It’s not always convenient—or even possible—to get to the gym. But that shouldn’t be an excuse to neglect your strength training. According to the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans put out by the Department of Health and Human Services, all adults should be getting a minimum of twice weekly resistance exercise that works all major muscle groups.
When it comes to working out at home, there’s a lot you can accomplish with minimal equipment. But what if you’re starting with nothing? That is, you have no home workout equipment at all, and you’re looking to make the investment. Should you go for free weights or resistance bands?
Like workouts themselves, the right equipment is not a one-size-fits-all kind of decision. It all depends on your fitness goals, your budget, and your storage space.
Free weights is a pretty all-inclusive term used to describe any kind of weight that isn’t attached to a machine or other apparatus. Yes, that includes dumbbells, but it also includes barbells, kettlebells, and even medicine balls. In other words, it could be a lot of equipment, which costs a lot of money and takes up a lot of room. That doesn’t mean you need to have all of it at home. A few pairs of dumbbells at a comfortable weight could meet your needs and allow you to perform a variety of exercises.
Resistance bands, also called exercise bands or fitness bands, are thick bands made from rubber that can have handles on the end and require force to stretch them. Depending on how thick the rubber is and how tightly the band is stretched, a resistance band could require the same amount of effort to stretch as a 20-, 30- or 40-pound weight takes to lift. And studies show that your muscles respond to stretching a resistance band just as much as they do to moving a weight against the force of gravity. However, some people who are used to heavy lifting might not feel as if they’re getting the same workout from resistance bands.
How Do Resistance Bands Work?
If you’ve never used resistance bands before, you might be a little confused—how can a strip of rubber function the same way as a dumbbell? Take this variation on a biceps curl as an example of how to exercise with a resistance band: 1. Stretch the resistance band across the floor and stand on top of it with your feet shoulder width apart. Hold the band’s handles in your hands at your sides and your palms facing inwards toward your thighs. 2. Slowly lift your right hand up toward your shoulder the way you would perform a curl while holding a weight. You should feel the resistance from the band as you stretch it. 3. Slowly lower your clenched fist back down to your side. Repeat with your left arm. 4. Perform 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps with each arm. For more ways to use resistance bands for variations on weightlifting exercises, check out the library of tutorials available from the American Council on Exercise at www.acefitness.org.
Here are a few pointers to consider when you’re trying to decide which to use for your workout:
Form and Fatigue are Most Important: Whether you opt for dumbbells or resistance bands, your aim should be working your muscle to the point of fatigue, ideally within 8 to 10 repetitions of an exercise. You should, while maintaining proper form, barely be able to finish your last rep. Remember that proper form and technique are more important that what equipment you’re using.
When you’re lifting free weights, people with improper lifting technique might be inclined to swing the weight rather than lifting it with a slow, controlled movement. This not only puts you at risk for injury but also reduces the effectiveness of the exercise because the weight is being moved by momentum rather than by your muscles.
Resistance bands, on the other hand, provide constant tension through the entire range of movement, so you can’t cheat by giving yourself swinging momentum the way you can with a dumbbell. This makes resistance bands great for people who are trying to master their technique for certain movements.
Safety First: Beginner-level strength trainers can put themselves at risk for injury if they’re lifting weight improperly. It’s one of the reasons you should never start a workout routine without guidance from a trainer who can show you the right way to perform an exercise and correct your mistakes.
Because resistance bands aren’t as intense as heavy dumbbells, barbells, and kettlebells, there’s less risk of injury from improper technique, but people using resistance bands do have other safety concerns to worry about. Before using resistance bands, check them for cracks or holes—if the resistance band snaps, you could injure yourself or damage surrounding property. When you’re doing an exercise where you need to attach the band to an object, such as a doorknob or table leg, loop the band instead of tying a knot, which could easily come undone.
You Can Use Both: Free weights and resistance bands aren’t an either/or option—you can integrate both into your workout. Try lifting a dumbbell with the added resistance of an exercise band at the same time—you’ll find it challenges you in a new way.
Furthermore, resistance bands are more compact and easier to travel with. So even if you prefer using weights at home, it’s easy enough to throw resistance bands in a suitcase and use them for a workout on vacation rather than taking an extended period of time off.
Final Verdict: Both free weights and resistance bands can be used for effective strength training at home as long as you are using proper form and technique, and as long as you’re working your muscles to fatigue. Choose the equipment that best fits your lifestyle and your fitness goals, and don’t be afraid to combine both of them into your workout.
