Resistance bands are accessories which can be used by physical active people at all levels of advancement. Sometimes they work as a part of the warm-up, for someone else they are a way to activate the muscles. They also can be used as a part of the rehabilitation or just a part of the regular training.
Resistance bands – how does it work?
Resistance bands are made of latex, which is characterized by extensibility and high tensile strength. Therefore, they are used to the all types of strengthening exercises and functional trainings. The main rule of their work is resisting, so it strongly activates selected part of muscles, using resistance bands in training you can do many moves on many different levels. In addition, when you are using them your muscle tone persists in the full range of motion.
The main advantages of using resistance bands:
• lightweight and handy – you can use them during the journeys,
• characterized by a relatively low price,
• great variety in your training,
• using them properly minimizes the risk of injuries,
• you can use it in many types of training,
• they allow you to stay in the constant muscle tone,
• them work as a part of warm-up and also part of the main training.
How to use the bands on the training?
Resistance bands can be used as a tool to activate the muscles, complement the training or be used in rehabilitation. Exercises with their use are: strengthening, functional and endurance. Different levels of bands resistance are usually color-coded. They allow you to adjust individual difficulty level, in accordance with your fitness or desired intensity. Moreover, when we use the different types of the bands we can easily make progress on the trainings.
Resistance bands as an element of the warm-up
First of all the bands will not replace the training with the weights, dumbbells and bar, but they can be the complement of the regular training. There are many examples of exercises with bands. Just the way we use it leads us to the goal. Good option is to use bands at the beginning of the training, during the warm-up. Muscle activation is the stage of preparing them for work, not maximum fatigue. An example of exercise which ,,stimulates’’ buttocks to the training is - ,,monster walk’’ with band above the knees.
Technique of ,,monster walk’’ exercise:
• place the band above the knees,
• set your feet at the leght of hips parallel to each other,
• ,,screw’’ the feet into the flor to introduce external rotation that allows the knees to spread outwards,
• tilt your hips back while keeping your back straight and your stomach tight and active,
• movement should start from the knee, so the knee moves it outwards,
• take the outer edge of the foot to the side,
• do 10-20 steps per side.
Resistance bands as a supplement to training and rehabilitation
Resistance bands will also work as an complement to training. Good method to intensify exercises are the bands. They introduce additional resistance e.g. squats with a tape wrapped above the knees. During this moves knees should be pushed outside. In this way, we increase the level of difficulty of the exercise, and also activate the medius gluteus muscle more strongly to work. Moreover, bands provide great progress for rehabilitation. They help to recover faster after injury, by strengthening muscles and increasing mobility in the joints.
Conclusion
Resistance bands look inconspicuous but they can be a great variation of the training routine and give other stimuli to the muscles. They are used in various sport disciplines because of their versatility. The benefits of using them cause that they are used by a large number of active people – from fitness amateurs to professional players.
