Dumbbells vs. Resistance Bands

Have you thought about free weight dumbbells? Something like this: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Gold-s-Gym-40-lb-Adjustable-Dumbbell-Set/21672511 where you can just buy more plates if necessary. You can find these types of thing very easily and cheaply on craigslist. They stack so they don't take up much room.

I have used bands, and they just don't compare with weights. Weights are better in almost every way. It's easier to measure progress, and I find them much more effective.

Resistance bands and dumbbells are complimentary tools. I have a set of Power Blocks (you can see them at Powerblock.com - I have the classic 50 set which takes up the space of an old boom box), as well as a set of resistance bands - they go from 15 lbs resistance to 200 lbs (I bought mine through a company called Resistance Band Training - they have great online material).

There are a number of exercises, like some types of squats, rows, triceps and biceps work that you can do with either the dumbbells or resistance bands. Resistance bands can be great for adding difficulty to pushups, bear crawls, or even walking lunges.

Go take a look at Nerd Fitness (nerdfitness.com) for a lot of great training ideas that take up no space and require little or no equipment.

Check out Bodylastics on Amazon. I have a space issue too. These are very good quality and compact.

I was just asking someone about this offline last night. He thought that he got a better workout with free weights, because it takes more energy and muscle to control proper form. He acknowledged that the resistance with the band increased the further it stretched, and compared it to being able to have a 15-18 lb dumbbell in one motion, rather than having to jump from 15-20 for the next weight since dumbbells don't break it down by smaller increments usually.