Exercise bands are becoming a popular alternative to bulky and expensive free-weight systems and exercise machines. Exercise bands offer many advantages over traditional resistance and strength training approaches. Because resistance bands are portable you can exercise with them just about anywhere. They can be taken on vacation, brought with you on your next business trip or moved from room to room. They are economical, with some kits costing about the same as a one-month membership at your local gym. Free-weight and resistance equipment can take up a significant amount of space within your home. On the contrary, resistance bands can be stored in a drawer or under the bed. Resistance bands are safer than free-weights. You don’t need a partner to spot you and if you drop a band on your toe it will hurt far less than a dumbbell.
Besides the practical advantages of resistance bands, functional advantages also exist. Resistance bands supply constant resistance through the entire range of motion for each exercise you perform. Muscles contracting in both the concentric — when the muscle is shortening — and eccentric — when the muscle is lengthened — motion of your exercise experience resistance. This action challenges and strengthens your muscles throughout the full range of motion of the exercise. Resistance bands don’t work against gravity like free-weights do, which allows greater versatility to angle your exercises and target a wider range of muscles. Bands are considered safer and easier on your joints since the resistance is gradual over the exercises range of motion.
The primary disadvantage with resistance bands is the finite level of resistance that can be achieved. This makes it difficult to continually increase the challenge and load placed on your muscles because you can only achieve the maximum resistance your band set is capable of. By combining resistance bands, this disadvantage is essentially nullified. In addition, the precise amount of weight or resistance you are lifting is unknown with resistance bands. While bands are rated to a certain resistance weight, the amount of resistance you experience will vary depending on how far the band is stretched and the angle of the exercise you are performing.
Two exercise band kits that stand out from others available are the Flexsolate Gym in a Bag and Rubberbanditz Mobile Gym Kits. Each kit is designed to provide a portable and complete workout wherever you may be and supplies the advantages just discussed.
Rubberbanditz was founded by former Division 1 collegiate basketball player Ari Zandman-Zeman. An impressive quality of the company is its commitment to community development and environmental stability. With four band packages available — basic, standard, deluxe and robust — there is package for almost any fitness ability. Resistance range of the packages is very broad, varying from 50 pounds in the basic package to 260 pounds in the robust package. Each package contains a 90-minute exercise DVD and accompanying book, which demonstrate variations of 69 exercises. All told more than 200 variations of exercises are exhibited that focus on the chest, biceps, triceps, back, shoulders, legs, stretching and core. The bands are very durable as a result of the thick and continuously layered construction. Ari Zandman-Zeman explains that Rubberbanditz is dedicated to supporting its clients through customized band packages and exercise routines. A 60-day money back guarantee and one-year warranty make experimenting with the Rubberbanditz bands almost risk-free.
Flexsolate differs from Rubberbanditz in that it employs a grip-free workout system. Instead of directly gripping a bar or handle, grip-free cuffs are used to eliminate gripping completely. This technology is designed to isolate your targeted muscle or muscle group, without fatiguing your secondary muscles. For example if you perform a bicep curl with the Flexsolate system, your knuckles and hands would not get fatigued as they may while gripping dumbbells. One kit, called Gym In A Bag, is available and includes: one set of grip-free cuffs, one set of ankle cuffs, door attachment, four resistance bands with hooks, collapsible steel bar, exercise flip chart, DVD featuring Kim Lyons — former trainer on “The Biggest Loser” — and a carrying bag. The bands range in resistance from 14 to 40 pounds. The DVD demonstrates three 10-minute workouts and the exercise chart contains 48 total exercises.
Rubberbanditz offers more versatility and ability to increase resistance without combining bands, while Flexsolate provides a more precise and targeted muscle workout. Each product comes with a one-year warranty, but only Rubberbanditz offers a 60-day money back guarantee. The Rubberbanditz DVD and exercise book includes more exercise choices and variations. A collapsible bar included in the Flexsolate package increases the variety of exercises you can perform. Jerry McGowan, president of Flexsolate, indicates that the bar is particularly useful for overhead presses, shoulder work and squats. Both kits are excellent choices for a full-body resistance band workout. With their affordability it would be feasible to purchase both and combine the strengths they offer. This would be an incredible resistance band kit.
References:
Rubberbanditz: “About Us” http://rubberbanditz.com/about-us/
Rubberbanditz: “Store” http://rubberbanditz.com/store/
Ari Zandman-Zeman; Rubberbanditz; Durham, NC
Flexsolate: “Products” http://www.flexsolate.com/products.htm
Flexsolate: “Grip Free Technology” http://gogripfree.com/grip-free-technology/
Jerry McGowan; Flexsolate, LLC; Missoula, MT
