How To Use Resistance Bands With Weight Bench

How To Set up Bands For The Bench Press

Using bands is one of the greatest preparation tools that is likely missing from your training programs. They serve numerous purposes from accessory piece of work, to dynamic effort work, and just overall variety to grooming to keep things fresh and ever changing for continued progress. Bands have unique properties in the training world when it comes to accommodating resistance. We've talked about the apply of the chains for the bench press, only bands provide some benefits that bondage simply miss out on.

Bands provide a training effect called over-speed eccentrics. In uncomplicated terms, the bands strength the weights to come up downward faster than only the pull of gravity alone, which then in-turn provides more kinetic energy that we can use for a concentric musculus contraction (in this case, pressing the weight off our chest). Basically, the bands are always "pulling" down, where chains simply deload into the flooring and unload off the floor. Knowing that the bands are pulling down continuously, we know that every inch you lot press the bar, the most resistance you volition encounter as the bands try to pull the weight dorsum down to your chest. This is an amazing, all the same cautious aspect of preparation with bands.

To properly gear up your bands for the bench press, yous will need to have some mode to double up, or choke your bands. This could be with band pegs, or you can use dumbbells that are side by side. The bands will be ran nether the pegs/dumbbells with both ends of the band beingness in your hands. Yous then pull both ends of the bands up to the sleeve of the barbell, moved all the way to the within.

By having the bands gear up up in this style, this will ensure that the bands take tension throughout the whole range of motility. The last things you want is for your bands to get a limp noodle when the weight is on your breast. This will not simply provide little to no training upshot, simply will probable brand you wait like a fool in the gym. I tin not urge plenty to set your bands up on the bar before you brainstorm to add more weight. This will permit y'all to warm up properly with the proper accommodating resistance that you need, simply also permit you make improve decisions on weight jumps if information technology happens to be a heavier training day.

*Warning: the starting time time yous apply bands, I would highly recommend you take a spotter. The bands will naturally pull the bar out of the rack to a perpendicular position between the bands and the ground. This could cause the bar to drop on you.*

So what are the negatives?

Well, preparation with bands can accept some pitfalls. The first beingness that they are difficult on your joints when you use them in conjunction with barbells, peculiarly a direct bar for bench pressing. Knowing that the bands are constantly pulling downward, this strength is likewise dissipated in the wrists and elbows. Long term use, especially with poor technique and biomechanics, tin can wreck havoc on your joints. Phase the use of bands in and out of your training to preclude this from happening. Another pocket-size issue is that bands "ground" you while you are performing the movement. Think of using a Smith Auto (I know, ludicrous right?), and how it locks yous into a specific range of move. It's difficult to move forward, astern, side to side. Well bands human action similarly, which tin detrain the stabilizing musculature to some caste. It's not nearly as bad equally a Smith Machine, but is a training effect that can occur with prolonged band usage.

What Will You Demand?

You'll need the following things to fix upward your bands correctly:

Band Pegs and/or Pairs of Dumbbells
Pair of bands (we prefer the ones from Elitefts)

Once you take these, y'all're skilful to get. However, the pair of bands you lot volition need will be based upon your strength level. Ideally, y'all volition have 20-25% of band tension at the top and then that you tin go the desired training upshot. For nigh people that are bench pressing under 400 pounds, this would be doubled mini bands.

For example, a 300 pound bench presser would want to have 60-75 pounds of band tension on the bar at the top. This tin vary a bit based upon set ups and facilities, but usually you lot'll find doubled mini bands will go you into this range. If you're in doubt, I suggest purchasing a digital luggage scale to bank check your band tension prior to training.

Watch the video below to acquire more than almost setting bands upwards for the bench press, and how to get the most from them in your training.

Summary

While bands are certainly one of the best grooming tools you might not be using, just setting them up properly and having the correct tension will be of vital importance to ensure you reap those benefits. We use bands on the demote press to assist develop upper trunk speed and power with our athletes, but likewise to help teach them how to press equally hard and equally fast as possible during repetitions. Hopefully this can keep to help you lot hit a personal record or improve your athletic performance.