All you need to know about resistance bands
Maximise your fitness efforts by learning more about them!
Whether you’re engaged in yoga, pilates, strength training, or even stretching, you would want to maximize your efforts in each exercise to make it count. Majority would know the existence of resistance bands.
However, understanding the use of it to boost the benefits of your exercise routine might be foreign to many.
Discover some exercises you can do with your resistance band as well!
What is a resistance band?
It is a lightweight elastic stretchy band used for muscle strengthening and mobilization. As mentioned, this equipment has been around for a while, possibly since the early 20th century, and should not feel unfamiliar to most of us.
The different sizes, colours and resistance levels of these bands offer a wide variety of exercise variations. This will help to target all types of muscle groups to get full muscle engagement to ensure an effective workout.
What are resistance bands made for?
The resistance band’s core function is mainly to help with muscle strengthening and rehabilitation, but it has now expanded its usability to aid in stretching and pre-workout activations.
Thus, making it an extremely useful and versatile tool to serve the needs of almost anyone involved in keeping fit or staying healthy without putting pressure on your joints.
Main target muscle groups commonly used for strengthening or activation with the use of the resistance bands would include glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, arms, abs and back.
Strengthening exercises with the use of the resistance bands will inherently improve athletic performance, increase core stabilization and reduce the risk of injury.
Activation of muscles via the use of resistance bands helps to increase the efficiency and performance in your exercise by loosening up tight spots in your body and fire up sleepy muscles.
For example, prior to doing a weighted squat exercise in the gym, you can do the following pre-workout activation with the use of the resistance band:
1. Loop a resistance band around both legs (just above the knee level)
2. Stand shoulder-width apart
3. Maintain a good posture by ensuring that you keep your torso straight, bend your knees to the desired level you will squat to and ensure your knees do not collapse inwards
4. Pause at the bottom of each squat before pushing upwards into a standing position (similar movement to how you perform a weighted squat exercise)
What are the benefits of using resistance bands?
1. Versatility: Resistance bands can be used to perform exercises pertaining to almost every major muscle group in the body. The possibilities are endless.
2. Affordability: Resistance bands are relatively inexpensive in comparison to other gym equipment. Whether you are buying a band of a certain resistance level or opening your options to purchasing bands of multiple resistance to vary your workout, it will still be an affordable buy!
3. Portability: Its small, light and compact nature make it easy to transport around or even keep when it’s not being used. You can keep them in your handbag, briefcase or shoe bag which encourages you to use them anywhere and any time of the day. You can do your fitness sessions at home, at work, or even on holidays.
4. Suitable for everyone: Whether you are a weekend warrior or a high-performance athlete, these resistance bands are suitable for everyone.
Resistance bands exercises
Above are some examples of a series of exercises you can do with our very own Decathlon resistance bands (i.e. mini bands or pilates bands).
Challenge yourself by performing these routines daily, and slowly increase the number of repetitions or sets during each workout as well as the frequency of workouts done weekly as your strength and fitness levels improve.
Parveen nair
Sport leader, decathlon punggol
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