There is a lot of home fitness equipment available. The material varies widely in both price and quality. The two factors aren’t connected, either. There is plenty of expensive junk on the home fitness market, and there are some gems at an affordable price.
One of the latest home fitness innovations is the resistance band. Resistance bands are essentially huge rubber bands that you can use to provide resistance to your muscles. It’s like lifting weights, but instead of pumping iron, you are stretching a rubber band.
Bodylastics makes a full range of resistance bands in a variety of weights. A complete Bodylastics set is claimed to fit in a gym bag yet replace a full set of weights. That’s a bold claim. Let’s see how it works out by taking a deep dive into Bodylastics.
What are Bodylastics Resistance Bands?
In addition to the rubber bands (actually latex surgical tubing), Bodylastics sets include other parts necessary for a good workout. They make handles for gripping the bands as you pull and anchor straps that hold the other end of the band down. Attached carabiners clip the bands in place. A carrying bag for everything is also provided. It really does fit everything into a gym bag.
Perhaps the best feature of the Bodylastics system is the patented anti-snap technology. The bands have a cord inside the surgical tubing that prevents over-stretching the band. Once you have stretched the band as far as it should go, the cord stops further stretch. In the event the band does break, the cord keeps it from whipping back like a rubber band.
Advantages
- Equal to a full set of iron weights, but fits in a gym bag
- Much less expensive than a set of weights, too
- Lets you work out at home instead of joining a gym
- Anti-snap tech protects you from being popped by the band
Disadvantages
- Like most home fitness gear, it requires you to set up a home gym and do the work
- Setup time is longer than using free weights
- Eventually, you get too strong for the bands
About Bodylastics
Bodylastics is an independent company that sells resistance bands. It is based in Florida. Bodylastics is dedicated to home fitness gear and nothing else.
About Bodylastics Resistance Bands
Bodylastics bands have carabiner clips at the ends for secure attachment to the handles and anchors. Each band is marked with the equivalent weight, so it’s easy to see how much you are lifting. As your strength progresses, you simply clip additional bands on the handle to increase the difficulty of the workout.
If you are not sure what to do, Bodylastics has that covered, too. Their website offers a dozen or more different elastic band exercises for each body part. Just pick the muscle to work, and you can look up the best resistance band exercises.
If you need some structure in your workout, Bodylastics has full programs available. Access to the workouts requires free registration. The sample programs give you a framework for total-body exercises and a progression over time.
Safety
Like all forms of exercise, resistance bands do pose some risks. The most significant risk with bands is a band breaking and popping back at you. Rubber bands are bad enough, but imagine what it’s like to get hit with surgical tubing that offers thirty pounds of resistance. Ouch!
The patented anti-snap cords inside the Bodylastics bands are a great way to prevent that. The cord prevents you from pulling the band too far. Since over-stretching is the leading cause of band breakage, this is a great safety feature. The cord also protects you from popping. Instead of whipping back, the band just contracts along the cord, keeping you safe.
Bands are much safer than free weights. You can’t hurt yourself dropping a band on your foot. If the band does slip out of your hand, it snaps away from you – not toward whatever muscle is under the weight.
How Bodylastics Resistance Bands Work
Resistance bands work your muscles, just like weights. The only difference is that you are fighting the stretchy band instead of gravity. Many pro athletes work out with resistance bands these days because the bands can be easier on joints than heavyweights.
As with weights, you have to keep adding resistance to get stronger. The bands come in different resistance weights from three to thirty pounds. To increase weight past thirty pounds, you clip extra bands to the handle. If you use their biggest set, there are enough bands included providing a total of 524 pounds of resistance. That’s a lot of iron!
Since the bands are just rubber, the full set is still light. The whole master kit only weighs twenty pounds!
Where to Buy Bodylastics Resistance Bands
Bodylastic bands are available from Amazon or direct from Bodylastic. Full sets range in price from $28.95 for a set with 96 pounds of resistance up to $179.97 for a 525-pound set. All of the sets come with resistance bands, handles, anchors, anchor straps, a carrying bag, and an instruction book.
Bodylastics Resistance Bands: Is It Worth the Money?
If you are looking to build muscle, but you don’t want a gym membership, Bodylastics is definitely worth the price. It is less expensive than buying free weights and much cheaper than purchasing exercise machines. You can also add pieces as you get stronger to expand your set to match your muscles.
Bodylastics also offers a triple guarantee. First, it provides full refunds in 30 days for any reason. Second, it will replace any broken part for the lifetime of the set. The third guarantee is a promise that, if you use a set of resistance bands for six weeks, someone you know will comment on your new shape. If you don’t get the compliment, Bodylastics will refund your purchase price.
