Resistance Band Exercises for Lean Muscle

Exercises with resistance bands can complement or substitute for traditional strength training with weights. The more you stretch a band, the greater the resistance. Because of the recoil property of the band, you can simultaneously strengthen the agonist, or primary mover, muscle while stretching the antagonist, or assisting muscle. For example, if you’re doing a biceps curl, you’re also stretching your triceps. Depending on the goals and type of band workout, you can build lean muscle, bone density and improve flexibility.

  1. Types of Exercises

    • Because you can do the same types of strength-building exercises as at the gym with weights, resistance bands can be used to build all of your major muscle groups. Resistance-band exercises include the bench press, upright row, seated row, leg press, hamstring curl, biceps curl, knee extension or lat pulldown, according to “Strength Band Training” by Phil Page and Todd Ellenbecker. You can also condition specific muscles, such as the rotator cuffs, that are hard to reach with machines. The resistance of the band and number of reps depend on your workout goals. If you want to build muscle mass and power, use a stiffer band and perform three to six reps. Complete 10 to 12 reps with slightly lighter resistance for an intense endurance workout. If you’re looking for a low-intensity endurance workout, use light resistance and aim to do 20 to 25 reps.

    Functional Fitness

    • Resistance bands can be used to simulate multiple-joint movements, such as throwing, running or lifting. Bands are therefore ideally suited for functional training of specific movements in sports. For example, a boxer can loop a band around his back, take hold of the ends of the band and throw various types of punches. Swimmers can attach the band to stationary objects, hold the band’s ends and work the entire range of movement for different strokes. You can’t perform these same functional movements with added resistance by holding a pair of dumbbells.

    Benefits

    • If you undertake a resistance-band training program, you can increase muscle strength by 10 to 30 percent in six weeks, according to Page and Ellenbecker. You can build muscle mass, power and endurance while shedding body fat. If you do resistance band exercises for your legs, you can improve stride mechanics, balance and mobility. Resistance bands provide many more vectors -- lateral and diagonal -- for movement that you can’t replicate on a weight machine. Band exercises typically require more neuromuscular control and allow for faster movement.

    Disadvantages

    • In contrast to weights, for which the resistance level is greatest at the beginning of the exercise, resistance bands offer less resistance at the early angles of an exercise. If you’re not completing a full range of movement in the exercise, you may experience uneven gains in strength. Bands can also break as well as snap free of an anchor, creating potential for injury. Because they’re more vulnerable to wear and tear, you need to check bands regularly for nicks and dents. While you know how much weight you’re lifting, it’s more difficult to quantify the exact amount of resistance used in band exercises.