When talking about training with resistance bands, we can thank Westside barbell for bringing band use to the global stage. Thanks to their methodology, powerlifting records continue to be broken - thanks in-part to the implementation of resistance b...
When talking about training with resistance bands, we can thank Westside barbell for bringing band use to the global stage. Thanks to their methodology, powerlifting records continue to be broken - thanks in-part to the implementation of resistance bands.
Two benefits resulting from band training have led us to this increase in performance and are the two main reasons why you should consider using resistance band training as part of your training regimen.
1. Reversing the resistance: With traditional weight lifting, the resistance supplied by the weight is constant over the entire range of motion of the lift being performed. However, there are typically certain parts of a lift where the weight is either harder or easier to lift (think the bottom of a dead lift or the bottom of a bench press is typically harder than the last few inches up). By employing resistance bands to these movements, you are now able to train with increased resistance over the whole range of motion enabling you to build strength in the part of the movement that in the past was not accounted for. The beauty of bands is you can add different tensions, lengths, etc which helps you focus and target in on your weak areas of the movement.
2. Promote Explosiveness: When training with bands, it is imperative that you come out of the bottom with speed. If you attempt to come up from the squat or push the bar off your chest slowly, the lift does not have a chance of being successful. Thus, the explosiveness required to come up from the bottom while using resistance bands results in a type of power that will benefit all athletes.
Resistance bands unlike free weights and cables will provide non-linear resistance making it is more difficult during the final stages of your lift (for example while during the bench press the last few inches will be much harder than at the beginning of the lift). Not to mention that resistance bands will result in great isometric load (when working the negatives) which will allow you to engage additional muscle fibers that typically don't get involved during normal lifts. People that are looking for great results should include isometric exercises in their routines.
