The world of health and fitness has witnessed amazing innovation and development in the last decade. Today people are more aware and health conscious than they were before. Visit a gym and you will find all sorts of equipment that you may not have seen before. One such tool is resistance bands. Many people are still not aware of them, their usage and benefits. This is why they are mostly overlooked. The concept of resistance bands is not new; the cable machines which have always been a part of the gym actually work on the same principle with the difference that resistance bands use a combination of your own body weight and their inherent elasticity.
What Can Mini Resistance Bands be Used for?
Mini Resistance bands are a versatile workout tool which can be used to:
Build strength – the mini bands apply a specific resistance force to your muscles when they are stretched and they can be employed for training both your lower and upper body.
Improve mobility – mini bands are an easy way for improving muscle flexibility and joint mobility.
Rehabilitate – mini bands have time and again proved that they are an efficient tool for recovery, especially when it comes injuries related to shoulders, hips and knees.
Perform weightlifting – you can wrap your mini resistance bands around a barbell to make your weightlifting workout more challenging. The same could be done with dumbbells.
For pull ups – you can also use mini resistance bands for performing pull ups.
Mini Resistance Band Benefits
Mini resistance bands are a very versatile piece of equipment; they are the perfect workout tool for any fitness target. Whether it’s strength training you are looking for, toning your body, or increasing your agility and flexibility, mini resistance bands can help you perform your fitness targets more effectively than other fitness equipment. Let us look at some of the benefits you can derive from using mini resistance bands.
Use them Anywhere
One of the best things about mini resistance bands is that you can keep them in your pocket and take them along anywhere. You do not have to be in the gym for using them to their full potential. You can perform any exercise of any muscle in the comfort of your home; if you have built a mini-gym at home they can be a part of your strength training gear. Even if you’re travelling you can keep them with you and work out with them in the outdoors.
They Improve the Quality of Your Exercise
The mini resistance bands utilize an entirely different training style. It creates a constant tension for your muscle, improving the quality of every repetition. Your muscles work harder and therefore more efficient results can be expected. However, you do not have to base your entire workout routine on mini resistance bands alone; in fact, you can make them a part of your weekly workout routine and use them along with other fitness equipment.
They Help Improve Focus
Using mini resistance bands for the first time may seem a little challenging and you might think your body is wiggling too much. But with practice and time you will get the hold of it. These mini bands will also make sure that you learn to control the tension as well as the release, thus improving your ability to focus and concentrate.
They Employ Your Stabilizing Muscles
Since the use of mini bands can make you a little shaky, it urges you to maintain your balance which implies that you have to work harder. You will be engaging your stabilizing muscles and building core strength all at the same time. Give it a try by using the mini bands to perform triceps extensions and you will understand how much your core will be activated in order to perform this exercise.
They Are Very Effective for Functional Training
Resistance bands training demands more body movement as compared to conventional exercises. They improve your joint health by mobilizing them and at the same time don’t exert excessive pressure on them or your muscles.
A Great Alternative to Machines
Resistance bands are a great alternative to cable machines which although are great for beginners but are restrictive and at times may push your body to assume awkward positions. On the other hand, movements performed by resistance bands are more natural and will make your muscles work to their full potential.
Great for Performing Compound Exercises
Compound exercises target more than one muscle in your body and are also categorized as whole-body exercises. They are more efficient than isolation exercises which only target specific muscles. Mini resistance bands have been specifically designed for performing compound exercises to ensure that even if it’s the only workout tool you use it’s sufficient for providing you with a whole-body workout.
They Offer More Control Over Angle
Barbells may be great for heavy lifting but if you have an issue with your shoulders or your wrists using barbells can worsen your injuries. When you perform exercises with resistance bands you have a great deal of control on your posture and angle which allows you to avoid overtraining yet target the muscles you want. Hence, they are much safer to use than other workout tools.
They Allow You to Perfect Your Form
Every gym enthusiast knows that perfecting the form of a particular exercise can be very challenging. Squeezing out those few last reps are even harder when you are using mini resistance bands because you have to maintain the same tension in your resistance bands throughout a set. Each rep has to be of high quality, demanding more from your muscles instead of at the end of a conventional exercise. This helps you progress more than your usual workout routines and contributes significantly towards building strength.
