Description
Bands are for two jobs, and they are good at both
The first is assistance — hanging a band from a pull-up bar to take 25 lb off a chin-up is the most reliable way anybody has found to get their first one. The second is accommodating resistance: band tension rises as it stretches, so a banded press is hardest at lockout, where a barbell is easiest. Both of those are things no other 9 lb of equipment will do for you.
Reading a band’s rating honestly
A band marked “200 lb” delivers 200 lb only at its maximum safe stretch, which is roughly 2.5× its resting length. At a normal working stretch you are getting a fraction of that. This is not a trick specific to us — it is how every band on the market is labelled — but it is why a band is a poor substitute for plates and an excellent supplement to them.
When to retire one
Layered latex fails progressively, not suddenly, which is the good news. Check for surface cracking along the inside of the loop and any milky-white stress lines. Either means retire it. Store them out of sunlight and away from radiators; UV and heat are what kills bands, not use.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.