Undersun Fitness founder, James Grage, meets up with his old friend - an IFBB (International Federation of Bodybuilding) pro bodybuilder, Randy Sarabia, for an Undersun resistance band workout. James has been training exclusively with Undersun bands for years now after he decided to ditch the gym in order to spend more time with his family. Randy is a hard believer in weight training, and going to the gym is his preferred way of exercise. After years of Randy not taking resistance band workout seriously, it was time to put him to the test.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HYGgm66Ar0If you want to talk about someone who is skeptical about resistance training - Randy is the ultimate skeptic. For years he’s referred to the popular training tool as “rubber bands” and won’t miss a chance to tell you they’re for old people or people doing rehab after an injury.Today, we’re going to show him that they’re an incredibly effective tool for building muscle and burning fat.
The Benefits of Linear Variable Resistance
Not only do resistance bands allow you to build muscle just as effectively as weight training - they also allow you to do more exercises using less equipment. The innate versatility of resistance bands is partially due to their linear variable resistance. This means that as you stretch a band, it gets heavier. Take a rubber band, for instance. When you initially remove the slack, the band is bouncy and malleable. The farther you stretch it, however, the more tension you feel, and the more force you need to use to keep it taut. Resistance bands are just the same. Interestingly, this aspect of resistance band training happens to be one of the most beneficial in terms of gaining muscle.
Constant Tension
Bands offer something that free weights don’t: constant tension. At the top of that same curl, there’s another lull-spot. With weights, you can easily rest in that position with little to no effort due to the composition of your arm. However, that’s where you should be contracting the muscle the most in order to gain the most from that particular exercise.
With resistance bands, you’ll feel tension throughout the entire range of motion. You don’t have to rely on gravity as you do with free weights to create the resistance. The constant tension that resistance bands offer is extremely important in building muscle, spurring a degree of metabolic stress and pump, which free weights lack. No cheating or resting, full tension throughout the entire move.
Training in Multiple Planes
Another key benefit of using resistance bands for building muscle is their ability to work in multiple planes. With free weights, resistance only applies in one vertical plane — that’s due to our dear friend, gravity. To do a bench press, for instance, you must lay on your back and press the weights directly upwards to feel the tension.
With bands, we’re not confined to gravity’s pull on a dumbbell to feel that resistance. The bands themselves are the resistance. Stand up, lay down, heck, hang upside down if you really want, it doesn’t matter. In pulling the band, we can achieve the tension we need to build muscle in any plane. Not to mention, it engages your core on a whole new level!
Randy’s Reaction to Resistance Band Training
After the workout was finished, it was clear that Randy had a new respect for resistance band training.“I liked the workout! James showed me the different angles and moves, it was really cool. He’s changed my mind about it. You can really, REALLY feel the contraction. Afterwards, I don’t feel any pain in my joints which is important for me because I have a lot of past injuries. The workout was really good!”
Randy SarabiaIFBB Pro BodybuilderThere is truly no better way to show someone the benefits of band training than getting them in for a full body workout. That’s the true game changer. There’s no denying the results after feeling the intense contractions throughout the full range of motion. When you pair resistance bands with the right program and consistency, the results are inevitable.
