Free weights are a staple of most gyms, and you may have enjoyed fantastic results from using them. While they are effective, your body responds to the challenge of trying new things as well. Adding resistance band training for weight loss provides an excellent alternative to free weights.

What Are Resistance Bands?

Resistance bands are elastic bands employed in workouts as well as physical therapy. They come in a range of tension levels, from heavy to light, as well as different lengths. Resistance bands may be flat or tubular, and some have handles on the ends.

Using resistance bands can help you bust through a plateau you reached while lifting free weights. While the latter provides a fantastic way to build mass, your body can become used to a particular movement, which will make it harder to see results. Mixing in resistance band training gives you another way to challenge your muscles while also reducing the impact on your body.

Resistance Band Training Benefits

You can build muscle mass with resistance bands just as you do with free weights. Resistance band workouts have several advantages vs. free weights:

• They don't add pressure to joints like weights, dumbbells and kettlebells do.
• They're cost-efficient, requiring a minimal commitment of money.
• They can be used anywhere, from your home to your office, if you can't make it to the gym.

Perhaps best of all, you don't have to choose one or the other. You can mix in resistance bands with your free weight workouts to up the intensity of your program.

Building Muscle With Resistance Bands

How can you improve your fitness with resistance bands? They add tension to your workout, forcing you to move with more control. Your actions become more precise in order to keep the tension in the band. You maintain that tension throughout the entire range of motion, meaning you don't get any downtime during the exercise. You stay focused throughout the cycle.

Take a bicep curl, for example. You'll feel the same amount of tension during the eccentric phase, when you lower out of the curl, as when you pull the band toward your body. When you lift weights, on the other hand, you don't work as hard when you lower the weight.

Bands can help you with form, especially if you have struggled with it when using free weights. You enjoy an increased range of motion, which can lengthen your muscles and improve isometric stability. You also use more muscle fibers in your movement, increasing the return on your exercise.

Are you ready to try resistance bands with a personal trainer? Sign up for a session at Spooky Nook to receive proper instruction and training.