Are Elastic Bands Higher Than Free Weights?

By Michael J. Rudolph, Ph.D.

Elastic bands present a novel type of resistance that places appreciable stress on muscle tissue, inflicting appreciable beneficial properties in muscle mass and power that’s similar to free weights.

I’m at all times on the lookout for distinctive methods to reinforce my coaching and alter it up somewhat bit. Nicely, surprisingly I got here throughout just a few nice articles that spotlight the distinctive muscle-building qualities supplied by resistance coaching with elastic bands. These research clearly exhibit that elastic resistance coaching produces a basically completely different coaching stimulus when in comparison with free weights or machines, making it a superb different for lean muscle progress and power.

Extra Muscle Is Activated

Free weights and elastic resistance basically differ as a result of free weights present fixed resistance all through the whole vary of movement, whereas elastic bands present larger resistance all through the motion. This happens as a result of the band is stretched all through the motion, inflicting elevated rigidity inside the band that generates larger resistance because the vary of movement will increase. This type of dynamic resistance from elastic bands offers advantages over free weights that may be clearly demonstrated in workout routines such because the bench press. Since larger muscular pressure happens within the preliminary part of the bench press, larger momentum is generated all through the remainder of the motion when utilizing free weights. As soon as the burden has constructed up momentum within the preliminary part, the muscle fibers don’t have to be maximally activated to proceed transferring the burden all through the remainder of the motion, thus diminishing the coaching impact. Nonetheless, the rise in resistance generated from elastic bands negates the manufacturing of momentum – disallowing the momentum-driven propulsion of the bar via the remainder of the motion and creating a requirement for larger muscle exercise that in the end stimulates larger muscle progress. This impact from elastic resistance was clearly demonstrated in a research by Jalal et al.¹ that confirmed a 15% improve in muscle exercise throughout elastic resistance coaching when in comparison with free-weight coaching. Furthermore, the comparability between elastic coaching and free-weight coaching additionally confirmed a significantly larger degree of muscle activation within the later phases of the motion – supporting the concept that the ascending pressure from elastic bands diminished momentum, inflicting muscle activation all through the whole concentric part of the motion.

Larger Muscle Stress

Elastic resistance naturally produces a larger quantity of rigidity on the muscle in comparison with free weights as a result of, as beforehand said, it has the capability to reduce momentum – inflicting larger muscle exercise all through the whole motion, which successfully will increase the period of time the muscle is below rigidity. As well as, elastic bands additionally produce resistance unbiased of gravity, which fails to provide rigidity on the muscle throughout particular phases of sure lifts. For instance, free-weight biceps curls produce little or no muscle rigidity on the high of the concentric part because of the outstanding horizontal motion of the burden that now not creates gravitational resistance. Alternatively, the exactly positioned use of elastic bands – that causes the elastic materials to be stretched for the whole motion – locations resistance on the biceps all through the whole vary of movement. The continual rigidity from elastic resistance coaching ought to stimulate larger muscle progress, because it has been nicely documented² that larger time below rigidity potently will increase mechanical rigidity on the muscle cell. Elevated mechanical rigidity on the muscle cell produces extra muscle cell harm and/or elevated metabolic stress, which powerfully enhances lean muscle mass. Clearly demonstrating the power of elastic bands to construct lean mass, a research by Colado et al.³ discovered that elastic resistance is as efficient if not higher than free weights or resistance machines at growing each lean physique mass and power.

Muscle Injury Promotes Lean Muscle Development

Train-induced muscle harm stimulates many alternative mobile and molecular mechanisms that trigger the muscle cell to develop and change into extra highly effective.⁴ For instance, muscle harm prompts the inflammatory response – inflicting completely different immunological cells, such because the macrophage, emigrate to the broken muscle tissue, consequently facilitating muscle cell restore and progress.⁵ Moreover, exercise-induced muscle harm stimulates IGF-1 activation of the enzyme mTOR, which triggers muscle cell protein synthesis⁶, enhancing the hypertrophic response to resistance coaching.

Whereas muscle harm following eccentric contractions and bouts of unaccustomed train has been nicely established^7,8,9, solely lately has a research seemed on the affect that elastic resistance coaching has on muscle harm. This research by Aboodarda et al.¹⁰ confirmed that elastic resistance coaching induced the same quantity of muscle harm when in comparison with Nautilus machine resistance. Whereas the underlying mechanism of those findings is unknown, a possible rationalization for this end result might have been uncovered in one other research by Cronin et al.¹¹, which demonstrated a substantial improve in muscle exercise inside the quadriceps muscle through the eccentric part of leg extensions whereas utilizing elastic resistance. As a result of the pressured lengthening of the muscle cell that happens through the eccentric part creates essentially the most in depth muscle harm^12,13, this larger degree of muscular contraction through the eccentric part whereas utilizing elastic bands almost certainly encourages appreciable muscle harm. Apparently, this larger degree of muscle exercise through the eccentric part of the leg extension could also be because of the monumental recoil pressure generated from the absolutely stretched elastic band that happens proper originally of the eccentric part. Taken collectively, these outcomes exhibit related potential between elastic bands and free weight/machine coaching to create ample muscle pressure that induces muscle harm and in the end muscle progress.

Elastic bands present a novel type of resistance that places appreciable stress on muscle tissue, inflicting appreciable beneficial properties in muscle mass and power that’s similar to free weights. As well as, as a result of the elastic resistance pressure is so basically completely different from free-weight resistance, each approaches may be concurrently used throughout your exercise to create a mix of forces that place larger preliminary pressure on the muscle whereas sustaining maximal pressure on the musculature all through the whole motion – producing outstanding beneficial properties in power and dimension.¹⁴

References:

1. Jalal FY, et al. Resultant muscle torque and electromyographic exercise throughout excessive depth elastic resistance and free weight workout routines. EJSS 2013;13(2): p. 155-163.

2. Pinto RS, et al. Impact of vary of movement on muscle power and thickness. J Power Cond Res 2012;26(8): p. 2140-5.

3. Colado JC and Triplett NT. Results of a short-term resistance program utilizing elastic bands versus weight machines for sedentary middle-aged ladies. J Power Cond Res 2008;22(5): p. 1441-8.

4. Schoenfeld, B.J. Does exercise-induced muscle harm play a job in skeletal muscle hypertrophy? J Power Cond Res 2012;26(5): p. 1441-53.

5. McGinley C, Shafat A, and Donnelly AE. Does antioxidant vitamin supplementation shield towards muscle harm? Sports activities Med 2009;39(12): p. 1011-32.

6. Guillet C, et al. Impaired anabolic response of muscle protein synthesis is related to S6K1 dysregulation in aged people. Faseb J 2004;18(13): p. 1586-7.

7. Clarkson PM and Hubal MJ. Train-induced muscle harm in people. Am J Phys Med Rehabil, 2002;81(11 Suppl): p. S52-69.

8. Linnamo V, et al. Neuromuscular responses to explosive and heavy resistance loading. J Electromyogr Kinesiol 2000;10(6): p. 417-24.

9. Newham DJ, et al. Ultrastructural modifications after concentric and eccentric contractions of human muscle. J Neurol Sci 1983;61(1): p. 109-22.

10. Aboodarda SJ, et al. Muscle power and harm following two modes of variable resistance coaching. J Sports activities Sci Med, 2011;10: p. 635-642.

11. Cronin J, McNair PJ and Marshall RN. The results of bungy weight coaching on muscle perform and useful efficiency. J Sports activities Sci 2003;21(1): p. 59-71.

12. Clarkson PM, et al. Muscle soreness and serum creatine kinase exercise following isometric, eccentric, and concentric train. Int J Sports activities Med 1986;7(3): p. 152-5.

13. Gibala MJ, et al. Myofibrillar disruption following acute concentric and eccentric resistance train in strength-trained males. Can J Physiol Pharmacol 2000;78(8): p. 656-61.

14. Anderson CE, Sforzo GA and Sigg. The results of mixing elastic and free weight resistance on power and energy in JA athletes. J Power Cond Res 2008;22(2): p. 567-74.