Gym goers often dismiss resistance bands as a tool to increase their strength. They are often used as a warm-up tool to mobilise and limber up, then cast aside in exchange for weights. As gym’s are closed for the Coronavirus lockdown, people are resorting to home workouts and using bands as their weights. But can you continue to grow muscle using resistance bands? Let’s look at the science.

What the science says.

In one word: Yes. You can gain muscular strength using resistance bands as your tool of choice.

The study.

The science sourced is from Lopes et al 2019 ­– it is meta-analysis of eight studies. A meta-analysis is a combined review of studies. Eight studies have been combined, and their results analysed and compared. This means that the results are highly accurate. Where one study could contain some statistical anomalies or outliers, the chance of this happening in all eight is very, very small. By combining and group analysing results from many studies comparing resistance band training to other forms of exercise it makes the results of this study very powerful.

The pooled studies compared resistance bands to isotonic weights (standard barbell/dumbbells and weight machines. Statistical analyses were performed to be able to compare data between studies and give a like-for-like comparison.

The outcome of the systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrated that training with elastic resistance provide strength gains similar to training with conventional resistance.

So the science proves that using resistance bands are just as effective as conventional weights to gain strength.

The outcome.

You can make muscular strength gains at home using resistance bands. One of the biggest advantages is that as they extend they offer more resistance. Therefore if you gain strength you can simply extend the band further so it provides increasing resistance.

Auster Dynamic Bands are specially sheathed resistance bands. They come in Light, Medium, Heavy and X-Heavy resistances. Auster Dynamic Bands you can either stand further away from the anchor point to increase resistance, or go to the next grade up. They come with our Traveller, Tutor and Master sets and can be used as a standalone tool, or to resist or assist any exercise.

To read more about the Dynamic Bands click here.