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Best Resistance Bands for Women
Women, more than men, seem to be more willing to use resistance bands rather than free weights when it comes to their fitness training. And calisthenics is just as popular for women as it is for men, and in some ways women are arguably more active in calisthenic fitness activities, due to great female-dominates bodyweight workout regimens you can get from pilates, gymnastics, yoga, and barre. And with such workouts, you can add in the resistance band training to give yourself an even greater challenge. It can be tough to find the best resistance bands though, just like any other workout equipment. Continue reading for some of the best resistance bands for women to add some variety to your workouts and help you make great progress! The resistance band is an excellent little piece of fitness equipment. It can replace free weights and machines and still give you an amazing workout with all the same benefits. They are so great because you can travel with them, they are inexpensive, and there are countless ways to incorporate them into your calisthenics training to add extra challenge.
What Are Resistance Bands?
Resistance bands are elongated rubber bands that can be stretched to extreme lengths to add resistance to your workouts. They are used for many purposes, including:
- Strength training
- Injury rehabilitation
- Physical therapy
- Adding resistance to cardio
- Variations in bodyweight workouts
- Stretching
- Yoga
- Variations in pilates workouts
Resistance bands are lightweight and do not take up much room. Some of them are looped, and some are not. Furthermore, many of them come with handles to improve grip. A lot of the time a resistance band purchase comes with a door anchor included, which opens up more possibilities for workouts.
Different Types of Resistance Bands
Your type of resistance band workout will often be dependent on the type of resistance band you are using. For example, a resistance band with handles is not looped, but you will be able to have a firmer grip on it. With a firm grip, you can perform upper body movements like flies, rows, curls, shoulder presses, and deadlifts (just to name a few). For lower body workouts, resistance bands are great for squats, lunges, and leg presses.
If you have a looped resistance band, or an unlooped band without handles, you open up new possibilities. Generally speaking, you have a wider range of exercises available. Resistance bands without handles are great for beginners especially, because they can be gripped with bars and then in turn will assist you on challenging bodyweight exercises. For example, you can do assisted pull-ups and chin-ups by looping the band under your foot, and then gripping over its ends with the pullup bar. This will take away some of the bodyweight during your pull-up, and you can therefore complete the entire move with less weight. You can also use them to add more challenge to moves like the pushup, and most of the moves mentioned above with the handled resistance bands.
Why Are Resistance Bands So Great?
So many reasons! Like I mentioned, bands are great for assisting beginners with challenging bodyweight workouts, or adding more resistance to those same workouts for more advanced levels. But there are many other benefits to using resistance bands:
- They are great for helping you stretch muscles that are often ignored.
- They are usually very inexpensive.
- They fit easily into a suitcase or backpack, so they are great for traveling – no excuses for not working out while you’re on the road!
- They provide the same results and level of challenge as free weights and machines, just in different ways.
- They are so flexible that you can use them in almost any type of bodyweight workout to add in new variations.
The “Resistance” In Resistance Bands
It is important to know before you buy that resistance bands are like free weights in that they will be harder to use depending on their level of resistance (the equivalent of a free weight’s “weight”). Often, the companies color code their resistance bands and/or have the resistance level printed on the band itself. Obviously, you can also increase resistance on any band by simply shortening the distance between the areas of the band that you will be stretching during your workout. Less distance in the band equals greater resistance. Although you can get a light resistance band and do this, you might as well just get higher resistances as you get stronger. I find it is better to keep track and record your progress based on the band’s natural resistance rather than the length of band being held in your hands.
The Best Resistance Bands for Women
When speaking about specific fitness goals for women as opposed to men, it is good to know which types of bands will be best to tone and lose weight. Whether you’re on my site for calisthenics training or otherwise, check out these best resistance bands for women and decide which one(s) will help you meet your fitness goals best.
Perform Better – TheraBand 50-yd Box
Perform Better is a great resource for all kinds of fitness equipment. This boxed band can be cut to different lengths of your liking. This is a medium-resistance band, which is great for stretching and improving flexibility. It is also great for assisted moves that you are trying to improve upon.
Perform Better – TheraBand 100′ Tubing
Also long enough to cut different lengths, this is a great band for you if you aren’t a fan of the flat, tape-like design of other resistance bands. It is actually usable with handles, too.
Power Systems Strength Band
I am a huge fan of Power Systems. Their bands’ resistances are denoted by their colors and widths. These looped bands are thick, and long enough to give you a wide range of options to add them to your workouts. These are great for men who are trying to build muscle, but they hit a lot of other points as well, like flexibility and strength.
Power Systems Premium Versa Tubes
These handled tubes are great for toning workouts using resistance bands. They have extra layers in their tubing, including a nylon layer, which means you can stretch them to your heart’s content without worrying about tearing.
Ninja Toner 11pc Resistance Band Set
If you are looking for the best bang for your buck, then this eBay brand is great. The tubes are different resistances on their own, but they can also all be attached to the handles for even higher resistance. They are inexpensive, and as you get better with your training you simply add a new tube to the hooks. They also come with a door anchor and ankle straps.
Best Resistance Bands for Women – Conclusion
Since women typically are lighter than men, they don’t necessarily need higher resistance bands if they want to tone and improve flexibility. That’s not to say that you can’t buy the higher-resistance bands if you want – all the brands shown here have higher-resistance options, after all. But if you are starting out then I believe these five are among the best resistance bands for women. I hope this has been helpful as you consider your options on resistance bands. They are underrated, and the benefits are too great to ignore. And as always, remember to stretch!
Have you used resistance bands in your training before? How has it helped you? Let me know in the comments below!
