The 6 Benefits of Using Resistance Bands

The health industry seems to make getting healthy a challenge. Gyms encourage people to lift heavy weights. Medical professionals recommend moderate exercise. Nutritionists say walking is good enough. What is a person to do when all the health advice seems both complimentary and contradictory? Many people shut down, feeling overwhelmed and disillusioned.

The truth is, you do not need a bunch of fancy equipment or heavy weights to build muscle. With resistance bands, you can achieve moderate aerobic activity, the guidelines of most health officials. If you aren't sure resistance bands are right for you, consider their six proven benefits.

1. Easier On Your Joints

Running, walking, climbing, and jumping are all hard on the joints. While that is likely not something that concerned you in your youth, it is certainly a necessary consideration once you hit a certain age. Arthritis and other bone disorders can make even walking unbearable.

Using resistance bands, you protect the joint. There is no hard compression or impact as you move through exercises. You can build the muscle around the joint without risking further injury or discomfort.

2. Targets Stabilizing Muscles

As people age, balance becomes an issue. Resistance bands target stabilizing muscles, helping you build strength in the areas of your body responsible for balance. While you might feel a little awkward at first, after several weeks and months of using the bands, you will become more confident with every step you take.

3. Less Restrictive Than Machines

When you work out on a weight machine at a gym, you are restricted to specific movements. While the restriction is beneficial to beginners learning the appropriate movements of an exercise, it can also lead to injury in people with restricted mobility. Additionally, machines are built to a standard, meaning that not everyone will fit the routine correctly.

Resistance bands allow for freedom of movement, but they also encourage correct form. When using a resistance band, you will know when something is working and when it isn't.

4. Designed for Compound Exercises

Working one muscle group in the body at a time is a typical way of training, but it is not the most efficient. Compound exercises engage several muscles simultaneously, improving coordination and using more energy for a more beneficial workout.

Resistance bands are designed for compound exercises. In fact, it is nearly impossible to perform a single exercise with these bands and not engage multiple muscle groups.

5. Promote Better Form

Resistance bands are excellent for promoting better form and building overall body strength. To exercise correctly using bands, you need to maintain tension throughout the exercise, meaning you can not use momentum to push out a few more reps. Every movement with a resistance band is specific, focused, and true.

6. Leave You in Control

When using weight machines or straight bars, your positioning is limited. Sometimes, an exercise will require an awkward position of your hand or wrist which can aggravate an old injury or sawn a new one. Resistance bands allow you to maintain control of your position at all times, creating less opportunity or risk for injury.

While the health industry can sometimes offer conflicting or confusing messages, some things remain true: nutrition and moderate aerobic exercise are healthy. Resistance bands provide a beneficial workout with limited risks for injury. Have you ever used resistance bands? Leave a comment below.