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A few quick tips on how to choose and set up your bands.
Introduction
Over the past twelve years or so the emergence of latex or rubber band
resistance has gained steady acceptance and widespread use in resistance training for
sports performance enhancement. The purpose of this article is to describe how to
choose which bands to use and how set up the latex bands for a number of different
exercises.
Bands – what type and what strength of bands should I use?
There are bands available that apply different stretch forces or resistances,
ranging from a few kilograms to nearly 80 or more kg of force. Generally the first
three sizes (#1-3) will typically be all you need (see Figure 1 and Table 1). The first
three band sizes are capable of exerting forces across a spectrum that suits most
athletes for virtually every exercise.
The bigger bands are really just for the
behemoths of competitive powerlifting.
Figure 1. Iron Woody brand of resistance bands #s 1-7. Sizes 1-3 suit most
trainers. The newer version of Iron Woody are solid coloured for the entire
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band (ie. the #3 blue bands are all blue, not just a blue slash as in the above
photo).
Most bands were originally 41 inches (1 meter) long, but there are now some
variations ~ please be aware when purchasing bands. The shorter bands are for short
range exercises like deadlifts, but you can still use the traditional length bands for
these short range exercises. So I recommend the 41 inch version of bands.
You need to know how much resistance the band is imparting onto the barbell
to accurately determine the overload.
The exact resistance the bands exert is
determined by 1) hanging weights from the band to get it to stretch to the same length
that it will during whatever lift you are doing or 2. by setting up an empty barbell with
the bands attached and placing the barbell on a digital scale, that itself has been
placed upon boxes so that it is at the same height as will occur during the lift (ie. the
height just prior to lock-out, see Figure 2). Merely subtract the barbell mass from the
digital scale reading to determine the amount of force the bands are exerting at that
point in the range. Using this method, you can also determine the band force at the
beginning of the range of the exercise. This is the best and easiest way to determine
the force the bands will exert for each exercise for different individuals. Therefore it
is quiet easy to calculate the band resistance for the top and bottom of any lift.
A point of debate is how to consider the augmentation to resistance delivered
by bands, as the stretch force they impart varies throughout the range of motion. For
this article I will base band resistance on the total band contribution at the point just
prior to lockout. So a bench press with 30 kg of band resistance may actually have
zero band resistance when the barbell is at the chest, 15 kg by halfway to lock-out and
30 kg just prior to lock-out. So I will consider this as 30 kg of band resistance ~ some
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other coaches describe this augmentation by the average of 15 kg. Please beware of
these differences in determining band augmentation when considering the work of
other coaches.
Table 1. The estimated maximal force contribution of the four most popular
sizes of bands.
#1 White Iron Woody band
Up to 15 kg of resistance
#2 Red Iron Woody band
Up to 23 kg of resistance
#3 Blue Iron Woody band
Up to 35 kg of resistance
#4 Green Iron Woody band
Up to 50+kg of resistance
Figure 2. Determining the band resistance contribution for the squat. The same
procedure can be used for bench press or most exercises.
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Quick recommendation
As a quick recommendation I always suggest strong males use #2 bands for
most upper body exercises (using either a single or both bands, depending on the
exercise and how they are setup) and #2 or 3 for squats and deadlifts. Most females
and less strong athletes get most benefit from #1 and 2 bands, again using either a
single or both bands, depending on the exercise and how they are setup.
The key point to consider is: the bands should provide a resistance of at
least 10% 1RM to “shock” the body and preferably 15-20% 1RM. Accordingly I
recommend that most coaches purchase our Special Band Package of one pair of both
the #2 red and #3 blue bands. These are the bands that get the most usage. If you
need stronger than #3 blues, you are very strong (or rehabbing) and you can either
purchase #4 greens or use both a #2 and #3 on each side of the barbell, which is
equivalent to a #4 green. This is why a Special Pack of #2 and #3 is so good ~ you
can use them in so many ways to get so many different levels of resistance!
Setting up your bands – “choking them on”, anchoring and broadening the base
How bands are set up (as well as which size) can also affect how much
resistance they offer. For example, Figure 3 shows how to secure and “choke-on” a
band to a dumbbell, which is used to anchor the band before attached it to a barbell.
If instead of one dumbbell, two are used, then the anchoring base is broadened and
then the bands will be stretched more during a lift and exert more resistance. Another
method is to choke the band around the barbell and then stretch the band down to loop
over the anchoring dumbbell on the floor, as in Figure 4. For safety reasons, please
chock the dumbbells with small plates to ensure they don’t roll around (Figures 3) –
unless they are hexagonal dumbbells, which don’t roll around.
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Figures 5 and 6 shows how a band is secured onto the barbell and then under
the bench press – this creates a very broad anchoring base and can add 20-23 kg
resistance for the #2 red bands depicted. In this case only one band per barbell is
required. For more resistance, you can use a #3 for 30-33kg of force, 2 x #2 for 40-46
kg of force, 1 x #2+1x#3 for 50-56 kg of force or 2 x #3 for 60-66kg of force.
Figure 3. Choking on a band to a dumbbell to secure it at an anchor point. Note
that small weight plates are used to chock the dumbbell to stop it from rolling.
Bands can also be secured to squat racks or bench presses to provide a
horizontal resistance component to training (eg. for lunges and ste-ups). This is one
of the main, but rarely used advantages of bands, the fact that they can exert
resistance in any plane, but that weight resistance only ever provides vertical
resistance, despite what you do with the weight. Figures 7 and 8 depicts an athlete
doing dumbbell (for vertical resistance) step ups with horizontal band resistance ~ this
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is a great combination of vertical and horizontal resistance for athletes who have to
run and/or jump (basketball, volleyball etc).
Figure 4. In this case the bands are choked onto the barbell and then looped
over the dumbbell to anchor them to the floor.
So exactly how the bands are secured depends upon the exercise – two bands
are needed for some exercises like the squat, incline press, Romanian style deadlift
with the bands secured or looped over the barbell and secured or looped over an
anchor such as a dumbbell, multiple 20 kg plates or even a toaster rack on the floor,
while other exercises like the bench press, upright row, curls and so on can use one
band secured directly under the lifter. Some bands are secured to an upright and
placed around the athletes body during step ups and lunges to provide horizontal
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resistance. The methods will vary but always consider safety and have an adequate
(heavy and non-moving) anchor.
Figures 5 and 6. The band is looped under the bench and over the barbell. The
lifter inserts his arms into the loops and then grips the bar as per usual.
Obviously the range of movement also affects the band resistance ~ taller or
longer-limbed individuals experience greater band resistance if the anchoring strategy
used is the same as for a shorter counterpart.
Consequently measuring band
resistance using the methodology of Figure 2 is recommended to determine individual
differences when height or limb length between athletes is quite disparate.
Assisted band training
While bands typically provide accommodating resistance throughout a range
of movement, they can also be used in a reverse or assisted manner. The two main
exercises they are used for in this manner are chin/pull-ups and bench press. Figure 9
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depicts the setup for assisted or reverse bench press in a power rack ~ a heavier than
usual weight is used with the bands assisting the movement off the chest, but the
athlete having to lock-out the weight without any band assistance. This is really an
exercise used by competitive powerlifters and most other people do not gain benefit
from this method (over and above other bands methods).
Figures 7 and 8. The dumbell step-up + band resistance (the band is choked
around the bench press behind the athlete). Bodyweight and the dumbbells
provide the vertical resistance while the band adds a more horizontal force
component. The exercise can be started with one foot on the box or with both
feet on the ground. This is a great exercise for athletes who have to run and
jump.
However band assisted chin/pull-ups can benefit everyone. Figure 10 shows
an athlete with the band under his knee during chin-ups ~ the band provides
assistance in the lower portion of the lift. The amount of assistance can be easily
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regulated and monitored for progression and depends upon the band stretch (bent
knee versus straight leg), the size of the band (#1, 2 or 3) or how many bands (1 or 2).
So virtually every person is now capable of doing chin/pull-ups without the strength
coach forced into providing manual assistance.
Figure 9. Band assisted bench press in a power rack. The bands suspended
above reduce the resistance in the bottom portion of the lift.
This can be
considered an advanced powerlifters exercise for using supra-maximal
intensities (103-110% 1RM).
Conclusions
While it is up to each coach to determine workout content as appropriate for
their athletes, utilizing heavy resistance bands can add a new dimension to training.
Bands can add vertical or horizontal resistance and importantly vary resistance
throughout the range in a manner which tends to accommodate the human strength
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curve (ie. accommodating resistance). The coach needs to know how to choose which
size band and how to set them up to garner the most benefit from band training.
Figure 10. Band assisted chin/pull-ups can used by advanced athletes for a drop
set or by female or less strong or heavier athletes to enable them to perform the
exercise for an adequate number of reps.