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Suzanne |
Date: 2010-04-22

There's a lot of good reasons to choose resistance bands to exercise...

-good for home workouts
-great for traveling (some gyms in hotels are just pitiful); these are very portable
-great to use with exercise videos (a lot of ex. DVD's have you use bands)

What will they do for you?

-tone your muscles
-help you burn a few calories
-make your muscles stronger
-make your bones more dense

Why choose these particular ones?

-they're pretty sturdy
-come with a door attachment
-exercise charts included
-most find the handles comfortable
-offer different bands with varying levels of difficulty
-reasonably priced

Disadvantages?

-if you look like the incredible Hulk, you're probably not going to get enough of a workout
-some might find them hard to work with
-some might not like the "feel" of them as they do an exercise

All-in-all they're a great exercise tool to use to help you get in shape, prevent injuries, or even rehabilitate one (you see these in physical therapy clinics a lot). And don't forget, once you get comfortable using a given color, move up to the next harder band if you want to keep getting stronger. Also recommend Treat Your Own Tennis Elbow if tennis elbow is interfering with your workouts.

M. Williams |
Date: 2008-05-20

I wanted to write this review to help others know more about this product because when I was looking around I was kind of in the dark. I ordered 3: the purple extra heavy, blue heavy, and red medium. I've worked out a lot off and on in the past with actual weights, and I'm always moving around, so this was just what I was looking for. Of course, how tall you are will make a difference, as taller people will have more tension in the bands when they are being stretched (if you're standing, of course, which is a lot of exercises). I'm 5'10", and unfortuantely my purpose in working out is to build muscle, as I'm kind of on the skinny side. The purple band isn't for "extremely fit" people, but it does offer a good amount of resistance. Here's a general guideline of what I found, based on my previous experience with weights:

If I double the purple band (grab both handles at once) and do one arm rows on a chair, depending on where you step on it, you can get a good 40-50 lbs resistance.
If you have one foot on the blue heavy band standing up, and doing curls, it's about 15-20 lbs each hand.
If you step on the red medium tube about 6-8 inches from the handle and do one arm extensions over your head, it's about 15 lbs

Again, these bands are very variable. You can increase the amount of tension by stepping closer to the handles, and by holding two bands at once, holding both handles at once, etc.

I would even recommend the green I think or the smaller ones for exercises such as lateral raises and for the rotator cuff, as stepping with one foot on the red tube while standing up, and raising both shoulders outwards provides a good 10-15 lbs.

Chest exercises are kind of awkward with this, my door frame is super weak so I don't use the door attachment but I tried what was in the instruction manual and am sticking to pushups.

Also it is great for developing stability, it's a lot harder to keep a stable motion with a cord than with an actual weight.

All in all, I would highly, highly recommend this, but if you're already benching 150+, this is probably just going to keep you toned, but you could probably build the smaller muscles. Also depends on how many handles you can grab at once or how good your grip is if you grab the actual cord.

SJ |
Date: 2006-06-30

This product is amazing. I recently did 5 weeks of bootcamp and we used these resistance tubes every time for biceps, chest, back and shoulders. Its amazing how effective these are and all the time you are just using your body weight. You can make it as easy or as difficult as you want. I had to get them. The green one was a little too light for me and the blue one is a little too tight for a beginner woman. Best part is you can take this lightweight exercise gear anywhere you want and have a good muscle toning workout. Think you can google up the different exercises you can do with these. Plus for the price, it is so cheap, you dont even need to think twice.

Andrew Chang: 7-Hour School Week and Health, Wealth, Truth |
Date: 2008-11-25

Resistance Bands are THE most versatile, flexible, and portable fitness equipment ever made!

You can do any exercise, anytime, and anywhere with them. I carry my babies wherever I go.

I do them in classes, meetings, and movies.

Resistance band s is the most economical resistant equipment out there, since you can just buy a light, medium, and heavy band for all your needs. Simply combine the bands together to create different variations of intensity! Use the resistance bands with the stability ball, stability disc, and bosu balls for even greater workouts.

Just make sure you check the anchor you are wrapping the resistance band around before you do the exercise. Once, I put the resistant band on a door knob, and it slipped out and almost took out my eye. Also, check to make sure there are no tears in your resistant band. Safety first.

If you don't feel the burn after 10 repetitions, you are doing the exercise wrong. In all exercises, it is the eccentric portion of the exercise that builds muscle. Do the exercise in a smooth, controlled fashion with a 3 concentric and 6 eccentric count. Squeeze at the peak of the motion to get that extra pump.

As in all exercises, make sure to keep your wrists straight and check your posture with these seven vital points: feet hips-width apart and pointed straight ahead; knees slightly bent; pelvis at perfect middle, as if you are sitting at a bar stool; stomach tight, but not flexed; chest straight and aligned on top of ribs; shoulders parallel to ribs; and neck straight on top of body.

Beth Cholette |
Date: 2007-10-01

I've worked out at home for years, but only recently have I begun incorporating exercise bands into my strength training. I've had a few flat-type bands that have wound up getting worn and snapped over time, so I wanted to invest in a higher-quality band. Happily, this SPRI tubing perfectly fit the bill WITHOUT breaking the band! This is a very sturdy, very versatile little piece of exercise equipment. You can use it to replace weights in your usual workouts, which allows you to work your muscles in some new and unique ways (refer to the included exercise chart for ideas). When at home, you can actually use the tubing WITH your weights to add greater resistance throughout the entire muscle movement, OR you can pack your tubing with you when traveling--so light and convenient! Finally, the included door attachment is easy to use and allows you to perform an even greater variety of exercises. I wasn't sure which strength tubing to purchase, but I am an intermediate to advanced exerciser, and the medium (red) is perfect for me, as it is easy to adjust for either more or less resistance when needed. Highly recommended!