During the pandemic, many have switched from regular gym workouts to make-do home workouts until the gyms reopen again. This had led to a swift increase in popularity for resistance bands.

Resistance bands, for those who don’t know, are bands in which you can use to do strength training. They can be used as a substitute for weight training, for those who still want to keep fit, but don’t want to stick to cardio. They have surged in popularity following lockdown because many people now care about their health and well-being, and strength training is a key component of staying fit. 

Aside from the convenience, there is a range of other different advantages that resistance bands have over weight training. Continue reading if you want to know the benefits of resistance bands and why many are choosing to use them instead of weight training.

The Difference Between Resistance Bands and Weights

Gaining muscle can be done not only just by lifting weights. There are numerous different ways that you can gain muscle, but the main aspect that all these ways have is resistance. The difference being that resistance from the weights comes from gravity, whereas resistance from the bands come from the elastic stretch. 

With bands, you can create resistance in any direction, rather than just one direction with weights. The gravity with free weights can sometimes assist you, for example with the top of a bicep curl, but with resistance bands, this isn’t the case. This forces you to train harder without compromising.

The Similarities Between Resistance Bands and Weights

To say that they look completely different, they actually have a lot in common. As mentioned above, they both use some form of resistance. This is a key component in building muscle, and studies have shown that weight loss will be at a similar rate with resistance bands and free-weights.

It is a common misconception that you are not going to build a lot of muscle using resistance bands, and if you are training to be the heaviest person in the world - then by all means weight training is for you. However, due to the fact that resistance is affecting the same muscle fibres, they will both have a similar effect with building muscle. This means that you will be able to build a decent amount of muscle with the same amount of energy that you would put into weight training.

Main Advantages of Resistance Bands

There are many advantages of using resistance bands over weights that many people are still unaware of. If you are still not convinced resistance bands are effective, then these factors should hopefully persuade you:

Flexibility

Aside from the fact that resistance bands are physically very flexible, they are flexible also in the sense that you can bring them anywhere. Weight training requires a lot of equipment and space, and it is a lot easier to just go to the gym. Resistance bands, on the other hand, can be brought with you home, on the go, to the park, wherever you want! 

This is the main factor that people take into account, gyms are expensive and can be inconvenient to travel to if you don’t live close to one. Resistance bands are a cheaper option with no travel needed. You can work out in the comfort of your own home.

Constant Tension

Resistance bands produce constant tension throughout the whole movement. Constant tension is a benefit because it helps to develop different muscle fibres that aren’t activated during isolated weight exercises.

This is a great advantage because it will help you get fitter and healthier in general, whereas isolated weight exercises will only focus on one muscle. If you are normally doing compound exercises, then resistance training is a great alternative.

Resistance Bands are not Influenced by Gravity

As mentioned above, resistance bands are not influenced by gravity, but rather by elasticity. This is due to the stretch of the elastic on the band providing the resistance, rather than the weight causing the gravity.

This is an advantage, because not only will your exercises be more effective, but you won’t be relying on gravity, which is the case for some exercises. Instead, you will have to complete the full exercise with no help from physics. This will benefit you and your body more than you think.

They're Scalable

There is a range of different types of resistance bands that you can purchase, upping the resistance and weight. This means that in the same way with weights, you can continue to up your resistance once you have adapted to the weight before.

This is a huge benefit as you can progress in the same way that you would with weights, making it able for you to improve strength and resistance, which is a common misconception that it is not possible to do so.

Are You Interested?

Here at Vision Thirteen, we put an emphasis on health and well-being for everyone. If you are looking for resistance bands to help you gain strength and improve your health, we offer premium, eco-friendly resistance bands designed specifically to strengthen your muscles and increase your health.

Click Here to see our WORKOUT BUNDLE -
COMPLETE RESISTANCE BAND SET, which is currently on sale!