25.09.2019 16:43:00
Rubber loops are special elastic bands made of plastic. They are widely used for a variety of sports activities. They have several degrees of resistance, and they can be used to work on different areas and muscles of the body. Exercises at home with rubber loops or in the gym are suitable for everyone. No special preparation is required to achieve the effect.
Hinges are used everywhere - in various conditions. They are both convenient and efficient. They are used in crossfit, martial arts, athletics, etc. In addition, doctors often recommend their use to people undergoing rehabilitation after various injuries and operations.
Themselves are rubber bands of different widths. The resistance of the tape directly depends on the width, and the load level is determined by the tension force. Most often in sports and training, equipment with a tension force of up to 100 kg is used.
Loops are chosen because they allow you to actively and effectively work the muscles. They create minimal and harmless stress on the body and joints in particular. Due to the tension of the elastic material, the load on the muscles increases gradually. The maximum load falls on the muscles at the peak of their contraction. Working out with bands is more convenient and safe than with iron equipment.
The equipment makes it possible to quickly get visible results from training.
In addition to loops for sports exercises, other devices can be used. Other popular fitness equipment are:
- elastic bands;
- fitness bands;
- tubular expanders.
Each type of sports equipment is very useful and makes it possible to simplify your training. If an athlete is focused on serious training and wants to quickly develop strength and speed, loops are the best choice.
The benefits and advantages of a set of exercises with rubber loops for men
There are several important advantages of the equipment:
- Complete security. Thanks to the elasticity of the tapes, they make it possible to gradually increase the load and smoothly complete the started movement, which is impossible to achieve when practicing with other equipment. Such features minimize the likelihood of injuring joints and ligaments, as well as the spine due to too much stress.
- Compact size and light weight. When folded, they take up a minimum of free space, making them easy to always have with you; there will definitely be a place for them even in a small bag. Moreover, the weight of the loops can be from 100 to 800 g. You can always carry them with you.
- Large selection of exercises. There are a huge number of resistance band exercises for women designed to develop different muscles. Each athlete can easily choose the appropriate equipment and training program to suit their individual needs.
- High efficiency. The effectiveness of exercise is often compared with the effectiveness of expensive exercise equipment. Some believe that such a device does not provide the necessary load. But with the right selection of the program and intensity of exercise, you can achieve muscle growth even in the most limited time. You just need to choose the right projectile.
Loops allow you to use the stabilizing muscles of the body and the muscular corset. This increases the effectiveness of the lesson and reduces the risk of injury when exercising without a trainer.
When using loops, the muscles will work throughout the entire range of motion as the load increases. This activity has a positive effect on muscle growth and increased strength of the athlete.
It is not necessary to use only one apparatus during classes. They are suitable for complex training with barbells and dumbbells. The athlete gets the opportunity to create an individual and most uniform training program.
What is a rubber loop?
There are 4 types of elastic bands for exercises:
- fitness bands – a closed band made of elastic material (latex) with little resistance;
- rubber loop - a long closed tape made of rubber or dense latex;
- elastic band - an open wide latex tape;
- elastic expander (tubular) - an open tape or elastic cable, equipped with handles for a comfortable grip.
All types are used for muscle training. Fitness elastic bands are the most popular exercise equipment, especially loved by women. They are a small closed band, about 40-50 cm in diameter, up to 5-6 cm wide. They are used mainly in training the legs and hips, since it is convenient to perform various swings and abductions of the legs with them. Resistance – 5-19 kg.
The rubber loop, in fact, differs from ordinary fitness bands only in its larger size. It is intended for performing basic exercises, the length is about 2 m. Such loops are used for pull-ups, push-ups, and you can perform deadlifts and presses with them. Resistance depends on the thickness of the product, varies from 5 to 100 kg, depending on the type of projectile.
Elastic bands are used primarily in Pilates and yoga workouts. They are soft and thin, the resistance is small - up to 20 kg. Essentially, this is an analogue of fitness bands for squats, but larger in size, and not closed in a circle. Such shells are more suitable for girls.
An elastic expander is a type of open-ended band, but it is designed specifically for working with your hands, and therefore is equipped with comfortable handles. Used in strength training when light resistance is needed.
Whether it is possible to pump up muscles using such equipment depends on the goals and the chosen product. Men should pay attention to classic loops with a large range of resistance. Softer products for the legs and buttocks are more suitable for women for home workouts.
Popular programs
Experienced trainers and sports enthusiasts train in the gym and at home. They know many options for activities aimed at developing different areas of the body. There are several most common programs.
Exercises with rubber loops for legs
If you need to perform complex exercises, then it is best to start them with the development of the legs, since they require serious effort from the athlete.
This is done as follows:
You need to put your feet on the loops, then sit down and throw the second half of the tape over your shoulders. Next, you need to slowly straighten up. When you are fully straightened, sit down again and rise again. In this case, you must ensure that all your movements are even and smooth, your back must be maintained in a straight position, and your feet must be firmly and securely on the floor.
For this activity, you need to place your right foot on the loop and take your left foot back. Then you should lunge forward, touching your knee to the floor covering, and throwing the second part of the projectile over your neck. You need to rise as you exhale and perform approximately 13-14 lunges with different legs during the session.
This exercise requires you to first secure one part of the loop to some reliable support, and throw the second over the ankle. Thanks to this, the tape will remain well stretched. Next, you need to make several swings, forcefully overcoming the resistance of the elastic projectile. Then you need to put it on the second ankle and repeat the work.
For the shoulder girdle
A very common workout is aimed at simultaneously developing the biceps, triceps and back muscles. Moreover, such training itself does not require too much effort.
Stand next to a reliable support - a horizontal bar or a pole, wrap a ribbon around the support, take its ends in your hands and slowly pull your hands towards your face, bending your arms only at the elbows.
To perform another workout, you need to step on one edge of the apparatus with both feet, grasp the second edge in your palms, and perform straight arm raises from the sides.
Professionals also recommend that amateurs perform classic push-ups to develop the pectoral muscles. You need to place the ends of the tape in your palms so that it passes through your back. After this, push-ups are performed in several approaches in a comfortable amount for the athlete.
Pull-ups
Many people call the pull-up the most effective chest exercise with resistance bands. Mastering this technique will allow you to achieve very good results in the shortest possible time. Equipment provides an opportunity to learn how to perform an activity correctly. It can be used even by people who do not have sufficient strength and endurance to simply do pull-ups on the horizontal bar.
So, you need to place your hands on the bar, one end of the tape should be secured between your palms, your legs should be bent, and your legs should be placed at the other end. Next, we begin pull-ups at a comfortable rhythm. This technique is good because the resistance of the projectile simplifies the task for the athlete, but the effect of pull-ups turns out to be very, very positive.
This approach allows you to master the exercise, develop the muscles of the back, chest and arms, and subsequently perform pull-ups on one horizontal bar without any apparatus or equipment.
Lower back workouts
Such activities can be considered the most simple, but they are extremely effective and beneficial for the human body.
You just need to stand with your feet on the apparatus and grab the bands with your palms. Bend so that your pelvis leans back and your back remains perfectly straight.
How to pump up your abs?
Professionals highlight several effective exercises that allow you to quickly develop your abdominal muscles. For example, you can fasten one end of the tape to any accessible object (on a pole) at calf level, stand with your left side in relation to the object so that both of your hands are directed towards the tape (one on top of the other). You need to grab the free end and pull it to the right/up several times so that the loop crosses the body obliquely.
The arms should remain straight, and the loop itself should be constantly taut. After performing the exercise several times, you need to change the direction of rotation to the apparatus and repeat the same thing the same number of times.
You can also connect another muscle group during training; to do this, you need to fasten the tape in the same way, but at chest level and repeat with the above algorithm.
It is best to perform such techniques three times a week, each time increasing the resistance of the band, as well as the number of repetitions. You will be able to achieve the fastest training results without exposing your health and body to unnecessary dangers.
Back exercises with rubber bands
It is necessary to position your legs so that one is in front and the other is behind. Place a rubber band under your feet, then slightly bend your knees and support your body at a 45-degree angle. Next, you need to rest your hand on the knee of your front leg and take the loop with the other.
Next, a pull to the pelvis is performed, while the elbow should move along the body. You can't slouch while doing this. The lower back should be slightly arched. At the end, the arm slowly extends and returns to its original position.
Benefits of Elastic Band Exercises
Most of them have simple techniques, which means they are suitable not only for experienced athletes, but also for beginners. “Resistance bands increase stretching resistance. This affects both the concentric and eccentric phases of the movement - and this is the main difference between an expander and training on simulators. It will help improve concentration on movements and stimulate muscle work. In addition, when working with an expander, there is less pressure on the joints than during exercises with free weights,” says Sergei Repin.
By regularly performing resistance band exercises , you can achieve a variety of fitness goals. “By varying the load and exercise regime, you can work both on a small gain of muscle mass and on improving muscle endurance,” notes Dmitry Goncharov, master trainer of the gym at the X - Fit Monarch .
However, if your goal is voluminous or defined muscles, training with an espanedron will not be enough; the program will have to be supplemented with exercises with free weights. Why? “Exercises with an expander cannot cause a significant increase in testosterone levels necessary for hypertrophy: the load will not be enough,” says Sergei Repin.
If you don’t like “hardware”, but want to strengthen your muscles a little, strength bands will definitely help with this. The most popular movements with the band are arm exercises . Exercises with abdominal bands are also quite effective
What do you need to remember?
Exercises for the pectoral muscles with rubber loops are quite difficult. To achieve the most effective and quick positive results, several important sports principles must be observed.
Firstly, you need to train continuously and consistently over a long period of time. You can achieve high-quality results with constant loads.
Secondly, it is necessary to systematically alternate loads with rest time. If you deny yourself rest, your body will not have time to recover. This can lead to decreased performance and even loss of physical fitness.
Thirdly, the loads must be gradually increased. To achieve progress in sports activities, the load must be constantly increased. As soon as an exercise becomes too easy for you, you need to increase its duration or number of approaches.
How to do exercises with an expander
The power band helps pump up the entire body. We wrote about how to load the muscles of the legs and buttocks with this projectile here . However, there are also effective exercises for the “top” using an elastic band . “Classical crunches are suitable for the abs; using an expander will increase the load at the peak of the movement,” says Dionysis Tsakalidis. “We have more choice for the shoulders, since you can do both pressing and pulling movements. As well as abduction to the side or forward (you can use your own legs as a support). For biceps, these are curls with an expander, and for triceps, these are extensions. You can also experiment with the angle of flexion or extension of your arms.”
