Resistance bands are important, especially when you are choosing to work out from home and have no gym equipment or do not have gym access. Adding a resistance band to your workout repertoire is going to help to make it become a more integral part of your workout routine, and it might also help you get the motivation necessary to start working out more often. It is important that you choose the right resistance band set when you are working out. Here are a few tips you can follow!
If you do not think these are reasons enough, then you would love to find out that resistance bands should have a permanent spot in your daily workout routine, according to fitness experts. However, there are quite a few different types of them available and a lot to choose from. Keep reading to find out which works best for you and its benefits!
What are Resistance Bands?
Okay, let us start off with the obvious. What exactly are these resistance bands? For those unfamiliar with them, these are a piece of fitness equipment that allows you to start working out anywhere. They are really versatile to work with and are also inexpensive and lightweight.
Resistance bands help you build more strength by providing enough tension for your muscles to resist by working harder. This allows for your exercises and workouts to be modified greatly. The more resistance you put on, the more your muscles have to work.
Resistance bands are something that gym veterans do not just love, but they are also fantastic equipment for beginners to start working out with. A great thing is that with resistance bands you can build up the resistance more precisely than using weights such as dumbbells. When you use weights, you have to work out with your full strength from the get-go, but with resistance bands, you can slowly work your way up by increasing the resistance at your own pace. They are also able to improve the flexibility, stability, and mobility of your muscles, thus preventing further injuries.
What Types of Resistance Bands Set are there?
When you are getting a resistance band for working out, you will notice that they are mostly made out of latex or have a fabric loop; this means that there are multiple mini bands looped together, and you put these around your thighs, ankles, or wrist.
However, these are not the only types, there are also a few other types of resistance bands that are available to help with different kinds of movements and workouts. Here is what you need to know about the most common types of resistance bands you are most likely to come across.
1. Therapy Bands
With therapy bands, you are going to be able to do really good mobility training and also be able to do deep stretches. This is because these bands typically come with a bit less resistance so you can stretch even deeper.
2. Ankle Resistance Bands
These resistance bands are just what they sound like. They are made to be worn around your ankles. They loop around each of your ankles to add more resistance to workouts such as leg lifts and side steps.
3. Figure 8 Bands
A lot of people tend to confuse these resistance bands for loop bands since they look very similar, but the designs of these bands are somewhat different. The figure 8 bands come with handle grips that are more on the softer side, allowing them to make certain exercises a lot easier.
4. Power Resistance Bands
These resistance bands are more on the longer side. Most power resistance bands generally tend to be more than 40 inches in length. This allows them to be a lot more versatile to be used as an assistant for doing bodyweight training such as pull-ups. These resistance bands also are a great option for providing resistance for workouts such as box jumps and bear crawls. You are also able to use power resistance bands for doing different exercises that require you to use some sort of anchor point such as doing rows.
5. Tube Bands with Handles
These are the bands that are most likely to be seen almost everywhere because they are the most common option to go with. Tube bands with handles are an amazing option to use for just about any exercise that requires the use of a dumbbell. You can use them for workouts such as shoulder presses, shoulder extensions, and bicep curls.
How to Choose the Right Resistance Band?
When buying a resistance band for the first time, the first thing you would want to check out is the tension or strength of the band. You are going to want to start off with a band with a lighter amount of resistance. Something that might help you with this is that bands are generally color-coded, for example, black represents a heavy resistance, and yellow on the other hand is supposed to be on the lighter side. However, you should also keep in mind that different brands often code their bands differently, so try to research before choosing a color.
Make sure that you go with thicker bands since they are much more durable and are less likely to snap in the middle of your working out. It might lead to injuries if the bands snap while you are using them to exercise. You should replace your band if there are any tears in it or if it looks worn out.
If you want a whole set of resistance bands, then some brands offer different resistance band sets for you to choose from. There are two types of sets, ones that offer the same resistance bands but in different colors, meaning different levels of resistivity. Others offer different types of bands in the set to help you be more versatile, but they are all of the same colors.
Final Words
We hope that this helped you to understand resistance bands better. Choose the right type of resistance band for the type of workout you will do and make sure you pick one with a level of resistance that you seem to be more comfortable with when working out.
You can also check: Reasons You Need To Do Groin Stretches
