Power Bands to Improve Performance

Let’s face it, whether training for sport or life, we need to see improvements in our performance. Getting stronger, moving faster, and going longer without getting tired are vital to all of us. These qualities are intimately linked to our physical and mental/emotional health for both sport and life. They help us be more successful in all types of sports, live and play longer, make us able to resist disease and illness, think more clearly, have better memory, and reduce anxiety and depression.

The longer, more consistent, and more accurately we can train relative to our stress levels, the better chance we have at achieving and maintaining the qualities mentioned above. Your body and mind thrive on variety as it helps to keep you from getting stagnant. This can help sustain motivation to continue training. Varying your training program can help provide a necessary stimulus that allows your body and mind to stay engaged.

Power bands are a simple, practical, and versatile accessory for your training and performance needs regardless of your level of ability or goal. They have also been extensively researched and shown to be a scientifically validated way to vary your programs and enhance performance.

Power bands are elastic bands that come in various sizes (widths and/or thicknesses) and colors that represent different resistance levels. The elastic nature of power bands results in progressively increased resistance as the band is lengthened. Meaning, the more the bands are stretched, the greater the resistance (Santos et al., 2009).

Studies have shown that the actual resistance of the various bands, from thin to thickest, can be between 1kg to >50kg when stretched to twice their length (Fuentes et al., 2019). This amount of resistance can easily create enough overload to improve many performance measures when used in training.

Here are 3 ways you can use power bands to improve your performance.

#1 Variation

Power bands provide a wide range of variation for your training. Because they are light and take up little space, they can be taken anywhere and used in almost any environment. Research has shown elastic resistance to be as effective as conventional forms of strength training for many performance measures in different populations, including adolescents, older adults, athletes, and those with and without impairments (Lopes et al., 2019; Peng et al., 2021; Yoon et al., 2016).

Power bands can add resistance or provide assistance without adding mass (more weight). This allows them to accommodate all populations and ability levels, which can even help decrease drop-out rates (Lopes et al., 2019). Examples of assistance can be seen in squatting and upper body pulling exercises. Not everyone is able to squat with load or their own bodyweight. Holding on to a power band attached to a pull-up bar or higher on a rack provides assistance to help them squat. Many people also use power bands to provide assistance helping them perform pull-ups or chin-ups.

Another popular variation of power bands is their use in conjunction with conventional strength training protocols and equipment, most often with barbells. While power bands provide added resistance to the barbell, they can be helpful in overcoming sticking points in many lifts such as the squat, deadlift, and bench press to help increase a number of performance measures (Kompf et al., 2016; Gene-Morales et al., 2020; Galpin et al., 2015; Garcia_lopez et al., 2016; Krčmár et al., 2020; Sawyer et al., 2021; Scott et al., 2018; Wyland et al., 2015). This will be addressed more specifically in #2 and #3 below

#2 Instant Change

There is nothing better than seeing an instant change in performance. The use of power bands, both solely or in combination with free weights, has repeatedly been shown to increase performance within minutes of use (Peng et al., 2020; Krčmár et al., 2020; Scott et al., 2018; Wyland et al., 2015). The premise behind this instant change is known as post activation potentiation (PAP) or post activation performance enhancement (PAPE), which in essence is using a high intensity movement to acutely increase neuromuscular output.

In these studies, participants performed a general warm-up followed by a performance test of some sort (sprinting, agility, jumping, kicking, etc.). They then performed a few sets of the desired movement (squat, deadlift, kicking, etc.) at higher intensities (~ 80-85% 1RM) with either the power band only or the power band in combination with free weights compared to a control group. Then they were re-tested following various rest periods that ranged from seconds to minutes to see if and when any significant change would occur. The 4-minute rest period appears to be the best amount of rest to allow PAP/PAPE to occur.

#3 Long-term Change

Instant change is great, but it’s also important to be able to improve performance over the long run. Similar to #2 above, the use of power band training combined with free weights and incorporated into strength and conditioning programs has been shown to improve performance (Jones et al., 2014; Katushabe et al., 2020; Joy et al., 2016; Sawyer et al., 2021). This is known as variable resistance training (VRT) or accommodating resistance training (ART). The premise is that the elastic bands used with the barbell will increase the resistance but not the mass (or weight) of the barbell. Lighter weights can be used in this form of training because the power band makes up the difference in resistance. The elastic properties of the band help the barbell move with less restriction through difficult areas of the movement (i.e., sticking points) and provide more resistance in less difficult areas (i.e., top or end range) (Israetel et al., 2010; Kompf et al., 2016).

Programs studied were relatively short lasting between 3-6 weeks using elastic bands combined with free weights to provide the necessary resistance. In two of the studies, the elastic bands accounted for 20% of the total resistance used and the barbell made up the remaining 80% (Katushabe et al., 2020; Sawyer et al., 2021). In the other studies, elastic bands made up 30% (Joy et al., 2016) and approximately 50% (Jones et al., 2014) with the barbell making up the remaining percentage.

Power bands provide a highly versatile and scientifically validated way to train or enhance your current training. You can use them as your only piece of equipment as well as combine them with conventional forms of training. The elastic nature of the power bands can also be advantageous to help you overcome mechanical challenges that may hinder your performance enhancement. If you haven’t already, you want to grab some power bands and “stretch” the limits of your training!

References

Aandahl, H. S., Von Heimburg, E., & Van den Tillaar, R. (2018). Effect of Postactivation Potentiation Induced by Elastic Resistance on Kinematics and Performance in a Roundhouse Kick of Trained Martial Arts Practitioners. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 32(4), 990–996. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000001947

Fuentes, A., Smith, C., & Shoepe, T. (2019). Loading Patterns of Rubber-Based Resistance Bands across Distributors. Sports, 7(1), 21. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports7010021

Galpin, A. J., Malyszek, K. K., Davis, K. A., Record, S. M., Brown, L. E., Coburn, J. W., Harmon, R. A., Steele, J. M., & Manolovitz, A. D. (2015). Acute Effects of Elastic Bands on Kinetic Characteristics During the Deadlift at Moderate and Heavy Loads. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 29(12), 3271–3278. https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0000000000000987

Gene-Morales, J., Gené-Sampedro, A., Salvador, R., & Colado, J. C. (2020). Adding the Load Just Above Sticking Point Using Elastic Bands Optimizes Squat Performance, Perceived Effort Rate, and Cardiovascular Responses. Journal of sports science & medicine, 19(4), 735–744.

Israetel, M. A., McBride, J. M., Nuzzo, J. L., Skinner, J. W., & Dayne, A. M. (2010). Kinetic and Kinematic Differences Between Squats Performed With and Without Elastic Bands. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 24(1), 190–194. https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0b013e31819b7995

Jones M. T. (2014). Effect of compensatory acceleration training in combination with accommodating resistance on upper body strength in collegiate athletes. Open access journal of sports medicine, 5, 183–189. https://doi.org/10.2147/OAJSM.S65877

Joy, J. M., Lowery, R. P., Oliveira de Souza, E., & Wilson, J. M. (2016). Elastic Bands as a Component of Periodized Resistance Training. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 30(8), 2100–2106. https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0b013e3182986bef

Katushabe, E. T., & Kramer, M. (2020). Effects of Combined Power Band Resistance Training on Sprint Speed, Agility, Vertical Jump Height, and Strength in Collegiate Soccer Players. International journal of exercise science, 13(4), 950–963.

Kompf, J., & Arandjelović, O. (2016). Understanding and Overcoming the Sticking Point in Resistance Exercise. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 46(6), 751–762. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-015-0460-2

Krčmár, M., Krčmárová, B., Bakaľár, I., & Šimonek, J. (2020). Acute Performance Enhancement following squats Combined With Elastic Bands on Short Sprint and Vertical Jump Height in Female Athletes. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, Publish Ahead of Print. https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0000000000003881

Lopes, J., Machado, A. F., Micheletti, J. K., de Almeida, A. C., Cavina, A. P., & Pastre, C. M. (2019). Effects of training with elastic resistance versus conventional resistance on muscular strength: A systematic review and meta-analysis. SAGE open medicine, 7, 2050312119831116. https://doi.org/10.1177/2050312119831116

Peng, H.-T., Zhan, D.-W., Song, C.-Y., Chen, Z.-R., Gu, C.-Y., Wang, I-Lin., & Wang, L.-I. (2021). Acute Effects of Squats Using Elastic Bands on Postactivation Potentiation. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 35(12), 3334-3340. https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0000000000003618

Santos, G. M., Tavares, G.M.S., de Gasperi, G., & Bau, G.R. (2009). Mechanical Evaluation of the Resistance of Elastic Bands. Revista Brasileira de Fisioterapia, 13(6),521-526.

Sawyer, J., Higgins, P., Cacolice, P. A., & Doming, T. (2021). Bilateral back squat strength is increased during a 3-week undulating resistance training program with and without variable resistance in DIII collegiate football players. PeerJ, 9, e12189. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.12189

Scott, D. J., Ditroilo, M., & Marshall, P. (2018). Effect of Accommodating Resistance on the Postactivation Potentiation Response in Rugby League Players. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 32(9), 2510–2520. https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0000000000002464

Soria-Gila, M. A., Chirosa, I. J., Bautista, I. J., Baena, S., & Chirosa, L. J. (2015). Effects of Variable Resistance Training on Maximal Strength. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 29(11), 3260–3270. https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0000000000000971

Wyland, T. P., Van Dorin, J. D., & Reyes, G. F. C. (2015). Postactivation Potentation Effects From Accommodating Resistance Combined With Heavy Back Squats on Short Sprint Performance. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 29(11), 3115–3123. https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0000000000000991

Yoon, D. H., Kang, D., Kim, H., Kim, J.-S., Song, H. S., & Song, W. (2016). Effect of elastic band-based high-speed power training on cognitive function, physical performance and muscle strength in older women with mild cognitive impairment. Geriatrics & Gerontology International, 17(5), 765–772. https://doi.org/10.1111/ggi.12784