Resistance Bands

Resistance Bands

Nichols, Nicole. "No Need to Stretch the Truth about Resistance Bands." 29 September 2004.

SparkPeople Fitness Articles. 24 March 2007. .

Resistance bands, also known as Therabands, exercise bands, stretch bands, or workout bands, have been around for a while. They started out as rehab tools but have become popular in the fitness world. Resistance bands are color coded into many levels of resistance. They provide variety to everyone's workouts from beginners to conditioned athletes. There are many benefits to adding resistance bands to a person's workout including variety, convenience, and affordability.

Resistance bands allow a person to move more freely and achieve a greater range of motion compared to a machine which controls where a person stops and starts. Furthermore, they allow a person to create resistance from all directions and adjust his or her angle of movement. A person may control the tension of the band simply by shortening or lengthening it. When using the bands the resistance is constant unlike lifting weights where gravity makes lowering the weight easier. In addition, a person can work every muscle in his or her body by using resistance bands.

Resistance bands are safe and a person does not need a spotter when training with the bands. However, when using resistance bands, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, warm up the muscle groups before you begin the exercise to avoid pulling a muscle. Take normal, controlled breaths; exhale on the most difficult phase and inhale during the easiest. Also, control your movements when working with resistance bands. Do not continue the exercise if you start to lose your posture.

Next, they are convenient because they can be used anywhere. Since they are lightweight and do not take up much space, they