Home exercise equipment comparison: Resistance bands versus dumbbells, as advocated by a Pilates instructor, reveals the former's advantages for home workouts.
In the world of fitness, resistance bands have been gaining popularity, and for a good reason. Pilates instructor Jodi Montlake highly recommends the resistance bands produced by the brand TheraBand, which are currently available on Amazon for just $20.
TheraBand, a brand with a long-standing reputation, offers these versatile and affordable resistance bands that can be used by beginners as well as seasoned fitness enthusiasts. They add resistance to workouts, making movements more challenging and leading to muscle adaptation and growth.
For those new to resistance bands, Jodi Montlake suggests starting with the roll-up exercise. This exercise uses the resistance band to support and make the movement easier. To perform the roll-up, sit on the floor with your legs extended, wrap the resistance band around your feet, hold the other end in your hands, keep your spine upright, extend your arms out in front of you holding the band, lower your torso to the floor, roll your spine down vertebrae by vertebrae, roll back up slowly using the band to help move with control, and repeat for 8 reps.
Another exercise recommended by Jodi Montlake is the single-leg stretch. This mobility exercise increases the stretch using a resistance band. To perform the single-leg stretch, lie on your back, place the resistance band around your right foot, and hold the other end of the band closer to your body to create tension. Straighten your right leg, lift it towards you, and hold for 30 seconds, then repeat on the left leg.
For more exercises, especially standing Pilates exercises, Jodi Montlake recommends long resistance bands at medium weight. The fire hydrant exercise is one such example. To perform the fire hydrant, start on all fours, place the resistance band around both legs just above the knees, engage your core, lift one knee to the side until your thigh is parallel to the floor, hold, squeeze your glutes, and lower your leg back to the starting position. Repeat for 8-12 reps, then repeat on the other side. This exercise helps build lower body strength with the resistance band adding tension and increasing the difficulty.
Currently, TheraBand is offering a 20% discount on two long-looped resistance bands, with medium and heavy resistance sets also available. This deal ends at midnight on July 17, so act fast if you're interested!
In conclusion, resistance bands are a great addition to any fitness routine, offering versatility, affordability, and the ability to modify exercises, sometimes making them harder and sometimes easier by supporting movements. So why not give them a try? You might find that they become an essential part of your workout regimen!
