|
|
| I
know, it just doesn't seem like you will be able to make progress
with some colorful exercise tubing. Once again, the muscle is blind.
Many ex-bodybuilders and powerlifters actually use exercise tubing
because it is easy on the joints yet tough on the muscles. Below is
a comparison of the major types of resistance training. Make your
own decision... |
|
|
Type
1: Machines - There are tons of exercise
machines on the market. There are the individual machines that you
would find at a gym as well as the multistation gyms for the home.
Many of these machines use Dynamic (Isotonic) Variable resistance.
The advantage of this type of equipment is that it applies more
tension when your muscle needs it, which is beneficial.
Advantages
- Ability to work your muscle at an optimal level through a full
range of motion, effective.
Disadvantages
- High cost of equipment, bulky, limited number of training movements
and often lengthy set up times between exercises.
|
|
|
|
|
Type
2: Free Weights - They've been around for as long as anyone
can remember. Free weights are a type of dynamic (isotonic) constant
resistance equipment meaning that the resistive force (tension)
remains constant throughout the exercise movement.
Advantages:
Similarity to most work and exercise activities (meaning you can
perform exercises that mimic the activity that your trying improve),
low cost of equipment, variety of training movements, effective.
Disadvantages: Cumbersome - not compact, work against
gravity so there is a greater chance of getting injured due to
the momentum of the weights.
|
|
|
|
|
Type
3: Bodylastics Exercise Tubing - This exercise tool
has actually been around for many many years. My father talked about
stretching an exercise tubing years ago when he was about 19 - that
was 42 years ago. Exercise
tubing, like machines use Dynamic (Isotonic) Variable resistance.
This is achieved by the simple fact that as you stretch a tube it
increasingly becomes more difficult. So at the beginning of a movement
like a standing biceps curl when your arms are down and you are
using the least amount of muscle fibers, the tube is the easiest.
As you curl your arm up and use more of your muscle fibers the tube
stretches and becomes more difficult.
Advantages
- Ability to work your muscle at an optimal level through a full
range of motion, low cost of equipment, variety of training movements,
effective
Disadvantages
- Although some of the exercises are better tha free weights others are a close second to the free weight
or machine exercises but not 100% as good
|
|