Elastic resistance band training was once the “Rodney Dangerfield” of exercise techniques. Serious fitness enthusiasts, who associated band exercise with physical therapy and senior conditioning programs, failed to give the bands the respect they deserved. When fitness, sport and even body building magazines began featuring articles about elastic resistance training benefits, many former skeptics jumped on the band wagon and started pumping rubber.
Affordability
Manufacturers color code elastic bands according to their resistance level, and make them available in shapes and sizes suitable to their function. Most bands cost less than $10, and some companies sell discount packages that include bands of different resistances and shapes.
Portability
Free weights are heavier and must be carefully stored in homes that have children or pets. Home exercise machines take up space and may be difficult to assemble. Bands, in contrast, are lightweight and space saving, thus eliminating excuses for not exercising at home or on vacation.
Versatility
If you are planning a home gym, you will need a different machine for each muscle group. This increases your space and budgetary requirements. The multi-functional elastic resistance bands give you more mileage. A few bands provide exercise for every muscle.
Variable Resistance Throughout the Movement
The American College of Sports Medicine uses the word "hysteresis" to describe the way the bands alter the amount of resistance throughout the movement. They offer the least resistance in the starting position, when the muscle is in its fully stretched and therefore weakest position. Resistance increases as the muscle contracts and becomes strongest. Compare this to free weight training, where you are lifting the same amount of weight throughout the exercise. While you may be able to lift 20 pounds at peak contraction, you may only have a 12-pound starting strength. This causes people either to lift weights that are too light, or to lift weights that are too heavy and use momentum for the first part of the movement. Band training provides you with the correct amount of resistance for each phase of the contraction.
Sport Specific Training
Bands provide a greater range of motion and freedom of movement. Some athletic coaches design exercises that simulate the moves of specific sports, such as tennis, golf and baseball. Some band exercises prevent common sports injuries, such as rotator cuff tears and knee injuries caused by weak hamstrings or other muscular imbalances.
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