In my (humble, yet somewhat experienced) opinion, there is no piece of workout equipment more convenient, versatile, adaptive, and effective than resistance bands.
Now, I know that's a mouth-full, but trust me- there is adequate support for each of those descriptors.
No matter your age, experience, or fitness level, no matter where you are, the time of day, or what type of workout you're doing, there is a way that resistance bands can work for you.
They seem almost too good to be true…
But they’re not, and I’m here to walk you through the in’s and out’s of incorporating minibands into your workout. I've even included a free, downloadable pdf with miniband movements to get you started.
But first, let me step onto my soapbox:
Convenience
I've already hinted at just how convenient resistance bands are. Both minibands (small loops) and handled resistance bands (longer, with handles on both ends) are portable and can be used in any environment. This means that they are ideal for home workouts, travel, and especially outdoors.
Many of the workouts you find online or in a traditional fitness studio include a variety of equipment. Their circuits might include anything from resistance bands to dumbbells, treadmills, or even $3200 rowing machines (no shade, Peloton).
Sometimes, it's easy to forget that fitness can be much more accessible than that. There are plenty of ways to get in a full-body workout with just a set of bands, your bodyweight, some space, and a bit of ~creativity~.
Versatile
One of the reasons that resistance bands are considered so versatile is that they can be used for practically any type of workout. For example, when it comes to recovering from an injury, minibands can be used to regain mobility and ease yourself back into resistance training.
On the other hand, you can also get your cardio in by wearing one around your legs for a set of burpees!
Resistance bands are a great addition to HIIT workouts, because they add an extra challenge and engage muscles that we typically tend to ignore, such as the gluteus medius and other abductors.
This same principle can also be applied for strength training. By choosing a heavier band, each exercise becomes more difficult- from squats to bicep curls to shoulder press. In fact, almost every movement you can do with weights can be replicated using resistance bands! And, as I mentioned earlier, they are much more convenient to carry around.
Adaptive
Perhaps most importantly and impressively, resistance bands can be used by people of any age or fitness level- that’s how great they are.
Bands are typically sold in a pack with many different resistance levels, so it is easy to adjust difficulty based on which one you choose. You can even make an exercise harder simply by changing how you hold a band.
The possibilities are endless!
Additionally, by using bands instead of weights, there is a decreased risk of injury. This makes them ideal for kids, older adults, and everyone in between.
Effective
You may be thinking to yourself, "This is great and all, but am I actually going to see results from using resistance bands?"
The answer is yes, and there have been plenty of studies to back this up. All confirm that training with resistance bands produces equivalent gains in strength and functionality as traditional weight training.
And if you need any more convincing, here's a quick recap on what we've covered:
Resistance bands are convenient
Resistance bands are versatile
Resistance bands are adaptive
Resistance bands are effective
There's a reason why these are included in every bKYND workout, and I hope you can see why. If you also share a love for resistance bands, comment below with your favorite movements, and don't forget to share this post on social media so that others can learn as well!