25.09.2019 16:43:00
Rubber loops are special elastic bands made of plastic. They are widely used for a variety of sports activities. They have several degrees of resistance, and they can be used to work on different areas and muscles of the body. Exercises at home with rubber loops or in the gym are suitable for everyone. No special preparation is required to achieve the effect.
Hinges are used everywhere - in various conditions. They are both convenient and efficient. They are used in crossfit, martial arts, athletics, etc. In addition, doctors often recommend their use to people undergoing rehabilitation after various injuries and operations.
Themselves are rubber bands of different widths. The resistance of the tape directly depends on the width, and the load level is determined by the tension force. Most often in sports and training, equipment with a tension force of up to 100 kg is used.
Loops are chosen because they allow you to actively and effectively work the muscles. They create minimal and harmless stress on the body and joints in particular. Due to the tension of the elastic material, the load on the muscles increases gradually. The maximum load falls on the muscles at the peak of their contraction. Working out with bands is more convenient and safe than with iron equipment.
The equipment makes it possible to quickly get visible results from training.
In addition to loops for sports exercises, other devices can be used. Other popular fitness equipment are:
- elastic bands;
- fitness bands;
- tubular expanders.
Each type of sports equipment is very useful and makes it possible to simplify your training. If an athlete is focused on serious training and wants to quickly develop strength and speed, loops are the best choice.
The benefits and advantages of a set of exercises with rubber loops for men
There are several important advantages of the equipment:
- Complete security. Thanks to the elasticity of the tapes, they make it possible to gradually increase the load and smoothly complete the started movement, which is impossible to achieve when practicing with other equipment. Such features minimize the likelihood of injuring joints and ligaments, as well as the spine due to too much stress.
- Compact size and light weight. When folded, they take up a minimum of free space, making them easy to always have with you; there will definitely be a place for them even in a small bag. Moreover, the weight of the loops can be from 100 to 800 g. You can always carry them with you.
- Large selection of exercises. There are a huge number of resistance band exercises for women designed to develop different muscles. Each athlete can easily choose the appropriate equipment and training program to suit their individual needs.
- High efficiency. The effectiveness of exercise is often compared with the effectiveness of expensive exercise equipment. Some believe that such a device does not provide the necessary load. But with the right selection of the program and intensity of exercise, you can achieve muscle growth even in the most limited time. You just need to choose the right projectile.
Loops allow you to use the stabilizing muscles of the body and the muscular corset. This increases the effectiveness of the lesson and reduces the risk of injury when exercising without a trainer.
When using loops, the muscles will work throughout the entire range of motion as the load increases. This activity has a positive effect on muscle growth and increased strength of the athlete.
It is not necessary to use only one apparatus during classes. They are suitable for complex training with barbells and dumbbells. The athlete gets the opportunity to create an individual and most uniform training program.
Popular programs
Experienced trainers and sports enthusiasts train in the gym and at home. They know many options for activities aimed at developing different areas of the body. There are several most common programs.
Exercises with rubber loops for legs
If you need to perform complex exercises, then it is best to start them with the development of the legs, since they require serious effort from the athlete.
This is done as follows:
You need to put your feet on the loops, then sit down and throw the second half of the tape over your shoulders. Next, you need to slowly straighten up. When you are fully straightened, sit down again and rise again. In this case, you must ensure that all your movements are even and smooth, your back must be maintained in a straight position, and your feet must be firmly and securely on the floor.
For this activity, you need to place your right foot on the loop and take your left foot back. Then you should lunge forward, touching your knee to the floor covering, and throwing the second part of the projectile over your neck. You need to rise as you exhale and perform approximately 13-14 lunges with different legs during the session.
This exercise requires you to first secure one part of the loop to some reliable support, and throw the second over the ankle. Thanks to this, the tape will remain well stretched. Next, you need to make several swings, forcefully overcoming the resistance of the elastic projectile. Then you need to put it on the second ankle and repeat the work.
For the shoulder girdle
A very common workout is aimed at simultaneously developing the biceps, triceps and back muscles. Moreover, such training itself does not require too much effort.
Stand next to a reliable support - a horizontal bar or a pole, wrap a ribbon around the support, take its ends in your hands and slowly pull your hands towards your face, bending your arms only at the elbows.
To perform another workout, you need to step on one edge of the apparatus with both feet, grasp the second edge in your palms, and perform straight arm raises from the sides.
Professionals also recommend that amateurs perform classic push-ups to develop the pectoral muscles. You need to place the ends of the tape in your palms so that it passes across your back. After this, push-ups are performed in several approaches in a comfortable amount for the athlete.
Pull-ups
Many people call the pull-up the most effective chest exercise with resistance bands. Mastering this technique will allow you to achieve very good results in the shortest possible time. Equipment provides an opportunity to learn how to perform an activity correctly. It can be used even by people who do not have sufficient strength and endurance to simply do pull-ups on the horizontal bar.
So, you need to place your hands on the bar, one end of the tape should be secured between your palms, your legs should be bent, and your legs should be placed at the other end. Next, we begin pull-ups at a comfortable rhythm. This technique is good because the resistance of the projectile simplifies the task for the athlete, but the effect of pull-ups turns out to be very, very positive.
This approach allows you to master the exercise, develop the muscles of the back, chest and arms, and subsequently perform pull-ups on one horizontal bar without any apparatus or equipment.
Lower back workouts
Such activities can be considered the most simple, but they are extremely effective and beneficial for the human body.
You just need to stand with your feet on the apparatus and grab the bands with your palms. Bend so that your pelvis leans back and your back remains perfectly straight.
How to pump up your abs?
Professionals highlight several effective exercises that allow you to quickly develop your abdominal muscles. For example, you can fasten one end of the tape to any accessible object (on a pole) at calf level, stand with your left side in relation to the object so that both of your hands are directed towards the tape (one on top of the other). You need to grab the free end and pull it to the right/up several times so that the loop crosses the body obliquely.
The arms should remain straight, and the loop itself should be constantly taut. After performing the exercise several times, you need to change the direction of rotation to the apparatus and repeat the same thing the same number of times.
You can also connect another muscle group during training; to do this, you need to fasten the tape in the same way, but at chest level and repeat with the above algorithm.
It is best to perform such techniques three times a week, each time increasing the resistance of the band, as well as the number of repetitions. You will be able to achieve the fastest training results without exposing your health and body to unnecessary dangers.
Back exercises with rubber bands
It is necessary to position your legs so that one is in front and the other is behind. Place a rubber band under your feet, then slightly bend your knees and support your body at a 45-degree angle. Next, you need to rest your hand on the knee of your front leg and take the loop with the other.
Next, a pull to the pelvis is performed, while the elbow should move along the body. You can't slouch while doing this. The lower back should be slightly arched. At the end, the arm slowly extends and returns to its original position.
What do you need to remember?
Exercises for the pectoral muscles with rubber loops are quite difficult. To achieve the most effective and quick positive results, several important sports principles must be observed.
Firstly, you need to train continuously and consistently over a long period of time. You can achieve high-quality results with constant loads.
Secondly, it is necessary to systematically alternate loads with rest time. If you deny yourself rest, your body will not have time to recover. This can lead to decreased performance and even loss of physical fitness.
Thirdly, the loads must be gradually increased. To achieve progress in sports activities, the load must be constantly increased. As soon as an exercise becomes too easy for you, you need to increase its duration or number of approaches.
Rubber loops are universal equipment that replaces barbells, dumbbells, weights and are easy to take with you anywhere. Find out how to choose them correctly and how to exercise to get rid of excess weight.
Every year, more and more different devices are invented for sports: exercise machines, fitness bands, weights, expanders, hardware and others. Today, rubber loops are increasingly used for training.
Exercising with sports equipment based on the “stretching and squeezing” effect is not new for a long time. Back in Stalin's times, expanders and tourniquets were used to train athletes, but over time, scientists developed a more universal accessory consisting of 100% latex - rubber loops.
This popular accessory is in demand in almost all types of sports activities: bodybuilding, fitness, gymnastics, athletics - you can’t list it all. Exercises with rubber loops are an excellent solution for people who constantly keep themselves in good physical shape. This equipment is convenient to use during classes in the gym, at home and during outdoor training.
Hundreds of exercises can be performed using athletic rubber loops. They are an excellent auxiliary element, made in the form of a closed ring; the loops are easily attached to bars, crossbars, and are also conveniently fixed in the hands and feet. Latex equipment is indispensable for people who are constantly involved in fitness or other sports training. The loops are compact and can easily be taken on a business trip or long journey.
Advantages and disadvantages
Benefits of using latex tapes
- Convenience. The loops can be taken with you, but they do not take up much space and are light in weight. You can exercise with them everywhere: at home, in the gym, on the street.
- Different loads. By choosing a set of rubber, you can alternate loads or increase them gradually without causing harm to the body.
- Safety. Despite the fact that loops have high resistance, training with them is considered the safest. Working with shock absorbers, the athlete has complete control over the tension and can smoothly reduce or increase the load.
- Gradual increase in loads. When working out on strength training equipment, the main load on the muscles occurs at the moment of the jerk, and decreases at the end. Resistance bands, on the contrary, allow you to increase resistance evenly.
- Diversity. Rubber is used as a strength training device, a device for stretching and warming up, and an object for mastering new exercises.
In addition, working in a space with latex loops allows you to improve coordination of movements.
There are practically no disadvantages to rubber bands. The only disadvantage of using it is the not particularly pleasant sensation on the skin during stretching.
It is worth noting that training with rubber bands will not replace strength training. If you want to seriously pump up your muscles, then exercises with loops need to be combined with work in the gym.
How to choose athletic rubber loops
At the moment, there are many manufacturers of rubber loops on the sports market. Popular companies are Rubber4Power and WORKOUT RUBBER BANDS.
Which hinges are better R4P or WORKOUT?
There is no fundamental difference between the rubber loops of both companies. Accessories differ in the following indicators:
- durability;
- quality;
- withstand high loads;
- Wide choice of resistance strength.
In any case, it’s up to you to choose the manufacturer of sports equipment, but according to numerous reviews from athletes, these two companies produce the highest quality sports accessories.
Which hinges to choose?
To answer this question you need to understand the types of expanders. They have different degrees of resistance and different colors. For example, here are the hinges produced by WORKOUT:
- Light orange: resistance force from 2 to 22 kilograms. Available in one centimeter width.
- Yellow: resistance force from 5 to 25 kilograms. Available in a width of two centimeters.
- Lilac: resistance force from 11 to 36 kilograms. Available in a width of three centimeters.
- Green: resistance force from 22 to 54 kilograms. Available in a width of four and a half centimeters.
- Blue: resistance force from 27 to 68 kilograms. Available in a width of 6.3 centimeters.
- Dark orange: resistance force from 32 to 77 kilograms. Available in a width of eight centimeters.
- Black: resistance force from 37 to 90 kilograms. Available in a width of ten centimeters.
The length of the loop in each case is 104 cm, in the cut - 208 cm, and the stretching length - 209 cm. The thickness of each tape is 0.45 cm.
All companies have approximately the same gradation of loops in terms of resistance level.
You can buy rubber loops at any sports store. Equipment is also purchased through branded online stores or official distributors of the manufacturer.
What does the resistance number on the tapes mean?
The main thing when purchasing loops is the choice of equipment resistance, which is expressed in kilograms. The two numbers indicated on the surface of the rubber mean the following:
- The first number is the initial resistance, that is, if you take the blue tape and start stretching it, you will initially feel a resistance weighing 27 kilograms.
- The second number is the maximum load. When the tape is stretched to its full length, the resistance force will be 68 kilograms.
How to choose for yourself?
Determining the right loops is very simple, since each type is conventionally designed for different types of exercises:
- Light orange: suitable for beginners or people recovering from injury.
- Yellow and lilac: also used for rehabilitation, light warm-ups, and basic exercises.
- Green and Blue: Used by experienced athletes to increase their standard load.
- Dark orange and black: used only in professional training.
Latex loops for training are not recommended to be stored at temperatures below -40 degrees. If you left the equipment on the balcony in the cold, then first you need to warm it up to room temperature, and then slowly stretch it for several minutes. Also, do not leave shock absorbers in the sun; heating breaks the structure of latex, making it less durable.
Price?
Buying a set of rubber loops for training will help you get rid of a large number of devices; they will replace dumbbells, barbells, and various weights.
If you want to immediately purchase a set of elastic expanders, then it is better to pay attention to ready-made sets of 4 rubber loops. As a standard, they include tapes with a total resistance of 2 to 54 kilograms. By choosing several shock absorbers at once, you can save money and effectively increase the load by training the whole body.
The cost of accessories varies from 500 to 3000 rubles per ribbon. The price for the kits is from 3,000 to 10,000 rubles. For example, tapes from the company WORKOUT from an official distributor have the following price tags:
- red loop with resistance 3-15 kg – 600 rub.;
- yellow loop with resistance 9-29 kg – 700 rub.;
- green loop with resistance 17-54 kg – 1400 rub.;
- black loop with resistance 45-90 kg – 3100 rub.
Also, in sports stores, in addition to shock absorbers, they purchase additional equipment to work with them:
- handles for expanders;
- ankle straps;
- foot straps;
- door fastenings;
- carbines.
It is important to know that when you unpack your shock absorbers, you should not immediately start training with them. Each loop must be gradually stretched several times.
Exercises with loops
Exercises with loops can be built on the basis of almost any exercise, because shock absorbers are universal. With their help, you can develop and tighten all the muscles of the body, practice punches and throws, do fitness, replace the barbell, and train on the uneven bars.
Constantly check the hinges for damage. Small cuts and abrasions can lead to equipment breaking at the most unexpected moment. Carefully inspect the bars and rods before attaching shock absorbers to them.
Basic exercises
The most popular and effective exercise for the entire body is the pull-up, but not everyone can do it. With the help of rubber loops, you can master the technique of the exercise and progress in this direction in the future.
Pull-ups
Pull-ups are a great exercise for developing your core and arm muscles. There are several ways to learn it at the moment:
- with the help of a friend who will support your legs;
- using the special “Graviton” simulator;
- using loops.
Shock absorbers will become an alternative for training, as they can be used independently, without spending money on a gym membership.
To do pull-ups you will need to find a flat bar. You need to secure the tape on it with a loop so that you can place your feet in the free end of the rubber. Once your legs are fixed, you can begin to pull yourself up. The latex will create resistance, helping the body rise up. For training beginners, it is best to choose loops of medium hardness, however, determining the required type of rubber depends on the athlete’s body weight.
Once you learn to lift your body with your arms, you will never lose this skill. After you have mastered pull-ups with a classic grip, you begin to work on pull-ups with a reverse grip and mixed grip in the same way.
Squats
Squats using rubber loops are also interesting. There are several basic exercises for squats with a rubber band:
- Classic: to perform, you need to step on the loop with both feet, with your feet shoulder-width apart. Next, you need to sit down and throw the second end of the shock absorber around your neck. During the rise, hold your breath and slowly straighten up, then exhale. When squatting, the athlete looks straight, breathes calmly, does not lift his legs off the floor, keeps his back straight.
- Lunges: the right leg is placed in a loop and a step is taken one and a half meters forward. From the starting position, you need to kneel on your left leg and throw a ribbon around your neck. The loop is held with your hands at chest level. The squat is done while exhaling, the center of gravity is on the right leg. You need to get up to the starting position while inhaling.
- Overhead squats: a loop is fixed with both feet on the floor, the rest of the band is held with your hands above your head. When lifted, you should get a kind of rectangle. During a squat, the shoulders are pulled back and the torso is tilted forward.
- Front squats: the band is held by the feet on the floor, the upper part is clinging to the shoulders. Cross your arms over your shoulders so that they hold the shock absorber in place. During squats, your elbows should be raised as high as possible.
Exercises with an anchor
With rubber loops you can achieve high results in training. An elastic band will allow you to effectively train your body without turning to expensive personal trainers or buying bulky exercise equipment.
An anchor is a kind of support to which a special cuff with a carabiner is attached, to which an elastic loop is subsequently attached. An anchor is: doors, a sofa, radiators and any objects that will not move under physical influence.
Exercises with an anchor include:
- Belt pull. Attach the expander to the anchor at waist level. Hold the edge of the tape with one hand and pull it towards your torso. At the level of maximum voltage you need to freeze for one or two seconds. Afterwards the hand smoothly straightens.
- Biceps workout. The loop is attached to the anchor. The hands perform movements similar to lifting a dumbbell to the shoulder in front of you.
- "Woodcutter". The tape is attached at a height of half a meter to a meter above the head. Body position: side to the anchor, the end of the loop is taken with both hands. You need to perform the exercise as follows: holding a rubber band in your hands, you need to take a step forward with a squat on your front leg, while turning 45 degrees, that is, visually the movement looks as if a person is pulling something large behind him.
- Bench press. This activity will perfectly replace bulky dumbbells. The loop is threaded under the bench. Body position: lying on a bench with your back, holding the ends of the tape in your hands. The movements are made as when working with dumbbells, that is, the loops are pulled out with straight arms through the sides.
- Office exercise. It requires a band with little resistance and a chair to act as an anchor. Rubber is attached to the legs of the chair, the free part of the tape is put on the legs. Leg lifts are performed 45 degrees upward.
When training with rubber loops, special attention is paid to the speed of movement. When pulling the tape, you should not immediately relax; you need to release it smoothly and calmly, otherwise you may get a rupture or sprain of the ligaments.
You can diversify and complicate many exercises using elastic bands. Classes are limited only by your knowledge and imagination.
Set of exercises
In fact, more than a hundred exercises are performed with rubber loops, but most often loops are used by women in fitness to tighten their bodies.
For example, you can create a lesson according to the following program:
- Romanian get-up: feet are placed on the rubber band shoulder-width apart, the edges of the loops are grasped with your hands, and the body is straightened. The shoulder blades are collected, the pelvis moves forward. Inhalation is done in a bent position, exhale in a straight position of the body.
- Wide Squats: Do classic squats with a wider stance. The main thing is not to lean your body forward.
- Lunges.
- Hip flexion and extension while standing: the expander is attached to an anchor. The second end is put on the leg. Swings are made back 20-25 degrees.
- Retraction of arms through the sides: in this case, two shock absorbers will be required. The exercise is performed standing, feet shoulder-width apart. The ends of the ribbons are placed on the feet. The free parts of the rubber are taken into the hands so that an overlap is formed, from this position the arms are raised up and to the sides. The main thing in this exercise is to raise your elbows higher than your hands.
- Back muscles: an elastic band is attached to an anchor, the exercise is performed while lying on your back. Hands grab the free parts of the expander and pull them towards the legs parallel to the body.
- High horizontal traction: in a sitting position on the floor facing the mount, the rubber is attached to the anchor. Using tassels, take the free ends of the loops and pull them towards you. The elbows are pulled back and up.
- Horizontal chest press: the expander is attached to an anchor, in a standing position with your back to the attachment, the ends of the loop are pulled forward with your hands.
- Press: the loops are attached to the anchor, lying on your back with your back to the fastening, the free end of the rubber is grabbed by your hands at shoulder level. The torso rises 15-20 degrees from the floor.
The complex is repeated 4 times, each exercise is performed 12-15 times. Such workouts are carried out three times a week; they go well with cardio exercises.
To find out the effectiveness of using such sports equipment, you can study reviews from experienced athletes.
For newbies
Basic exercises for beginners include:
- Push ups. Do it from the same position as a classic bench press. The ends of the loop are pressed to the floor, the rest of the rubber is on the shoulders and back.
- Extension of arms from behind the head while standing. Feet are shoulder-width apart, the tape is fixed with the feet. Using your hands, the rubber is pulled upward behind your back.
- Standing horizontal press. The expander is thrown over the shoulder blades, and its ends are held with your hands. At the same time, the elbows straighten and bend. This exercise is also done without bending your arms, that is, you swing your arms out to the sides.
Such exercises are great not only for beginner athletes, but also for women who are involved in fitness.
Benefits of exercising with rubber loops
Various resistance bands provide numerous training benefits. When using loops, you improve your balance, work out muscle groups in isolation, reduce industrial injuries and strengthen your health smoothly and gradually. You can exercise with rubber loops anytime: when you travel or are on vacation! With rubber loops you can diversify your training process.
Resistance for users of any physical condition
Rubber loops come in different colors, sizes and load levels. Whether you're just starting out with exercise or are an experienced athlete, you can incorporate resistance bands into your workouts. You will need to buy rubber loops with different load levels. Some muscles in your body are stronger than others, so to avoid imbalances and strengthen weak muscle groups, you need to use loops of varying resistance in your workouts.
Vary your workouts
Using loops is like being able to change weights on free weights. You can customize your workouts. For example, when you do biceps exercises with loops, you can do this difficult exercise by standing on bands and curling your arms at the elbow joints, with different hand positions (close grip, medium grip, wide grip). Loops with higher loads will give you stronger resistance and muscle development. On the contrary, to make arm training easier, use low-resistance loops.
Thanks to the rubber loops, you can say goodbye to boring workouts! When exercising on simulators, you already have a set range of motion. Rubber loops give you flexibility of movement in all directions. Rubber bands are used to increase the strength of every muscle in the body. You can get a tremendous workout with rubber bands or use them to strengthen your joints and ligaments.
Using rubber loops to prevent injury
Although you see rubber loops in gyms or on the streets. But initially, rubber loops were used in sports medicine, for the prevention of injuries and for recovery from injuries! The main goal for sports medicine is to isolate a muscle group. This can't always be done in a machine or with free weights. When injured muscles are strengthened, it helps prevent future injuries.
If you are injured, expanders will help you bounce back. If you try to exercise immediately after an injury, you risk causing harm and complicating the recovery process. With rubber loops you can isolate muscle groups without putting stress on muscles, tendons, joints, bones and injured areas. When using loops in addition to everything, you will greatly benefit from blood circulation in the tissues, which will help you speed up the healing process in the tissues.
Convenience of hinges
The resistance bands can easily be packed into your suitcase when traveling. You don't have to worry about finding a gym or skipping your regular workout. You have the convenience of exercising anywhere with ample floor space, even in your hotel room.
You can easily take the loops with you, put them in your travel bag or backpack. You won't have to worry about finding a gym or worrying about missed workouts. You can train anywhere, even in your hotel room! And thanks to the handles. You can increase the effectiveness of your workouts at home.
All in all, resistance bands offer a wide range of benefits. You can diversify your workouts and strengthen isolated muscles. If you are injured, they offer a way to exercise safely. With resistance bands, you can maintain your workout routine, even while traveling.
Rubber hinges have a wide range of benefits. You can diversify your workouts and strengthen injured muscles. Load the necessary muscle group without affecting the rest. In case of injury, the loops allow you to safely perform physical exercises. With Rubber Loops you don't have to worry about missed workouts - you'll train Anytime, Anywhere!
Medical tourniquet or rubber loops, which is better? Let's look at a few criteria. Such as
1. Benefit
2. Functionality
3. Convenience
4. Appearance.
And so let's start looking at it point by point.
1.Benefit. Rubber loops are a unique exercise machine that has a large range of resistance. What does it mean? Let's take as an example the Yellow rubber loop with a resistance of 9 - 29 kg. This means that in order for the rubber to begin to stretch, you need to apply a force equal to lifting a 9 kg dumbbell. As the rubber stretches, the resistance will gradually increase to 29 kg. More than 29 kg resistance. Yellow tires won't work. Many people ask what will happen next, will it break? - No, it will not tear, it will continue to stretch, but the resistance will remain equal to 22 kg. Rubber, which in its normal state has a length of 104 cm, can be stretched up to 2 2.5 meters. Not more! Let's also look at Blue and Orange tires, which have a resistance of blue Resistance - 23 - 68 kg, orange Resistance - 32 - 80 kg. Also, rubber bands do not provide such a large and smooth range of resistance.
2. Functionality . Rubber loops are made in the form of a loop (circle). Which makes them very practical and functional. In a few seconds you can attach them to a horizontal bar, a crossbar, put them on parallel bars, put them on a barbell (chain effect), and fasten them on your legs. And start studying right away. This cannot happen with rubber bands; you will have to tie them together or invent something else. Of course, many will say that there are other exercises with rubber bands, but wouldn’t it be better to have universal rubber loops with which you can work out any muscle group? If someone says that they need handles for exercises, then with rubber loops you can use both the Manus Grip bar extender and regular handles with a carabiner.
3. Convenience. The rubber loops are not large, as is the rubber band. Either rubber loops or a rubber band, you can take it with you everywhere and practice in any convenient place. As for the selection, everything is clear with rubber loops, the load is written in kilograms, and having several rubber loops you can plan the intensity and load of training in advance, and then choose depending on what you are using for. This is also not an unimportant fact. Let's compare rubber loops with a round rubber band. Due to the fact that they are flat, rubber loops are very comfortable to hold in your hand and do not roll over it like round rubber bands. There are also exercises where you need to put a loop on your leg, or a belt; in the case of a rubber band, it begins to roll or roll over the body, which is very inconvenient in training.
4. Appearance.
We will also not ignore the appearance of the rubber band and rubber loops. The rubber band, to be honest, doesn’t look very good, the round one looks like a piece of cut hose, I wouldn’t go to a fitness club or CrossFit gym with this. With colorful and bright rubber loops, with a great inscription, you can come to any sports ground, any fitness club and exercise without hesitation. Everyone will see that you are working out with professional simulators. A colorful appearance will motivate you and lift your spirits.18.09.2018 09:50:00
Many athletes and supporters of a healthy lifestyle have long been familiar with such a training accessory as a rubber loop. Rubber loops are used to warm up before the main part of the workout. They can also be used to complicate the performance of a gymnastic skill, increase resistance when working with a barbell, do stretching, help master exercises on horizontal bars and gymnastic rings, and much more.
Coaches and athletes are constantly coming up with new uses for this accessory to help them achieve their goals.
Here are a few resistance band exercises we recommend incorporating into your workouts to reduce the risk of injury and best prepare your muscles and joints for work.
Activation of the muscles of the legs and buttocks
Fasten the rubber band to the middle of the shin, do 2-3 sets after resting 10-12 steps to the sides, forward and backward, diagonally. This will help warm up your muscles and invigorate you before training.
Activation of the shoulder and elbow joints
Be sure to include these exercises in your warm-up when your training plan includes movements with a high load on these parts of the body, for example: exercises on parallel bars, rings and horizontal bars, cleans, etc. 10-15 movements for each exercise will be enough. They will help warm up the adjacent muscles and increase joint mobility. These movements are also used to prevent injuries.
Preparing for barbell squats
Do 20-30 squats with a rubber band tightened above the knees; they will perfectly warm up the leg muscles before training and will make further squats with a barbell more comfortable. Also, squats with rubber shock absorbers will help correct the movement of your knees inward when standing up, just remember to ensure the correct placement of your legs, do not lift your heels off the floor and keep your back straight.
Exercises to prevent injury and achieve better results with free weights
This exercise is designed to strengthen your core muscles. Do not rush to take the band with the greatest resistance, concentrate on maintaining the correct body position: your hands should be centered at chest level, elbows straight, back straight, firm support in your legs. 3-4 sets of 10-12 movements on each side through rest will be enough. Variation: holding the rubber band in outstretched arms for 30-40 seconds.
This exercise will help anyone who experiences uncertainty and instability in their legs in a lunge or scissors position. Also pay attention to the correct position of the body: support on the full foot, the body does not fall forward, the feet do not fall to the sides, the back is straight, the shoulders are at the same height. If you cannot perform the movement flawlessly for 10-12 repetitions, use a lower-resistance resistance band.
We strongly advise you not to neglect exercises to improve joint mobility and prevent injuries, no matter whether you are a beginner or an experienced athlete. Don't focus on the number of sets, think about the quality of the movement. We wish you health and great training!
I can highlight 4 main advantages of training with rubber bands compared to training with iron or on machines: compactness, safety, efficiency and diversity. Below the cut I will tell you in more detail about each of the points.
COMPACT. Rubber training loops are very convenient to take with you wherever you go because they can be easily thrown into a backpack, suitcase or bag. Thanks to this, you still have the opportunity to study anywhere and at any time, on a business trip or on vacation. This is especially true if you go to a place where there are no horizontal bars or gyms, because with loops you can do a full workout and work the muscles of the whole body. Just a couple of loops with different loads can replace a full-fledged gym!
INJURY SAFETY. The peculiarity of training with rubber loops is that the load gradually increases as the loop is tensioned, thereby reducing the likelihood of injury to joints or tendons. Unlike training with iron, you always have the opportunity to instantly stop the exercise if you feel that something has gone wrong. This is especially important when performing multi-joint exercises such as squats with additional weight or deadlifts.
EFFICIENCY. Some people believe that rubber loops cannot build muscles. But this is nothing more than a common misconception, because your muscles don’t care what exactly you load them with - your own weight, iron or loop resistance. An important parameter here is the intensity of the load and the time spent under load. A large selection of loops with different levels of resistance solves the first question, and a well-designed exercise program solves the second. Another advantage is the ability to change the angles of “attack” of a particular muscle as desired. For example, just one loop can replace three (!!!) different chest training machines.
DIVERSITY. The number of exercises with rubber loops is huge. The Internet is full of complexes for working on the whole body or a specific muscle group. With the help of sports loops you can both complicate and facilitate exercises. For example, when training with a barbell, rubber can be used as an additional load. And when doing pull-ups or dips on the uneven bars, the loops can be used as an assistant if you are not yet able to perform these exercises on your own. By gradually changing the loops to weaker ones, you will quickly learn how to do pull-ups/push-ups without them!
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