Change My Mind: Use Rubber Bands and Sometimes Iron

[Adking29]

Could there possible be a better way (in terms of effectiveness, cost, convenience...) to make gains without the traditional iron?
For strongmen and olympic lifters? No. But for bodybuilders? Yes!

I've used predominately resistance bands from Oct 2017 - Jun 2019 (about 20 months) and earned solid results. For the first 12 months, I probably went to the gym only a handful of times. For the remaining 8 months I went to the gym once a week.

I admit that there is no comparison between the bands and gym in regards to an all-round workout (including chest, back, legs, shoulders). However, the bands can target shoulders just as well as the gym. Also, back just as well as the gym if deadlifts are disregarded. And, chest just as well as the gym, if your bench is under probably 130ish kg. Besides that, bands only really fall short on legs.

Iron doesn't exclusively tear muscle


Why use bands?
comperable effectivness
more convenient
considerably cheaper (generally a one time initial purchase)

That being said, I still prefer the gym over bands because of the environment and social motivation. I mean, where else can strength be shown off. :32 (13):But I still use bands because they are more practical


What you think? Can you change my mind? I appreciate counter opinions

 

[Uncle manny]

Bands are great I use them a lot with clients. You can do pretty much every single exercise with bands just have to rig it up and put what ever attachments. They’re even good for body building when used along with weights. Or even solo for some pump work at the end of your workout or activation work in the beginning. Hell even super set them bitches in there. But bands Alone won’t necessarily put on a huge amount of mass for experienced lifters.

 

[Gibsonator]

I'll bet you would've made much more progress had you just consistenly went to the gym for that 20 months.
bands are for stretching.

 

[DNW]

.
bands are for stretching.

I strap them to my wrists and ankles, and secure them to hooks I have installed in my bedroom ceiling. I then make love to my wife while suspended from the ceiling and humming the theme to mission impossible.

You're using them wrong.

 

[Gibsonator]

I strap them to my wrists and ankles, and secure them to hooks I have installed in my bedroom ceiling. I then make love to my wife while suspended from the ceiling and humming the theme to mission impossible.

You're using them wrong.

I'm dying right now :32 (18):

 

[Jin]

Well, they use rubber bands to castrate sheep.

So there are a couple of ways to emasculate yourself using bands.

I’d say that makes them pretty versatile.

 

[j2048b]

Bands have their place use weights then add bands for resistance out of the hole etc.... Or use them for rehab, prehab type stuff, never used them for strictly mass or strength.... Bow flex comes to mind because at a certain height or pull bands give a bit.... A 200 lb press bench or squat only gives when u cant press squat or lift it anymore... Then welll... Its ur body sayin f uck this....

 

[John Ziegler]

this thread has me second guessing my pf membership

View attachment 8460

 

[dk8594]

Show the physique you've created with 20 months of rubber bands. That will say whether they're effective.

 

[Straight30weight]

I strap them to my wrists and ankles, and secure them to hooks I have installed in my bedroom ceiling. I then make love to my wife while suspended from the ceiling and humming the theme to mission impossible.

You're using them wrong.

lol now we know you’re full of shit. You don’t make love to women.....

 

[Viduus]

I'll bet you would've made much more progress had you just consistenly went to the gym for that 20 months.
bands are for stretching.

I split bands into two use cases.

- Bands with weights: match the strength and resistance curves

- Bands alone: I like them in the middle or st the end of a giant set to maximize a pump and drove blood. This is hard to get right and requires never releasing tension and making sure you feel likes right and “pump” the blood in.

bands for resistance exercises = joke

 

[Bro Bundy]

I prefer the bowflex..

 

[DF]

I use them for rotator cuff work only. I can’t imagine they make bands thick enough to simulate a 315 squat or bench.

 

[Mythos]

I think they might be useful for some really rapid high volume work on smaller muscles. I'm thinking mainly shoulders.. I get a fairly good growth response out of shoulders from prolonged lactic acid burns from high rep intervals, especially when I have been doing low vol higher weight stuff for a long time and they are stalling. Problem here is that this kind of thing is looks really dumb and you'd probably have to do this kind of stuff in the privacy of your own home if you have any sense of shame at all.

If you care at all about strength and real mass though, bands are probably not going to cut it.

 

[BrotherJ]

I use bands to do shoulder rehab stuff. And I'll stick both ends on the barbell during my light bench day to assist with stabilizers (helps the shoulder) but other than that I don't see bands replicating or replacing a heavy compound movement, imo

 

[The Tater]

 

[TODAY]

Case closed.

 

[Adking29]

I use them for rotator cuff work only. I can’t imagine they make bands thick enough to simulate a 315 squat or bench.

yeah, there is a point when bands are outgrown and I think I am about at that point (I can bench 270 for 4).

I can do low-rep workouts with enough bands

 

[dk8594]

yeah, there is a point when bands are outgrown and I think I am about at that point (I can bench 270 for 4).

I can do low-rep workouts with enough bands

I will be curious to hear your thoughts on how well 270 with bands translates to iron when you get back in the gym.

 

[Adking29]

I will be curious to hear your thoughts on how well 270 with bands translates to iron when you get back in the gym.

So I can't speak for how well it translates at my current state because I've been in the gym (without bands) for 10 weeks. And since I'm now on a family gym plan in the states, I'm no longer compelled to use bands.

But I can speak for my past experience with exclusively using bands for months (maybe 4-6months) then sporadicly going to the gym where I benched 235ish a few times. This was more than I ever benched and first time I broke 225. The last time I benched I got up maybe 185 for 5.

My chest days for these 4-6 months primarily just involved decline push-ups with several bands around my back and sometimes flys