Exercise Bands - how useful are they?

iowalinda
iowalinda Posts: 357 Member
edited 12:27PM in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
Do you use these, and if so, for what?

Replies

  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    I use them in addition to other equipment... mainly for glute circuits, for added resistance on glute/leg work, I also use them for some upper body work
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,069 Member
    I just bought some to help rehab my shoulder.
  • pbryd
    pbryd Posts: 364 Member
    I use one to warm my shoulders up pre workout
  • BNY721
    BNY721 Posts: 125 Member
    I use them for warm-up before doing glute exercises and use them during for thrusts...I like the added resistance and makes me feel the activation more.
  • flowerhorsey
    flowerhorsey Posts: 154 Member
    Very useful! I use to help warm up chest, back, ab work, and glute activation... My light and medium strength both broke though.. For my glute work I bought a very heavy duty fabric type one.
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    pbryd wrote: »
    I use one to warm my shoulders up pre workout

    Same. And waist side-bends and circles.

  • BNY721
    BNY721 Posts: 125 Member
    flowerhorsey wrote: »
    Very useful! I use to help warm up chest, back, ab work, and glute activation... My light and medium strength both broke though.. For my glute work I bought a very heavy duty fabric type one.

    Fabric? Can you share the brand?

  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
    mom23mangos wrote: »
    I just bought some to help rehab my shoulder.

    This is what I do too--I have frozen shoulder, and some work with the bands + other exercises have me swimming again!
  • rainbow198
    rainbow198 Posts: 2,245 Member
    Resistance bands are great and I use them quite often in my exercise routines.

    I have a variety...the long ones with the handle, the circle bands, the long stretchy therabands etc. Also I have lightweight - heavy strength for different moves.

    I mainly target my upper body, but they are great as an overall total body workout. Plus they are great to travel with.

    There are some good resistance band workouts on YouTube to give you an idea on how to use them.
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
    edited January 2018
    I tried resistance bands but they always seemed to be working against me. I'll wait for the groans to stop.

    I like using them for shoulder rehab and strengthening. The W-X-Y pattern really works well to keep your rotator cuff in shape. I've used them in the past for cues on deadlifts as well, reminds you to keep your knees out if you have an issue with them collapsing.
  • rockymir
    rockymir Posts: 497 Member
    It's not how useful the bands are, it's how useful is what you do with them...
  • Davidsdottir
    Davidsdottir Posts: 1,285 Member
    Wheelhouse15 wrote: »
    I tried resistance bands but they always seemed to be working against me. I'll wait for the groans to stop.

    I like using them for shoulder rehab and strengthening. The W-X-Y pattern really works well to keep your rotator cuff in shape. I've used them in the past for cues on deadlifts as well, reminds you to keep your knees out if you have an issue with them collapsing.

    I use them for squats sometimes for this reason as well.
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
    Davidsdottir wrote: »
    Wheelhouse15 wrote: »
    I tried resistance bands but they always seemed to be working against me. I'll wait for the groans to stop.

    I like using them for shoulder rehab and strengthening. The W-X-Y pattern really works well to keep your rotator cuff in shape. I've used them in the past for cues on deadlifts as well, reminds you to keep your knees out if you have an issue with them collapsing.

    I use them for squats sometimes for this reason as well.

    Squats too, actually more for those than the deads. I was trying to work more on semi-sumo then but it wasn't working so I went back to classical. My hip mobility isn't really up to sumos anymore unfortunately because I used to love doing them.
  • Okiludy
    Okiludy Posts: 558 Member
    I use them mainly to warm up with.

    I have done this. It's like using chains but when the chains are in use I just make do.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bm_EO98SvWI
  • connorblackman
    connorblackman Posts: 6 Member
    I find it funny that most people only warm up with bands. They are extremely useful to taking your sets past failure, especially for shoulders and back.
  • Okiludy
    Okiludy Posts: 558 Member
    connorblackman wrote: »
    I find it funny that most people only warm up with bands. They are extremely useful to taking your sets past failure, especially for shoulders and back.

    I have used a "slingshot" for the bench. I think this would be similar to what you are suggesting. I was working up to a heavy single and then putting on the slingshot and running 3x5-8 after at same weight. It really added a ton of volume but I would be hesitant to say it helped for my goals.

    My current program doesn't really have room for that. It is intensity heavy and more volume can cause me recovery issues. Still, it might be a way to get a tad more volume if programmed right.
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
    connorblackman wrote: »
    I find it funny that most people only warm up with bands. They are extremely useful to taking your sets past failure, especially for shoulders and back.

    Most people don't need to employ such training methods. Those who need them use them as part of their training program but if you don't need to why would you?
  • clbaft
    clbaft Posts: 11 Member
    I use them for activating the glutes during warm up and they really help with mind-muscle connection during hip thrusts (i.e. they force you to push through the right part of the sole and push your knees out so your form is better and you're actually using the glutes rather than hams or quads)

    Honestly they're the best thing I've ever bought for glute gains.
  • flowerhorsey
    flowerhorsey Posts: 154 Member
    BNY721 wrote: »
    flowerhorsey wrote: »
    Very useful! I use to help warm up chest, back, ab work, and glute activation... My light and medium strength both broke though.. For my glute work I bought a very heavy duty fabric type one.

    Fabric? Can you share the brand?

    I think it is "fit girl" just from Amazon for about $20
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