More is not better
For 99% of the population, here’s the truth: The more stuff you get and the more money you spend, the more regrets you’ll have that you’re letting all that high-priced equipment collect dust.
When it comes to building your home gym, think “less is more” and “bang for the buck.” For just over $100, you can get all the equipment and expert-designed workouts you need to get in great shape at home – or anywhere else, for that matter.
How is this possible? Resistance bands, combined with an effective mobile app to take you through workouts. Here’s how bands compare to other common at home fitness equipment from a “pros and cons” perspective…
Dumbbells
Pros: Dumbbells are great for building muscle and getting stronger. Yet so are resistance bands, proven both scientifically through research studies and anecdotally by countless professional athletes and lifters who train with bands regularly.
Cons: Dumbbells are expensive (hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars for a complete set); heavy and cumbersome (taking up a lot of space, and you can’t take them with you on a trip); and limit you to lifting only in a vertical plane (against gravity). Bands are far less expensive than dumbbells, infinitely portable, and allow you to do exercises in any plane of movement – unlike free weights, where the resistance is only in the vertical plane.
Barbells
Pros: Barbells, like dumbbells, can get you bigger and stronger. But again, so can bands.
Cons: Aside from not being portable, barbells are also dangerous to use for the majority of people; high-level athletes practice technique for years on barbell lifts, and yet they still regularly get injured doing barbell squats, bench press, deadlifts, and other big lifts. With bands, all these exercises can be done safely with comparable results.
Machines
Pros: Machines (including cables, Smith machine, and selectorized machines) tend to produce fewer injuries than barbells and dumbbells, and they’re also effective for building muscle and strength.
Cons: Unlike band moves, machine exercises are mostly ineffective for increasing core stability and functional strength, due to fewer stabilizing muscles involved. Add the fact that machines are very expensive and very big, which makes them highly impractical for at-home use.
Functional/Alternative Equipment
Pros: Talking here about things like suspension trainers (TRX), sandbags, and kettlebells. Like bands, they’re good for enhancing core and functional strength.
Cons: Suspension trainers, sandbags, and kettlebells are best for advanced-level athletes; sandbag and kettlebell exercises, in particular, can very easily lead to injury if not performed correctly. As for suspension trainers, one of the biggest drawbacks of them, and of bodyweight-only exercises in general, is that you don't get the benefit of one of the most important muscle-building principles: progressive resistance (where the resistance gets more challenging mid-set).
Bands, on the other hand, offer all the functional benefits of the aforementioned implements, while also offering progressive resistance (as the band is stretched, resistance increases) and being much safer and more practical for an at-home setting.
What about High-Tech Home Gyms?
Sellers of super-high-priced “cutting edge” home fitness equipment (Peloton, Mirror, Tonal, etc.) want you to believe you can buy motivation. You can’t. No matter how much you spend and how great the technology is – even with a virtual coach or trainer streaming every session – skipping a workout is as easy as not turning on the machine. They’re selling you a mirage of accountability, when at the end of the day motivation needs to come from you, not an external source.
So you have to ask yourself: Is it worth plunking down thousands of dollars and paying the monthly $40+ membership fee to do a bike or treadmill workout over and over? What happens when you get bored of the bike? Is it worth it? Or will your high-tech machine (which will be outdated in a couple years anyway) just collect dust?
Here’s more truth: Getting in great shape doesn’t require high-tech, and it shouldn’t cost thousands of dollars, or even hundreds.
Resistance bands are proven effective, highly affordable, portable, and infinitely versatile – the perfect training equipment for your home… or anywhere else.
Where to Get Your Resistance Bands
To get the best bang for your buck, choose a heavy duty, durable set of bands from Undersun Fitness. Complete sets of bands start at $69 at Undersun Fitness and come with a lifetime product guarantee to ensure your home gym is set up for years to come.
Undersun also offers money-saving bundles, starting at $109.95, that include bands and a 90-day digital training program led by a master fitness coach.