Resistance Bands vs Free weights.

ShrinkingChelle

I would like some peoples input on this. Free weights take a lot of space and are costly.
How do these 2 things compare?

Jeff92se

I think bands are fine for what they are. I tend to do very light work with bands, warm ups or rehab work. But bands tend to not go up as much as free weights do. I'd have a hard time finding a band that can give 75lbs of resistance without trying to stretch a tire.

There are alot of adjustable dumbells on the market. http://adjustabledumbbellsets.net/ But they aren't cheap. But they do save alot of space. Most of them go up to about 55lbs. Cheaper ones don't go up as high. But for most here, 55lbs or 40lbs would be plenty

MostlyWater

I don't have anything against bands, but I want to know what I'm lifting.

AZackery

I would like some peoples input on this. Free weights take a lot of space and are costly.
How do these 2 things compare?

Resistance bands are cheaper than free weights. They take up less room and you can do more with them.

I like working out with resistance bands. I'm doing Billy Blank's PT 24/7 program. The program requires the use of resistance bands, which comes with the program. I use resistance bands for other workouts too.

Here is a site you can go to that compares resistance bands and free weights.

http://www.bodylastics.com/articles/elastic_resistance_vs_free_weights/

RonSwanson66

I would like some peoples input on this. Free weights take a lot of space and are costly.
How do these 2 things compare?

Resistance bands are cheaper than free weights. They take up less room and you can do more with them.

Nope. You can't get anywhere near the amount of resistance with bands as you can with free weights. Furthermore, you don't get resistance through the full ROM.

I like working out with resistance bands. I'm doing Billy Blank's PT 24/7 program. The program requires the use of resistance bands, which comes with the program. I use resistance bands for other workouts too.

Here is a site you can go to that compares resistance bands and free weights.

http://www.bodylastics.com/articles/elastic_resistance_vs_free_weights/

Not really what I would call an objective source.


Resistance bands have a place. Great for rehab/prehab work and they can complement weight training, but they don't come close in terms of effectiveness.

Azdak

I would like some peoples input on this. Free weights take a lot of space and are costly.
How do these 2 things compare?

Resistance bands are cheaper than free weights. They take up less room and you can do more with them.

Nope. You can't get anywhere near the amount of resistance with bands as you can with free weights. Furthermore, you don't get resistance through the full ROM.

I like working out with resistance bands. I'm doing Billy Blank's PT 24/7 program. The program requires the use of resistance bands, which comes with the program. I use resistance bands for other workouts too.

Here is a site you can go to that compares resistance bands and free weights.

http://www.bodylastics.com/articles/elastic_resistance_vs_free_weights/

Not really what I would call an objective source.


Resistance bands have a place. Great for rehab/prehab work and they can complement weight training, but they don't come close in terms of effectiveness.

Plus, bands have a resistance curve that's exactly opposite of the way muscles produce force. Bands have the greatest resistance at the end of the ROM when the muscles are generating the least amount of force. So, it's going to be really hard to sufficiently challenge the muscles when they are at their strongest.

I agree that bands are best used as complements. However, depending on one's circumstances, I think a beginner could combine some modified body weight exercises with bands to put together a reasonably effective workout.

ShrinkingChelle

I would like some peoples input on this. Free weights take a lot of space and are costly.
How do these 2 things compare?

Resistance bands are cheaper than free weights. They take up less room and you can do more with them.

Nope. You can't get anywhere near the amount of resistance with bands as you can with free weights. Furthermore, you don't get resistance through the full ROM.

I like working out with resistance bands. I'm doing Billy Blank's PT 24/7 program. The program requires the use of resistance bands, which comes with the program. I use resistance bands for other workouts too.

Here is a site you can go to that compares resistance bands and free weights.

http://www.bodylastics.com/articles/elastic_resistance_vs_free_weights/

Not really what I would call an objective source.


Resistance bands have a place. Great for rehab/prehab work and they can complement weight training, but they don't come close in terms of effectiveness.

Thanks, this is what I was thinking, but having anothers opinion is always best.

margojr4

Free weights, all the way. We have a set of power blocks. Great investment to our home gym.

www.powerblock.com


Hope to have the kettle version soon!

Vulfram

Everything "official" I've read on the topic is very positive on resistance bands with comparable results. They are very convenient for people on a budget or on the road a lot. You can easily double or triple up bands to achieve much greater resistance when you're ready.