10 Surprising Benefits of Using Exercise Bands

Exercise bands, also known as resistance or strength bands, are elastic bands that are used for strength training.

They are used for stretching and strengthening muscles. There are different types of exercise bands, all serving different purposes for different parts of the body.

Some come with handles, some are flat, while some are in the form of closed loops. The flat bands are the commonest of all resistance bands.

Exercise bands have several benefits to the body. They can be used to build strength, improve flexibility, and also make the joints more mobile.

Their versatile nature also means they can be used to supplement or even replace many weightlifting routines.

In this post, you’ll learn about the benefits of using exercise exercise bands in detail. Let’s dive in.

1. Lower injury risks

The risk of getting injured while using resistance bands is very low when compared to using weights.

This is primarily because the force that these bands exert on the joints is lower than with weights. The implication of this is that there is greater muscle stimulus with a significantly less chance of getting injured.

A study conducted between 1999 to 2013 showed that crush injuries that occur due to falling weights make up over 52% of fitness facilities injuries.

The risk of these crush injuries is eliminated with exercise bands. What’s more, the lesser injury risk with resistance bands does not correspond to lower activity than with weights. 

2. Improve performance

Exercise bands can offer better results than traditional training in terms of strength and athletic performance.

This can be attributed to the fact that there are higher load and variable resistance with exercise bands.

The muscle activation that exercise bands produce in perceived ancillary muscles is greater than what free weights produce, according to a 2018 study.

A study was conducted on elastic tension for bench press and back squats.

The results showed that maximum torque, average power, and 1RMs for squats were much higher after using exercise bands than with normally active individuals.

Performance benefits is one of the best reasons for using exercise bands.

3. Improve exercise quality

Not only do exercise bands improve performance, but they also improve the quality of exercise. Let me explain.

When people use weights, they may unknowingly cheat. Or intentionally in the case of some cunny people.

Gravity affects weight training as it ensures that the direction of resistance is always downwards, meaning the weights will remain in motion as soon as they are mobile except the user applies effort to stop them. 

Confused? Consider this example.

When performing bicep curls with dumbbells, it is not unnatural for the muscles to become fatigued and exhausted after a while. And this may cause some people to use momentum to lift the weight.

The top of the biceps doesn’t benefit at all from this, as strength is drawn from the legs and the back.

This is not the same with exercise bands as it works on resistance levels instead of mass or weight. So, in simple terms, it’s just you, your biceps, and the band. Good luck.

Related: 7 Best Exercises to Maintain Lean Muscle

4. Are relatively inexpensive

Using exercise bands are cost-effective, as they give similar or even better results than free weights, but at lower costs.

You don’t need to spend money on machines, weights, and certain gym features.

Not to forget that these machines and weights also take up lots of space. Some may even need to get a new room to fit them all in.

5. Are perfect for travel workouts

Imagine having to fit five dumbbells and a barbell inside a bag when traveling. It sounds ridiculous, and it is.

Not to mention that it is very often infeasible. This means many people don’t work out at all when they travel.

And this is one of the much-needed benefits of using exercise bands. They are lightweight and incredibly mobile, which means you can easily fit them in bags and take them along on travels and the like.

This feature will come in particularly handy for athletes and also models when they have to take impromptu shoots.

6. Target stabilizing muscles

Exercise bands provide constant tension that targets your stabilizing muscles adding the stabilization your body needs to keep its form during several physical activities.

These bands will also build core strength, which further improves balance. Try out overhead triceps extensions using an exercise band. You’ll thank us later.

7. Enable better control

Exercise bands are a lot easier to control than free weights, like a whole lot more.

Using exercise bands involves stretching them, and as they are stretched, the resistance strength of the exercise band increases.

This affords the opportunity to find maximum resistance strength safely. With weights, there is a high risk of people injuring themselves if they go overboard on the weights.

This particular benefit is very useful for beginners just trying to find their maximal strength.

8. Can complement other equipment

You can use exercise bands with other equipment for even greater results.

A study on bench press exercise showed that combining exercise bands with free weights will produce greater power measurements than using just one of the two.

Another research showed that using exercise bands with free weights will increase neuromuscular performance and strength more than using only free weights.

9. Increase workout flexibility

There are many ways exercise bands can be used, which corresponds to greater flexibility when drawing up workout routines.

Manipulating the direction of resistance with resistance bands is easy, unlike with dumbbells and barbells, where the direction of resistance is affected by the laws of gravity, meaning they are always downwards.

With resistance bands, you have far more exercise options in both the vertical and horizontal planes of motion.

10. Are safer and easier for rehabilitation

Resistance bands are, without any doubt, the safer options to use for rehabilitation.

A lot of what we have highlighted above comes into play—starting with the fact that there are lesser injury risks.

You also have better control and can structure your workout routine in several different ways because of the numerous exercise options when using exercise bands.

Takeaway

Exercise bands are often underrated. This is very surprising when you consider its benefits and how convenient they are.

However, you need to be careful when using resistance bands as they may be frustrating to use, especially for beginners.

And this can discourage people from working out at all. Start small and then progressively work your way to the top.