Band Assisted Training Is a Joint Friendly Training System

When you talk about designing a training program, very few coaches or fitness professionals that use free weights as their primary training tool ever mention the words…

Gravity – Ground Reaction – Momentum

…Yet these are the key forces our body has to overcome the minute we decided to roll out of bed and begin our day.

As a matter of fact, if your goal is to improve movement quality, strength and muscle balance so you can burn fat, lose weight, develop lean muscle or reach a certain performance goal, you are going to have to overcome these 3 forces on every rep, every set, during every workout.

1. Gravity is a vertically directed force our body has to overcome during every step or vertically directed movement.  If you are sitting or standing, you are presently being impacted by the force of gravity. As soon as you move, a gravity driven force will be challenging your muscles.
2. Ground reaction is the force that pushes back against our body every time we collide into an immovable or semi-immovable object like the ground or a wall. In the upper extremity it will be the force that pushes back when we go to push, shove or hit something. The body’s ability to absorb these ground or surface reaction forces will be key to keeping our joints and muscles healthy and happy.
3. Momentum is the force caused when our body moves through space. The greater the speed and mass, the greater the momentum force. Momentum, or the body’s lack of controlling momentum forces, is the #1 reason behind many of the injures sustained everyday.

What happens if our body cannot overcome these forces??

For instance, what happens if our joints hurt when we collide into an immovable surface like the ground or what if we can’t lift our body out of a squat, push up or pull up because the force of gravity is too strong to overcome? Lastly, how do we overcome the fear of falling or over-extending our joints if we change directions or move quickly??

Traditional training using free weights will not allow us to overcome these issues because they only increase the force of gravity and do very little to impact momentum or ground reaction forces. As a result, the body loses the ability to handle these forces which, in turn, decreases functional skills and the ability to do what we enjoy doing.

So why workout if you are losing function??

Don’t stop working out. All you have to do is learn how to reduce the forces of Gravity, Ground Reaction and Momentum by modifying how you exercise and what you exercise with. Fortunately, resistance band assisted training can help you by assisting your body to better handle gravity, momentum and ground reaction.

Band Assisted Training is the secret to safely and successfully exercise when gravity, ground reaction and momentum are too much.

Band assisted training can reduce the forces of gravity, ground reaction and momentum, allowing the body to perform essentially any body-weight movement successfully and with less joint trauma.

A band’s ascending resistance and light weight portability allows it to be attached to the body in multiple ways such that it decreases the effects of gravity, reduces ground reaction forces and slows down the forces of momentum. All of which allows you to move better.

In other words…

• It will allow people that can’t squat due to muscle weakness in their core and hips to now be able to squat.
• It will decrease joint pain that comes when individuals attempt to perform a lunge or run.
• It reduces shoulder pain created by poor scapular stabilization during a push up.
• It allows pull ups to become an actual exercise vs. a thought.
• It makes moving quickly easier to do because the band helps slow down our body’s momentum thus allowing our stabilizing muscles that are responsible for balance and coordination to perform at a level they can handle.

How To Incorporate Band Assisted Training

The following videos should provide you with greater insight on how to incorporate band assisted training.

Band Assisted Training for Step Ups and Single Leg Squats

Band Assisted Training for Lunges

Band Assisted Training for Pull Ups

Band Assisted Training for Push Ups

 

Summary

Band assisted training is what makes training with bands unique and unmatched by free weights. It’s also a game changer for those who struggle with being able to move without pain or fear of falling.