Resistance Band Users

Bands should be treated the same as weights. You have the right idea about using them on days you can't get to the gym for your regular weight training.

You want to give the muscles a rest day before working them again so, if you want to lift weights one day & use bands the next, make sure you are working different muscle groups .

On 7/28/2014 Wink said:

I recently purchased resistance bands to use on days when I don't go to the gym. But now I'm wondering how often I should use them. I go to the gym and do weights usually Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. There are some weeks that I don't get there on Friday and I was going to substitute the bands for the weights.

My question is, do you treat resistance bands the same way as weights? I don't do weights on back to back days, but is that true with the bands? If I do weights on Monday and then the bands on Tuesdays is that overworking those muscles?

Looking for some input so I can get into a schedule. Thanks.

How often you use them depends on the level of your workouts. If you are not "pushing the envelope" you can use them as often as you like. If you are using them till maximum muscle fatigue is present then treat them as you would any type of resistance movement regardless of what is used to reach the fatigue level.

I've got all levels of bands along with other devices and I use them when I am watching tv or just for something to give my muscles more work, but the easy type. The only visible muscles that can be worked to fatigue daily are the core/abdominal muscles. I am talking resistance exercises, but stretching exercises can, and many should be done daily.

Bands will be different than weights....because doing a 15-lb dumbbell curl will be a consistent 15lb from start to finish. Resistance bands (using a curl exercise) will get 'heavier' @ a gradient...easy @ the beginning, tough @ the peak, easy @ the end. Don't see any reason not to do these exercises every day!

There's a bunch of stuff on YouTube demo'ing resistance bands...this will get you started!

I use them alongside of my weights, so I do them on on alternate days.

hckynut, question: why would you use resistance for stretching? Or are you talking stretching like a cool down or Pilates?

John was right when he said "How often you use them depends on the level of your workouts." It's difficult for anyone else to advise you because we don't know the intensity of your workouts. Generally, if I were working hard in the gym with weights on M/W/F, my body would need the day's rest in between. If you're working moderately in the gym with weights, you could try using the resistance bands lightly at first on T/Th/S, for example to see how your body feels. If the workout in the gym is with light weights, you could use the bands on alternate days with more intensity. Remember, adequate rest is just as important as lifting weights.

No matter which it is, I would definitely have one day during the week for total rest.

On 7/28/2014 HonnyBrown said:

I use them alongside of my weights, so I do them on on alternate days.

hckynut, question: why would you use resistance for stretching? Or are you talking stretching like a cool down or Pilates?

Hi HonnyBrown

I might have worded my reply incorrectly. I don't suggest, or use it myself, resistance of any type for stretching.

The stretching I am talking about is the type that everyone should do for the flexibility of the muscles that are in constant use just by standing, some even when sitting. Most are on the rear side of the body starting with the cervical area and working down to the Plantar Fascia.

Anyone that has back issues is foolish if the do not do core/ab strengthening exercise and combine that with the same amount of time done stretching the same muscles and all connecting tissues. I personally thing everyone should treat their back like they have had back problems even if they have not. Not many get by into age without having some type of back issue, be it muscles/connective tissues/nerves or just overuse. Best to err of the positive as opposed to the negative side when it comes to stretching.

That is my belief and what I have done over many decades. As one with 3 lumbar discs missing and 3 crushed cervical vertebrae, they have been invaluable for my functioning.

John, thank you. That makes sense, stretching for flexibility.

We lift heavy things every day. Groceries, wet laundry...even pushing furniture around to vacuum, so when people are worried about 'every other day' routine for weights, it's kinda silly. Unless you're practicing Sports Periodization or doing 1RM, our bodies are designed to be moved, stretched, challenged every day. Yoga is probably more weight-bearing than anything...all without a piece of iron anywhere. Doesn't body weight count?

Women are guilty of this...Tracey Anderson, a celebrity trainer, encourages her clients not to lift more than 8lbs....doesn't a baby weigh more than that? See? It's kinda silly.

Growing up on a farm, we had to do heavy-weighted chores every day....we never worried about 'tacking our muscles"...you just did it to make a living.