Resistance bands are an incredibly versatile training tool, as they allow us to perform exercises at high speeds, mimic the movements we encounter through sports and in our daily lives – and do it all without overloading our muscles and joints. If you're looking to add resistance bands to your training regimen, start with light and medium bands. These lighter bands are by far the most useful and functional pieces of equipment you can have in your home gym, and they'll give you everything you need to take your at-home training to the next level.
Here are 5 great benefits of training with lighter resistance bands that you should know about:
Train Sport-Specific Movements: At TB12, we always talk about training with sport specific movements under tension – enter our light and medium bands. Adding these light and medium bands creates enough tension to challenge any and every athlete in movements that mimic the demands of their respective sports. We love using these bands for movements such as hockey striders, baseball rotational swings, quarterback drop backs, etc. They add enough resistance to help athletes develop speed and power, but are still light enough for the athlete to move freely through all necessary ranges of motion without creating a compensation in their natural sport movement.
Train Complex, Full-Body Movements: We love combining upper body, core, and lower body movements together in order to create dynamic exercises that will challenge your athletic ability, improve your coordination, and boost your neuromuscular control. These combo exercises require the use of a light or medium band in order to move with resistance through a coordinated, fast-paced motion.
Train at a Faster Pace: Less tension = faster movement, and faster movement = training at the speed that your sport or life demands. Training with the light and medium bands will allow you to train at the speed of life – fast!
Increase Your Caloric Expenditure: By training at a faster pace with the light and medium bands, you'll be able to increase your heart rate during the exercise and throughout your workout – ultimately leading to a higher caloric expenditure versus a slower, heavier training session.
Improve your Range of Motion: Using a light or medium resistance band during your workouts is a great way to ensure that you’re training under tension while still able to move freely through your fullest range of motion. We never want to start shortening and limiting the body's natural motion, so allowing for resisted exercises through full joint ranges ensures that you don’t begin to lose essential free motion in all joints.
