Are bands useful?

Are bands useful?

I’m tricky to buy presents for.

I’m a man of little needs. The needs I have I already possess. I do not want for much.

The wants I have, cost too much.

If you ever get me a gift you’re best off getting me a gag gift, just be warned it might be thrown away eventually.

Perishables are probably the best thing to get me.

So Christmas.

The only thing I really asked for were resistance bands.

Opening the gift I already know what to expect.

So are these even useful?

You might see guys on TikTok hyping them up, in truth they’re not much bang for your buck.

Here are the ways they can help

• You can’t do a pull-up and there’s no assisted machine (email explaining why an assisted machine is better tomorrow)

• You have maxed out a machine and need to add extra resistance

• You want to modify an exercise to bias a specific muscle

• You can’t go to the gym and still want to get a good workout in

If I haven’t added a use here I’ve either forgot it, or you shouldn’t do it.

Onto the things you really shouldn’t do…

Here are ways people misuse them

• Banding exercises willy nilly for nonsensical reasons

• Doing banded pull-ups when they have an assisted pull-up machine

• Making exercises unstable by attaching weight plates with bands to barbells

• Incorporating it into their gym workout when better exercises exist

• Making an exercise bias the wrong muscle when trying to add more resistance

Question what the bands are doing and if you need them before asking for them at christmas.

They are powerful, they’ve saved me when the gyms shut down, but they’re not to be put on a pedestal.

All equipment has a place, it just needs to be used wisely.

You wouldn’t add the bosu ball to squats.

Your Hypertrophy Hero,
Fletcher

P.S. I’m thinking of joining Amazon affiliate so if you don’t want to buy programs, systems, etc, because they want to experiment on their own terms so you can still support the newsletter by using referral links to lifting straps, bands, etc. Let me know if you want me to do that.