Hi CanaianCathlete, we classify both Boss Bands & Boss Loops as advanced, but as long as a person is not totally new to fitness these workouts are doable for most exercisers and yet can challenge almost everybody.
The Boss Band workouts have a mix of low impact cardio and strength exercises. We've already addressed how these workouts are different from some of Cathe's other band-centric workouts in another post, so I won't repeat myself here. But just like in any weight workout where you increase the intensity by selecting a heavier weight, you can increase or decrease the intensity of the Boss Band workouts by the tension of the band you select. You can also use two or three bands at the same time for an even greater challenge. And, you will also be able to select an easier or harder workout challenge with the premix's we will offer.
Cathe's band workouts will challenge you in different ways than weights do. Boss Bands bands offer unique benefits you don’t get when you use our workouts that offer dumbbells exclusively. With dumbbells, you’re dependent upon gravity to create resistance and the motions you do with the weights are in a vertical plane. With resistance bands, the tubing provides resistance that’s independent of gravity. This means you can use them to generate tension in various planes to target muscles in different ways. This enhances your functional fitness too since you’re working your body in a variety of planes other than just vertical.
Resistance bands also expose your muscles to constant tension through the full range of the exercise. With dumbbells, gravity reduces some of the workload during the eccentric portion of the move since the downward pull of gravity makes it easier to lower the weight. Resistance bands also make it impossible to use momentum. When using dumbbells, it’s easy to cheat by using momentum to propel the weight up initially, reducing the amount of work your muscles have to do. With elastic bands, you have to stretch the bands for movement to occur. There’s no way to cheat like you can with weights.
Resistance bands are ideal for isolating smaller muscle groups and correcting muscle imbalances. With dumbbells, it’s all too easy to recruit other muscles to help you lift so you don’t isolate the muscle you’re targeting as well. With bands, you can more easily target those small muscle groups that may need additional focus
Lastly, Cathe keeps you moving with little rest between exercises in both of the new workouts. This blend of constant movement mixed with strength & toning exercises is what makes a Cathe workout special. As I mentioned before, band workouts are different than weight workouts, but we have always promoted balanced training and we feel everyone should have a variety of different workouts in their toolbox to avoid plateaus and to obtain the best possible results.
