Resistance bands

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Luke0895
Luke0895 Posts: 6 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Im trying to get lean muscle definition im 22 my height is 5"10 i weigh 182 pounds, I've bought resistance bands to use as more of temporary exercise until i get a gym membership, just wondering if they will actually make a difference? I've only just started this journey of mine about a week ago and im still learning alot! Tracking calories, eating the right food, macros, etcetcetc! Its alot to take in for a complete solo beginner like me. Any help would be appreciated, thanks

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  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
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    i can't answer your specific question - partly not sure what kind of 'difference' you mean, and partly because i've never used bands for anything much except physio and/or various activation types of exercise for specific muscle groups.

    but they're still a good thing to have and you can do a lot with them that probably will pay off when you get gym access. hopefully others know more than that.
  • Vonny198334
    Vonny198334 Posts: 178 Member
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    I've been using my bands for around 7 months & although I'm nowhere lean enough yet to *see* much of a difference, I do have very definite albeit slight definition poking through.

    Mainly though, I definitely feel stronger, my balance is so much better & on my toughest band, my muscles still feel it the next day.

    I once read that your muscles don't know the difference between weights, your own bodyweight or a resistance band - just the amount of pressure exerted on them. I'd have to agree. My hubs who is not overweight, also used them in conjunction with body weight exercises/pull up bar & his shoulders/biceps display some serious definition that was not there before.

    Certainly they are convenient, incredibly portable & low cost. Not sure how it will pan out in the long term but as a starting point I really can't rate them highly enough!
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    Luke0895 wrote: »
    Im trying to get lean muscle definition im 22 my height is 5"10 i weigh 182 pounds, I've bought resistance bands to use as more of temporary exercise until i get a gym membership, just wondering if they will actually make a difference? I've only just started this journey of mine about a week ago and im still learning alot! Tracking calories, eating the right food, macros, etcetcetc! Its alot to take in for a complete solo beginner like me. Any help would be appreciated, thanks

    It all depends on what you are doing with them and if it taxes your body enough to adapt.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    Luke0895 wrote: »
    Im trying to get lean muscle definition im 22 my height is 5"10 i weigh 182 pounds, I've bought resistance bands to use as more of temporary exercise until i get a gym membership, just wondering if they will actually make a difference? I've only just started this journey of mine about a week ago and im still learning alot! Tracking calories, eating the right food, macros, etcetcetc! Its alot to take in for a complete solo beginner like me. Any help would be appreciated, thanks

    It's like anything else, you get back what you put into them. If you're consistent and progress (more reps / higher resistance bands or a combination thereof) you will get stronger. The definition part comes from a combination of diet and heredity. To get really ripped looking you need to get your body fat % quite low but to build muscle you need to eat enough (both in terms of calories & protein) and your genes, to some degree, influences how your body responds to exercise.

    If you're not in a potion to join a gym just yet you should also consider incorporating body weight exercises into your program. When I was in the army we followed the old 5BX program (yeah, I know it was developed for the Air Force) as part of our fitness regimen and you'd be surprised at how effective good old-fashioned push ups are.
  • mca90guitar
    mca90guitar Posts: 290 Member
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    They work but I like weights ALOT more. Turned my bands into a pull-up assist and they do a good job in that area :)
  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,467 Member
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    Yes.
  • jessef593
    jessef593 Posts: 2,272 Member
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    What exactly are you doing with them?

    You can flail back and forth all day and make no change.

    Generally they’re used for strengthening and warming up weaker/tight muscles prior to actually working out.

    I primarily use bands to add extra resistance to my squats, bench, and deadlifts. Or to warm up my posterior chain.

    You don’t get toned from them, but you can decrease fat stores through a deficit to show greater definition.
  • heathen31
    heathen31 Posts: 3 Member
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    bands give variable resistance training, I use them quite a bit for volume work, stretching and rehab. muscle need progressive overload to grow, use the bands accordingly. joe weider sells a good select dumbbell set for a reasonable price should handle most of your needs for quite awhile. good luck and just don't quit

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