Also bands don't "tone" as mentioned in some other posts, at least not in the way people mean it. When people say "tone" they mean build a bit of muscle and cut fat. Weights build muscle and do it better than bands. Fat is burned through a calorie deficit. Muscle tonus is something else.
Resistance bands can be useful. They are ideal for short exercise sessions. I use a yellow one for ten minutes of stretching on my own at night in bed. Also better than nothing. Find some online. You can even use them in the water as part of a aqua workout class as well.
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