Resistance bands have transformed the world of fitness and understandably so. They are an affordable at-home workout solution packed with all kinds of benefits. If you're interested in incorporating resistance bands into your workout regimen, you might be wondering how often you can use them. For your convenience, we brought you the answer.
You can use resistance bands up to six days per week to get a sculpted physique and improve your muscular endurance as long as you give your different muscle groups sufficient recovery time in between workouts.
If you still have some additional questions about how frequently to use resistance bands, don't worry. In this guide, we'll discuss the topic at length. We'll also talk about whether or not resistance bands can get you a toned physique, how long it takes to experience the benefits of resistance band training, how long a resistance band workout should be, and more. Without further ado, let's get into it!
Resistance bands and recovery
As mentioned, you can safely and effectively use resistance bands up to six times per week provided you allow your different muscle groups to rest after each workout. In this way, working out with resistance bands is no different than any other type of workout in that allowing the muscles to rest gives them the opportunity to grow and strengthen.
As a general rule, you should give each primary muscle group approximately two days to recover prior to working that muscle group again. Two full days without direct strain will let each primary muscle group rebuild. Thus, it wouldn't be ideal to use resistance bands every single day, as your muscles would never be able to fully recuperate.
So, if you follow the workout schedule below (or a similar one), you can work out with resistance bands up to six times per week while still allowing each muscle group adequate time to recover:
- Sunday: chest, shoulders, triceps
- Monday: back and biceps
- Tuesday: legs
- Wednesday: chest, shoulders, triceps
- Thursday: back and biceps
- Friday: legs
- Saturday: rest
As long as you give each muscle group two full days to recover, you can tailor a weekly workout schedule according to your abilities and fitness goals.
Can you tone your body with resistance bands?
You can absolutely tone your body with resistance bands. In fact, training with resistance bands is arguably one of the best ways to achieve a lean and sculpted physique.
The key to toning your muscles is time under tension with more moderate weight. Brute strength, on the other hand, is achieved by less time under tension with heavier weight. In other words, performing numerous repetitions of an exercise (i.e. a row) with a weight that allows you to go nice and slow will tone the muscles. What's more, doing so will boost your muscular endurance.
Now that we've established the type of exercise required for muscle toning, we can discuss how resistance bands facilitate it. Simply put, resistance bands are designed to provide varying amounts of resistance throughout the movement.
Let's consider the rowing movement, for instance. With a resistance band, it gets progressively more difficult to pull the band as it gets more stretched out. When doing the same exercise with weights, the amount of resistance is constant throughout the movement. This dynamic amount of resistance generally allows one to perform more repetitions at a slower pace, resulting in better muscle toning.
How long does it take to see results from resistance bands?
How quickly you will results from resistance band training largely depends on the types of workouts you perform, hard you push yourself, and whether or not you allow your muscles to adequately recover in between workouts. If you fully take advantage of resistance bands' ability to provide the muscles with varying amounts of tension for longer periods of time, you can expect to see noticeable results in as little as two weeks.
How long should a resistance band workout be?
We've established that resistance bands are a highly effective way to tone muscles and improve muscular endurance. However, this means that resistance band workouts can be particularly taxing.
While the ideal duration of a workout depends on the type and number of exercises performed and rest intervals, a good rule of thumb is to limit resistance band training to 45 minutes. This will maximize the strain on your muscles while not being excessive. But with that said, feel free to shorten or lengthen your resistance band workouts to suit your abilities and fitness goals.
Are resistance bands good for beginners?
Resistance bands are a great option for beginners. The customizability of the amount of resistance makes it user-friendly for people that are just getting into physical fitness.
However, finding the right exercises can be challenging. To help you out, we created a list of a few great instructional resistance band workout videos. These videos are great for beginners because the exercises don't involve attaching the band to anything. In other words, the movements are more simple, and they can be done practically anywhere.
Check out this instructional video on resistance band chest exercises:
Or if you want to work out a different muscle group, check out this instructional video on resistance band back exercises:
Feeling like doing leg day? Check out this instructional video on resistance band leg exercises:
Now that you've seen how simple resistance band exercises can be, all you need is a set of bands to get started.
This set allows you to perfectly tailor your workout to your capabilities. Simply select the desired amount of resistance, clip the bands into the handles, and enjoy your workout!
Click here to see this set of resistance bands on Amazon.
When should I start using resistance bands?
We established that resistance bands are an amazing choice for people that are just getting into fitness. They are simple to use, and you can work out with resistance bands just about anywhere—in the living room, the garage, the hotel, etc. So, if you want to tone your muscles and boost your muscular endurance, you should start using resistance bands immediately!
In closing
We hope this guide has provided you with all the information you need to start your own resistance band workout regimen. Resistance bands are without a doubt one of the greatest tools to keep in your fitness toolbox for a sculpted physique.
Before you go, be sure to take a look at these other fitness guides that might be of interest to you:
Can You Grow Your Glutes With Resistance Bands?
