AustrAliAn triAthlete | 77Versatile
You really can get an effective, full body
workout with just bands. Our main
principles at Strength For Endurance are
mobility, activation and strength, and I
prescribe band work in each one of thesePortable
When most people think of strength
training they think big weights. But what
happens if you can’t access a gym or go
away on holiday? The strength work
doesn’t have to stop. Bands are
lightweight, cheap and highly portable,
just chuck them in your pocket, your
swimming bag for your pre-swim warm up
or put them in your hand luggage.Progressive
Bands come in different tensions from
extra light to heavy. But we can also
manipulate the intensity of most exercises
by increases in time under tension, as well
changing the tempo and number of
repetitions you perform.In summary, logistically speaking bands
are a dream! You can train anywhere, any
time – trackside, poolside, in the garage,
wherever without investing in a fancy
setup or somewhat hefty gym
ADVANTAGES OF membership fees.
RESISTANCE BANDS:
Simple
I’m a big fan of keeping strength work
simple. Gym equipment can often be
complicated and intimidating. With bands,
once you know the area you are trying to
target and you work on perfecting your
technique it’s easy to replicate with
minimal risk of injury.
sTrengTh And condiTioning
Training TOOLBOX
BANDS VS. WEIGHTS:
Now, I’m definitely not saying that training
with resistance bands is all you need to
do. There comes a point when your body
requires a greater stimulus to initiate
change and allow progression, and that is
where increasing the load through
barbells, dumbbells and other equipment
is useful. However, if you are time pressed,
on a budget or can’t seem to stay
consistent with your strength sessions,
resistance bands could quickly become
your best friend.
The resistance created by a band has
the ability to increase and decrease
throughout the movement, something
that a static weight cannot do. This means
there is an added level of control required
to maintain that tension. As soon as you
slack off so does the resistance; if you had
a 25kg weight on your back as soon as
you slack off... well, you get the picture
don’t you.
Phillip Page, author of a book called
Strength Band Training, noted that:
“Elastic resistance training also frees you
from the limitations of
gravity, allowing you to
isolate muscles and perform
the same movements in a
totally different way.”
The other stand out
benefit of band work is that
it has a way of challenging
core stability throughout
most movements. For a
number of free weight or cable machine
exercises that require you to sit down,
using bands in a standing position will
require a great deal of core control to
perform the exercises well.BANDS OR WEIGHTS?: Resistance bands are cheaper and more versatile.© Shutterstock.com© ITU Media/Janos M. Schmidt