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Grizzly Functional Training > Training > Resistance Bands > Resistance Bands Vs Weights – Conflicting Or Complimentary?

Resistance Bands Vs Weights

Thanks to covid a lot of people have been forced to change the way they train.

Some people have still had access to a gym, some have access to much less equipment than they’re used. 

A lot of people have had to change how they train completely.

In Queensland Australia we didn’t really have a full lockdown.

Our gym had to close for a few months, but I could still use it as normal as it was only me in there. 

So really, not a whole lot had to change for me.

But as I didnt always need to make the trip in the gym, (only a 5 minute drive haha) I would train at home a lot. 

And I’m glad I did as it gave really good insight into what people were having to deal with.

Having a few weights and a set of resistance bands made training at home a fun little challenge, but not hard. 

While they both offer different forms of resistance there is no reason why there needs to be a preference between the two.

Both resistance and weights can be a staple in almost any training program. 

Free weights are an awesome choice as it’s really your own strength that limits how heavy you can go with them.

But on the other hand the constant tension that resistance bands give you is something you can replicate with free weights. 

Are resistance bands as good as weights? 

I don’t think that’s a fair question to ask, they both have their pro’s and con’s.
It really does depend on your goals.
But at the same time, during covid beggars can’t be choosers. 

You can get a lot more variety out of a pack on resistance than you can out of one dumbbell.

And if you’re stuck at home, the space four bands takes up is a lot less than a few dumbbells. 

But in terms of what you can actually get out of a workout with just bands, yes they are as good as weights.

Some people will disagree and that’s fine. 

You can keep tension on the muscle for the duration of the movement which is something you can’t do with all movements with free weights. 

A lot of movements you will do with weights starts off easy, gets hard fast and then finishes easy again.

But with a band, you can pull it tight before even starting the movement, and keep that same tension the whole time. 

Time under stress is super important when it comes to building muscle.

By simply slowing the movement down by a few seconds with resistance bands you will burn your muscles out fast. 

Do that for just a few sets and you’ll find your muscles fatiguing and giving you a pump very fast.

Are resistance bands effective for bodybuilding?

 While bodybuilders use the free weights a lot, they also use the cable machines a fair bit in their training as well.
And the reason they use them often is with a cable you can keep the muscles under tension for a lot longer. Sound familiar? 
So while I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of bodybuilders stayed away from bands and thought they were shit, those guys are really missing a beat. 

As you now know the main benefit of using resistance bands is the same aswhat you get from a cable machine.

So if lockdown has kept you out of the gym, getting online and buying a set of bands is an affordable way to at least maintain your size. 

If you want to have a crack at building some muscles with resistance bands, I would recommend doing 8-10 second reps.

Really slow the movement down and burn the muscle out. 

That’s also a great way to get a good workout when you’re short on time.

You’re going to burn the muscles out faster and save you time!

 Head over and see my friends at Dmoose and get yourself a set of 6 bands for only $49.99!

How to use resistance bands instead of weights?

 You can use them to make bodyweight movements more difficult, like you see below with a push up.
 
You can stand inside the band and pull it up to perform a bicep curl.

Tying the band around a post opens up even more options.

You can push the band away from you like a bench or overhead press.

You can pull it towards to perform a row.

Tying the band onto a pull up band and then standing inside with help you perform your first pull up.

And while you have it tied up there you can sit down below it and replicate a lat pull down.

Or stand up in front of it to replicate a tricep pull down. 

If you can do it with a cable machine, you can do it with a band.

But you can also tie a band around a kettlebell then stand inside the band to add resistance to a basic kettlebell swing! 

Do resistance bands build or tone muscles? 

Both.
 
Remember that what people mean when they say toning a muscle is actually burning fat so the muscle looks more defined.
 
And the way you do that is toning up your whole physique. 

You can’t spot burn fat, it comes off your whole body at the same time.

So if you want your arms to be more turn.

You need to build the muscles in your arms, while burning fat from your body. 

You can really achieve both with a set of bands, just like you can do both with free weights.

It all comes down to how you train with them. 

If building muscle is your goal, slow controlled reps are going to burn more muscles out forcing them to repair themselves and grow back stronger. 

On the other hand, if you were to do a high intensity circuit with a few different movements you are more likely to enter into more of a fat burning zone. 

I use bands for both. Whenever I travel whether that’s near or far, I take my bands with me.

And depending on my mood or goals I get both kinds of workouts in with my bands.

Now, click this link to get your FREE copy of my Ebook ‘Train Wherever The F*ck You Want’ My compreshensive guide to training wherever you want, with resistance bands!