[Hannibal]

(03-01-2015 11:14 AM)RioNomad Wrote:  

"Resistance tubing can't build muscle as quickly or effectively as weight training or using machines'. This is false. Multiple studies have shown that using elastic tubing is on a par with isotonic movements (e.g. weightlifting) in terms of building muscle."

I find this very hard to believe unless the bands are creating the same amount of resistance as you'd be using with a heavy barbell.

The thing about resistance tubing is that the force curve is more towards the end of the movement. It's similar to lockouts or heavy partials. Depending on what you use, yeah you can use as much "weight" as regular weights. The problem is that most people are a lot stronger in the lockout position than they are in the hole, so the actual strength carryover to full range of motion weights isn't really there. It's the difference between pause benching 3 plates and doing quarter reps with it.

That's also why geared lifters use all those bands and chains in their training, they don't have to worry about getting out of the hole because the squat suits and bench shirts pop them right out of it. So they focus on their lockout strength.

[Savoir faire]

"The problem is that most people are a lot stronger in the lockout position than they are in the hole, so the actual strength carryover to full range of motion weights isn't really there."

I am not quite sure what this means but I am guessing you mean that if one uses a single particular setting of a band/chest expander set then you will get stronger in certain parts of the movement than in other parts?

This may be true (if i haven't misrepresented your observation) but what expander users typically do about this is to use different loadings (number of bands/lengths of bands) and angles (weaker in this position, stronger in another position) and short moves/long moves,etc so as to develop strength/stability for different positions.

This is something that I do in particular because I train with expanders/motorcycle inner tubes for kung fu (xing yi, bagua, and tai chi). For the specific upper movements and strengths needed for that, no other training comes even remotely close.

[Hannibal]

You can overload certain portions of the movement with more bands, or you use different movements to work different leverages, but that's not very good training economy if you're trying to mimic something you could do with weights. You're essentially doing 3 reps and a lot of pumping to get the whole range of motion.

If all I had was an empty room and bands and I wanted to press, I wouldn't be doing band side presses. I'd be doing handstand pushups. There's no reason to confine yourself to only one training modality.

But, there are plenty of strandpulling exercises that cannot be duplicated with anything else. My chins went up after doing overhead downward pulls for a couple weeks. My deadlift went up when I did lots of front chest pulls (works the rhomboids and scapular retraction like nothing else). You can also work your entire upper body while watching TV and sitting on your ass.

So I would say that bands definitely have their place, but they're another tool in the toolbox best combined with weights or calisthenics. A lot of wrestlers swear by them because they're great for increasing upper body tension. World record holding armwrestlers use them a lot for various curls and shoulder work. Reg Park said they were necessary for bodybuilding purposes. All of these guys used bands in combination with something else to get the best of both worlds.

[kbell]

This looks promising. I think your eventually kick out further in the back too so the form is not complete, but there really isn't any good short videos on this. A lot of glut machines I have found are awkward to use.

I would think if your use multiple bands you could get compareable resistance to weights? I've only worked with singles so far since I haven't bought those fancy sets presented in this thread.

[Hannibal]

If you want to use bands to work legs, I'd recommend the squat harness over at sierra exercise equipment. If you were to use that setup in the video with any decent resistance, it's a good recipe for getting smacked in the dick with a rubber band.



It's not ideal, but if you were to get The Hook with the squat harness, you'd have a very portable home gym. Given enough bands you could definitely build some strength and size on your legs. I wouldn't go any lower than 10-15 reps for legs, in all likelihood I'd probably be using the same bands until I could get 50 in one set.

[Saweeep]

These bands are one of those things that a seasoned lifter looks at and scoffs...until they try them!

Fantastic bits of kit really.

[Green-On-GO]

I always pack tubing when I travel now.I've taken it down to beachside outdoor heave and dip beams..
I also throw climbing tape and a couple of carabiners in my bag.I knot the climbing tape and throw it over or under closed doors to secure it.That way I don't damage anything.
It's good to get the bar body pump before you go out .

[eatthishomie]

I've used them before. They are great if you can't lift weights due to injury or don't have access to weights for any other reason, or are on the road. I feel like weights are more effective for sure, but if you can't lift weights for whatever reason, resistance tubing workouts are better than the couch. There are a few different brands that have clips so you can attach multiple bands to a handle or two handles for variable resistance, best to look for those.

[Sooth]

Every time I see these things I'm reminded of this image.

[Mr. D]

They are quite nifty if you're on the road a lot.