Strength vs. Resistance Training

Is there a difference between strength training using weights and "resistance" training using those elastic or rubber bands? Which is better?

Strength training and resistance training are actually interchangeable terms used to describe exercise that builds lean muscle tissue. Both terms can refer to using dumbbells, bands, Bowflexes, or even your own body weight to challenge your muscles until they tire and break down a little, so they repair themselves stronger and firmer than before.

That said, there are important differences between "free weights" like dumbbells, ankle weights, and barbells and resistance bands or tubes. As with anything, each has its advantages and disadvantages.

For building muscle, it's hard to beat dumbbells. Just as you lift boxes, put away groceries, and push and pull heavy doors, free weight exercises demand that you curl, reach, pull, and press to strengthen those much-used muscles. They work each muscle from almost every conceivable angle, so you get total-muscle toning. Free weights also force you to stabilize your body as you lift and lower, so you develop better balance and stronger supporting muscles, joints, and ligaments, as well as stronger core muscles like abs and back.

The downside is that dumbbells aren't exactly portable. You're not likely to take them with you on vacations or trips. It can also be difficult to hold dumbbells that are heavy enough to challenge your large leg muscles during moves like squats and lunges.

Rubber resistance bands, as well as rubber tubing, have been around for decades. Originally just big gray strips of latex used by physical therapists to help people regain strength after injury, today's resistance strips and tubes come in a wide variety of colorful options. There are mini bands, long bands, short bands, and tubes with handles, tubes with poles--all available from the simplest to the most difficult resistance.

Portability is the greatest benefit of resistance bands. No other fitness equipment stashes away so easily in a suitcase, gym bag, or handbag to give you an on-the-go gym. You can do a whole-body strength training workout when you're on the road, even if there's not a dumbbell within 50 miles of your hotel.

You'll find that, in general, bands don't work your muscles quite as hard as free weights. But they do make them work longer. Unlike dumbbells and ankle weights that rely on gravity for resistance, bands and tubes provide their own constant resistance as long as you're holding them taut. The result: Your muscles don't get the same "rest" that they do when you're at the beginning and end of a strength training move using free weights.

The downside is that the constant tension of bands makes some moves--especially overhead presses and exercises where the weight is high on the body--awkward to perform. The bands tend to pull your arms out to the sides when you're trying to push out or up in a straight line. And it can be difficult to get enough resistance from them for certain large-muscle exercises like leg presses.

For low-body toning exercises like leg lifts, however, they can actually be superior to weights. Here are a few ways to get the biggest bang from your resistance bands:


Ankle Ties

Any side-to-side or front-to-back movement you make with an exercise band looped around your legs at the ankles will work your hips, legs, and glutes. Experiment by pressing your leg out in different directions, or trying to walk side-to-side or forward and back. The band should always be taut.


Row, Row, Row

Bands are excellent for rows of all kinds. Sit on the floor with a band looped around your feet, and pull both ends back (keeping your elbows close to your body) in a rowing motion to work your back. Fasten an end to a doorknob, and pull one end straight to your side for standing rows.


Mimic Any Motion

If you can do it with a free weight, chances are you can imitate the motion with a band. Step on one end, and curl the band for arm curls. Loop it around your back, and press the ends forward for chest presses. Step on it with both feet, and hold each end at your waist to add resistance during squats. You're limited only by your imagination.

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