Cable machines are one of the most popular options when you walk into a gym.
There will always be someone using one of the cable machines.
And by someone, it’s usually a guy, a big guy.
Cable machines have long been viewed as one of the best options in the gym for building mass.
The main reason for this is how the machines work the muscles compared to free weights.
Don’t get me wrong, free weights are still super popular as well and there will always be someone on the bench press or doing bicep curls, probably in the squat rack.
The reason cable machines are seen as being so efficient in building muscle is they can keep the strain on the muscle for the full movement.
If we take a standard bicep curl for example the first 20% of the movement doesn’t feel too bad.
But as soon as you are out of that easy point it gets pretty hard and stays there until you are about 80% of the way through the curl. It then starts to feel easier again.
But with a cable machine, you have tension on the muscle right away.
And that same tension stays on through the full range of motion.
So it may not seem like much but all the extra seconds under tension add up.
So cable machines are a pretty sought-after piece of equipment in the gym.
But now that we’re being forced to do more from home, how do we replicate that? Because cable machines take up a lot of space.
Most people would be lucky to fit one machine in their home.
So what if that’s the case, what one should you go with?
What if I told you there was a way to have them all and for a fraction of the price, and it wouldn’t take up any space?
Resistance bands are being used more and more to replicate what cable machines do.
You can tie them to something or stand in them and perform all the movements you can with a cable machine, with a bit of creativity anyway.
And just like a cable machine, they keep tension on the muscle for the duration of the movement.
Only you can put them all in a draw after you’re finished.
And when it costs about $50 for 2 or 3 different sizes, anyone can afford them.
The price is just the start! Let’s dive right into more reasons why you need to start training with resistance bands.
Well there we have it, it’s as easy as that.
You don’t need to pick one machine because you can buy a pack of resistance bands and have the perks of all the machines.
Here are a few examples of the kind of exercises you can do with resistance bands.
So that you can see how easy it is to get a workout in without taking up any space with the equipment I’ve put up a video I made for youtube.
Now the purpose of this video was to test a popular workout I saw online.
Now I won’t ruin the outcome but the workout is called ‘Grow 1 inch on your arms in one day’.
In this workout, they give you a few movements you do with free weights.
I decided to swap out the free weights and use my bands, as this is how I do the bulk of my training now.
But as you can see in the video I’m only using usable space in my living room, and the bands themself when not in use really take up next to no space.
To be honest I’m pretty lazy with mine and just throw them back in the milk crate I store my equipment in after I use them.
But I have a client who brings her own to every session we do.
She always ties them back up after and puts them back in the original box taking up even less space than mine takes up.
The fact that you can keep tension on through the full range of motions means you are exhausting the muscles more.
And it’s as simple as slowing down the tempo and you get a crazy good workout in.
Resistance bands come in a wide range of lengths and sizes.
Meaning the only real limit to how hard you can go with them is how many draws you have spare at home.
Check out this article I posted recently comparing resistance bands to free weights.
I have my set of 4 bands in a milk crate with the rest of my gym.
I literally keep all the equipment I use myself and train clients within a milk crate under a shelf in my laundry.
I also have 3 kettlebells and a wheel and a few skipping ropes.
But the bands themself even take up 1/8th of the space in my milk crate.
Whenever I find that my biggest band is giving me enough resistance I just double it up or add one of the smaller ones in with it.
It’s only really your own imagination that’s going to stop you from progressing.
But the best way to build muscle fast with resistance bands is by slowing the movement down.
Just like you can do with free weights, you keep tension on the muscle even longer by slowing the movement down.
It’s easy to improve strength, size, and endurance in the muscles when you apply the simple method of slowing the exercise down.
Look I can talk all day about resistance bands but an even easier way for you to find out more about them is to get your FREE copy of my Ebook ‘Train Wherever The F*ck You Want’
