BENEFITS OF USING RESISTANCE BANDS

           BENEFITS OF USING RESITANCE BANDS


Free weights have momentum and is controlled by gravity. This limit's the amount of speed that you can move a particular weight. The bands do not have momentum. By not having momentum, you can actually add speed to the exercise you are doing. You can however, add dumbbells to the bands by holding them at the same time as with a band/DB bicep curl. You can add speed as well as more load by uisng the combo technique.


                                              EXERCISE TID BITS


Dumbbell tricep kickback vs. cable tricep kickback:

With the dumbbell, you don't have constant tension throughout the full range of motion [ROM]. Because of this there isn't any " emphasis" on the actual tricep muscle. Only at about the 1/2 way point of the movement does the tricep get involved, but the gravity of the dumbbell on the eccentric [lowering the weight] forces the tension to basically disappear. With the cable, you will have tension on the eccentric as well as the isometric [ at the curl/the top] and concentric [ as you are raising the weight up].

Cable tricep kickback vs. bands:

With the bands, the further it gets stretched the heavier it gets. This means more fibers of the tricep are getting fired and recruited. Using the bands doing a ballistic movement works well as you can do the movement fast while always maintaining tension. This cannot be done with the cable because there is momentum. So as far as cable and dumbbbell vs. bands go - you can't go for speed while using the cable or dumbbells because they are both controlled by gravity. Using the bands in this case is probably more effective to fire up the fast twitch muscle fibers.

Conclusion:

In the case of a bicep curl, tricep kickback or any other exercise, dumbbells, cable, or bands can be used and will be effective. If you want to put "emphasis" on the muscle you are working, the cable will be better than the free weight. If it's speed you want to recruit the fast twitch type 2 fibers, the band will be best. Again, you can combine the bands with the dumbbells to add volume and speed to the exercise.

Hugs&Health
Bernadette