When you want to strength train, aside from body weight, you can use either free weights or resistance bands. The latter option is growing in popularity fast because of the advantages bands offer.
Resistance bands: You can work in any direction.
Both resistance bands and free weights can provide resistance for the three types of muscle contractions: eccentric (elongating, relaxing), concentric (shortening, contracting) and isometric (static). With a dumbbell, however, the resistance comes primarily from gravity. You really can work only vertically as a result, which sometimes necessitates getting into some rather awkward positions to work the muscles you want. With a band, however, you can work from any angle. This way of moving is much more in line with realistic, everyday activities, and it allows you to get very specific about how you are isolating the muscles for perfect body sculpting.
Resistance is always present–no cheating!
With gravity the main provider of resistance with a dumbbell, it’s difficult to maintain tension through certain moves, depending on where you are in the range of motion for the muscle. For instance, in a traditional triceps kickback, if you let your weight fall too far down when you come to the “start” position, you’ll probably have little to no resistance on the triceps. The tension is through the roof when you bring the weight up to the top and straighten your arm. With a band, resistance is always present, with no “rest” points. As a result, you cannot cheat through your workout, using momentum to finish a rep. Tacked on to this is the idea that most muscles tend to have a strength arc. With a free weight, you are limited by the fact that you must select a weight that you can handle at the weakest point in your range of motion. With a band, the continued stretching increases the tension as you go, so you get resistance that challenges you through any point.
You work the deeper, intrinsic stabilizers better.
Many of the main muscle groups you train with weights are not stabilizers–that job goes to smaller, deeper assisting muscles. Often, what happens with dumbbells is that, instead of working the stabilizers, the stronger, larger muscles take over. You don’t want this to happen all the time, because weak stabilizers translate to a higher risk of injury when you try to handle heavier weights. Using a band allows you to isolate the smaller muscles and keep them recruited right along with their larger neighbors, resulting in better overall strength.
Resistance bands are more convenient.
Due to the fact they are so lightweight, resistance bands are much easier to move around, especially when you are traveling. They’re also more convenient in that they don’t take up as much space. Additionally, simply by changing the length of the band, you quickly can modify the resistance you get without switching equipment. For example, if you want to make a biceps curl harder, you can stand in the center of the band with both feet, shortening the amount of the band that can move. If you want the curl to be easier, you can put just one foot in the center, lengthening the amount of band that will stretch.
Resistance bands are often safer.
With weights always requiring you to work in a vertical plane to get much resistance, you have to manipulate your body position for many exercises. When the amount you are lifting gets high, this can become potentially unsafe when you are training alone. A classic example here is the barbell bench press, where it’s possible to lose control of the weight and have it crush the windpipe. By contrast, if you find that you cannot get through a repetition with a band, you usually can slowly release the tension on the band on your own with no risk of anything heavy dropping. Resistance bands do carry some safety risks–for instance, they can recoil back and hit you if they snap or slip–but properly maintained and used resistance bands rarely result in anything life-threatening.
Conclusion
Resistance bands work your muscles in a very different way than free weights do. They are better for keeping tension on the muscles throughout their entire range of motion, as well as for accommodating natural strength arcs. The ability to work in just about any direction is more conducive to realistic, daily movements. Increased safety, engagement of the deep stabilizers and convenience are additional positive points that might make you want to add them to your routine.
References:
Stoppani, J. (n.d.) Elastic Resistance Versus Free Weights.
West Bend (2013). Resistance Band Safety.
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5 Reasons to Add Resistance Bands to Your Training
