Band Home Gyms

Resistance doesn’t have to mean heavy lifting

There are actually two kinds of home gyms that use stretchy cords or bands for resistance. The first type uses bungee cords in the same way a bow home gym uses bows. There is a bench and a number of pulley attachments. The pulleys stretch the bands to add challenge to the user’s movements.

The second type isn’t exactly a home gym, but you can do almost as much with it and it costs significantly less, which is why it deserves to be mentioned.

Why women can benefit from band home gyms

Women are lucky when it comes to strength training because we can get by on much smaller machines and be challenged with less weight. That’s why resistance band home gyms can work for us when they may not be right for others.

What’s so good about band gyms?

Pros

• Quiet - Using bands for resistance means no weight stacks clanging around, which can be very important for people who live in apartments or semi-detached homes with thin walls.
• Economical - At about 1/3 the cost of leading high-end bow gyms, the band version is a heck of a lot cheaper. And at 1/5 of the price of the band machine, the Bodylastics gym is even easier on the pocketbook.
• Small - The leading band machine folds up to 22 x 28”. Unfolded it’s only 85” long. Even better, a complete set of resistance bands and attachments is small enough to fit in a drawer.
• Lightweight - The Bandflex offers 190 pounds of resistance but the entire machine weighs only 120 pounds. But again, the band-only set wins, weighing in at less than three pounds. What this means is when buying online you’ll pay much less to ship a home gym that isn’t loaded down with heavy equipment and weights.

Cons

• Wear and tear - Bands stretch over time meaning they’ll need to be replaced.
• Hard to gauge progress - If you’re working out with over-stretched bands and don’t realize it, you might not be as strong as you think. Women who want to track their progress and consistently challenge themselves might prefer a more precise resistance method.
  

To be honest, home gyms that use bungee cords for resistance aren’t the most popular, and there are longer lasting ways to add resistance to a machine. But it’s hard to beat many aspects including size, weight and price. Just because something isn’t favored by the majority doesn’t mean it can’t be right for you, so before you pass on a band gym, check one out for yourself.