What resistance bands for 'heavy lifting' (UK?)

geebusuk

I'm currently working away living in my 7.5t motorhome.
Got a decent Olympic setup at home-base with a DIY 'power cage' and various other stuff lying around.

However, I'd like to keep getting some weights work in and while I have looked to try and get some weights, it's not an ideal solution as I don't have much capacity left to carry when moving around - and the good deals I've seen recently either sold before I got there or weren't such great deals - seriously, an 8kg Olympic bar? :-S

So replacing them with resistance bands while away makes sense - even if it's not 'as good', hopefully it'll help a bit, at least!

So, can anyone suggest some not too expensive ones in the UK that can ideally go up to around 120kg squat/150kg Dead lift?

rlotze

Bodylastics is extremely high quality.

http://www.bodylastics.com/

It's available in UK and you can get the 202 lb set for $77 (abt 40 pounds???)

geebusuk

Cheers - I had actually looked for bodylastics, but not very well it seems - there was only one result in google shopping, but I see I can get them on Amazon - £55 for the 202lb set (or on the bodylastics site as I look more - and I'm supposed to be a good-with-google geek!).

After posting initially, I found theses:
http://www.elastitone.com/productinfo.php
I prefer the internal limiter of the bodylastics.

However, so far having trouble finding how bodylastics measure theirs - the ones in the above link can be got for £50 for ones that will do 420lb max extension, or 273lb 'average' extension.

geebusuk

Out of interest, do you have personal experience of using them regularly?
(Or anyone else?)

I've been reading around and unfortunately an awful lot of the review read like adverts.

They have a rather generous 20-25% affiliate program, which would probably explain it!

rlotze

I've only been using them for a week but I'm really impressed with the quality. All the components are built like a tank. Better than I expected. I've read some users say that they last for 5 or so years but with regular frequent use you start to feel them loosen up a bit after a couple. Still, for the price I'm ok with that.

rlotze

But if you start lifting real heavy stepping on all the bands might be difficult. This guy found a creative way around that.

http://liveexercise.com/main/forum/thread/336/pulley-platform-for-band-deadlifts-and-hack-squats/

geebusuk

Cheers. Oddly enough, I'd also been thinking about a platform to use them from for similar reasons.
I could well see that going for a 150kg deadlift equivelent I'd just end up pulling my legs together rather than actually pulling up - and that's presuming I could avoid the issues relating to stretching them too much, as a deadlift starts neer to the standard anchor point, or damaging them from wrapping them around shoes and putting a lot of force down on it.
His idea of using it like a weight stack does make sense, while I can't quite copy how he did it, I reckon I can incorporate that into my plans at least.

geebusuk

Asked on the bodylastics facebook regarding what their ratings relate to but no answer, so went for elastine ones which are cheaper even if the bodylastics ones are the 'average' rather than maximum - they claim to be a similar decent quality etc too.

geebusuk

My elastitone ones arrived today.

Seem like decent pieces of kit.

Using the 'black mamba' and 'extra strong' together I couldn't get near curling one and it felt like a decent weight for an upright row, say.

Realised for my 'plans' I'll need two of each really - however two of each would still cost less than the bodylastics ones and probably give more weight.
They dont look quite as 'designed' as the bodylastics ones, but do look well enough made and nice for the price..

Will need to make mk1 very basic platform up to use them as I want I think - probably just a flat bit of wood raised to stand on them underneath, then maybe a cut-off barbell bar to attach them to.