Can You Gain Mass With Resistance Bands?

Resistance bands were originally used by health care professionals in a rehabilitation setting. But fitness professionals saw that the bands had many more uses. With bands you are able to challenge your muscles from any angle because you can shift the line of pull. This will allow you to exercise the different fibers of the muscle tissue and help you increase the amount of lean tissue and build muscle mass.

Identification

Adding lean muscle mass to your body refers to muscle hypertrophy. Hypertrophy is the muscular enlargement that results from resistance training. This growth is due to an increase in the cross-sectional area of the existing muscle fibers and is associated with an increase in strength. The adaptations to the individual fibers within the muscle add to the size of each fiber as well as the overall muscle, making them larger.

Guidelines

In a hypertrophy-based program you need to challenge the muscle between 67 to 85 percent of your one repetition maximum, or 1RM. Your 1RM is the amount of weight or resistance you can move one time and it is an all-out effort. This translates to a repetition range of six to 12 for each exercise performed. New exercisers may begin with one set while experienced participants may do as many as three to six sets per exercise. Your training volume will depend on experience and desired outcome. Rest periods should be 30 to 90 seconds.

Considerations

When performing a hypertrophy program with resistance bands, choose a band that is appropriate for each exercise. That is it will need to create enough tension to fatigue your muscle in six to 12 repetitions. Because some muscle groups are stronger than others, you may need to purchase a few different bands with varying resistance to challenge your body.

Types

Bands come in different shapes, lengths and configurations. Some are flat and can be cut and tied to an appropriate length and resistance. Others have handles and you can loop them around an object or stand on them. There are cuff bands that are circular and you can attach them around your ankles. Having a variety of bands allows you to choose an exercise that is appropriate for each muscle group.

Warning

A hypertrophy program based on resistance band training will require adequate recovery time between exercise sessions. Bands can be just as challenging as free weights and machines so your body will need to rest to rebuild muscle tissue and allow those muscles to grow. A minimum of 48 hours is recommended but often 72 hours is needed to recover from a hypertrophy workout. You will also need to check your bands for wear and tear to prevent injury from a band snapping.