Research and News
Thera-Band® elastic bands as effective as expensive weight machines
Muscle strengthening activities are now recommended as part of a regular exercise program. The recent Physical Activity Guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in the United States recommend strengthening exercises for all adults at least twice a week. Unfortunately, only about 20% of adults participate in regular strengthening exercises (CDC, 2006). Access to strength training equipment is frequently cited as a barrier to meeting this recommendation. Researchers in Spain compared 2 training programs using either weight machines or Thera-Band® resistance bands. They wanted to determine if there were any differences between band or machine strength training. 45 middle-aged women were randomly assigned an elastic group, a machine group, or a non-exercising control group. The 2 strength training groups performed the same exercises, using the OMNI scale of perceived exertion to be sure both groups trained and progressed at the same intensity. The periodized program lasted 10 weeks for 2 sessions per week. After the training, both groups significantly increased their muscle mass and decreased their fat mass, as well as improved in muscular endurance. There was no significant difference between the groups; both groups improved significantly more than the control group. Researcher Drs. Juan Carlos Colado and N. Travis Triplett noted that elastic bands were “financially accessible and widely available when compared to weight machines.” In addition, the researchers concluded that the OMNI scale was effective at regulating intensity during elastic resistance training. In summary, elastic resistance is an affordable and convenient way to get the recommended daily amount of resistance training.
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| Print article | This entry was posted by Dr. Phil Page on January 27, 2010 at 8:20 am, and is filed under Research Updates, Thera-Band Elastic Resistance. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site. |
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