Resistance Bands VS. Weights?

What’s the Difference Between Resistance Bands and Weights?

You’ve probably figured it out by now: strength training is an important part of a well-balanced fitness program, essential for building muscle, strengthening bones, and improving your overall quality of life. Strength training also comes with a steep learning curve and a lot of potential. While you can certainly build strength with bodyweight exercises, accessories like dumbbells, kettlebells, resistance bands, and more can take your workouts to the next level.

The options are many, but they can also be overwhelming. So, when it comes to strength training, what’s truly better for you and what can help you achieve your goals: resistance bands or weights?

Resistance Bands and Weights: Resistance

While dumbbells and free weights are often the tools most associated with strength training, there are actually many forms of equipment you can use to build strength, including resistance bands. While the way you use each piece of equipment may look very different, the end goal is exactly the same: get stronger.

Strength training goals are highly individualized, but there’s no need to choose just one modality. You can build strength without significantly increasing muscle size because strength gains occur through improved neural adaptations and ‘mental toughness’. In contrast, with hypertrophy-focused training, you can only build muscle through modest strength gains. However, the two often complement each other. Ideally, we want to build strength while building muscle.

You can have your cake and eat it too with weights or resistance bands, as both can help you achieve a variety of strength training goals. Lifting weights is great for building muscle and strength, but it’s not the only way. Muscle growth and strength can also be achieved by using moderate weights (provided your muscles are fatigued) and using resistance bands for more repetitions!

While resistance bands can provide a lot of resistance, it’s often easier to achieve very high resistance levels using free weights. However, if used correctly, resistance bands can still be effective in building muscle and strength. Resistance bands often come in different thicknesses to create more resistance. 

Resistance Band Basics

There are many different types of resistance bands, but generally speaking, they are bands made of elastic or fabric that can be used to create tension or resistance when performing certain exercises. In addition to helping you build strength, they can also help prevent injuries by improving flexibility, stability, and pliability. You can find regular elastic resistance bands in simple strips or loops, as well as elastic or fabric tubes with handles or other attachments. Many resistance bands also come in color-coded packaging to indicate thickness and the level of resistance each band provides.

They create resistance by stretching, which works muscles throughout their entire range of motion. This resistance increases as the band stretches, providing progressive resistance that challenges muscles and stimulates growth.

Resistance bands aren’t just for exercise, as studies show they’re also an ideal tool for rehabilitating certain injuries, recovering from certain surgeries, or potentially helping rebuild strength after a major health crisis like a stroke.

Free Weight Basics

The definition of “free weight” is very broad, as it includes almost any weighted object that isn’t physically attached to a machine. While fitness equipment typically provides resistance through cables or weight stacks, free weights are weights in their own right that you can move.