​When it comes to strength training, many people may wonder about the difference between resistance bands vs weights.    Both tools allow a person to practice strength training but in very different ways. Each product may be better in some situations and less ideal in others.   ​In this article, we break down exactly resistance bands vs weights and which product is the best choice for you.

This video on the right also explains and shows how to maximize your training by combining these two different resistance training tools.

Resistance bands exercises have been used for almost a century. It originally was used as a fitness technique, but eventually progressed to be used as a rehabilitation device.  Today it is used commonly in both fitness and rehabilitation facilities around the world.

Resistance bands and free-weights resistance (such as barbells and dumbbells) have several similar properties:    both provide some form of resistance,  both allow a free range of motion ,  both allow variable speed of movement, and  both allow progressive resistance.     All four of these properties are critical for the benefits offered by effective resistance-training programs.

Despite the similarities between resistance bands and free-weight resistance, people would assume, due to the lightweight and “flimsy appearance of resistance bands, that free weights are clearly the better resistance equipment. 

However, studies have shown that muscle activity and peak load during resistance bands exercises are similar to free-weights resistance exercises. This means that when comparing the same exercises performed with resistance bands or with free weights, the amount of muscle fibers activated are similar and the amount of force provided by the muscle fibers are similar.

Both  resistance bands and free-weights resistance  increase muscle strength,  muscle tone, size and decrease body fat.

In addition to the similarities that resistance bands share with free-weights resistance, there are several benefits that resistance bands offer that free-weights resistance does not.

One of the most important benefits of resistance bands is that, unlike free weights,  they do not rely on gravity to provide resistance. This increases its potential for use in more functional movement patterns that mimic both everyday activities and sport-specific activities. Because free weights rely on gravity to provide resistance, they can only provide resistance in a vertical plane —the direction of gravity. This means that if you do an exercise with a free weight in the horizontal plane, such as moving your left hand (while holding a dumbbell) from the left side of your body to the right side of your body, there is no resistance to that movement.

With  resistance bands on the other hand, you can have resistance when doing exercises in a horizontal plane. This means you can perform exercises such as twisting your body from side to side, side kicks and punches, as well as movements that mimic a baseball swing or basketball pass with resistance band. Performing exercises with resistance in a horizontal plane better prepares the individual for performing daily tasks—such as turning his body while carrying a heavy box—much easier and with less risk for injury. It also better prepares athletes for competitive movements that take place in a horizontal plane, such as swinging a baseball bat, and helps to prevent sports injuries.

A study published in a 1998 issue of American Journal of Sports Medicine, reported that collegiate tennis players who trained using resistance bands increased their shoulder strength and the speed of their tennis serve. Another study, from Louisiana State University (New Orleans), discovered that resistance bands training program strengthened the rotator cuff muscles of collegiate baseball pitchers better than a program that used free-weights dumbbells.

Because resistance bands do not rely on gravity to provide resistance, it is possible to change the emphasis placed on muscles during certain exercises. This is made possible by changing the direction of the pull of the resistance bands. For example, research from Brigham Young University reported that it was possible to change the emphasis placed on the quadriceps and hamstrings during squatting or stepping exercises by changing the direction of pull of the resistance bands.

The ability to change muscle emphasis is important for those who want to target specific muscles either for aesthetic reasons or for strengthening for sport competition. It is also important for those with injuries, as shifting the force more to certain muscles can help protect certain associated joints. For example, greater hamstring emphasis during squatting or stepping exercises helps to protect certain structures around the knee.

This is difficult to accomplish with free weights because, as previously stated, they require the direction of force to be vertical, due to the reliance on gravity for resistance. Another benefit provided by the fact that resistance bands do not rely on gravity is that it provides continuous tension to the muscles being trained. When you lift a free weight like a dumbbell in any direction other than straight up and down, the tension on the muscle can actually be removed at certain points in the range of motion. For example, when doing a biceps curl with a dumbbell, as you curl the dumbbell up towards the shoulder, at the very top of the movement the dumbbell is literally falling towards the shoulder. This means that the tension on the biceps has been removed because the dumbbell is no longer being lifted up against gravity by the biceps. When doing a biceps curl with resistance bands, the tension is present throughout the entire range of motion because the elastic material provides resistance due to its own properties.
​The fact that resistance bands equipment does not rely on gravity also means that the resistance bands equipment used can be inexpensive, lightweight, and easily stored and transported despite its ability to provide strong resistance. On the contrary, free weights must be heavy and cumbersome to provide strong resistance. In addition, free weights tend to be expensive as they are typically priced by the pound.

Another unique benefit of resistance bands that free weights resistance does not offer is linear variable resistance. What this means is that, as the range of motion of the exercise increases, the resistance provided by the resistance bands equipment increases. For example, when doing a biceps curl, as you curl your hand up toward your shoulder, the resistance of the band increases. This is due to the physical properties of the resistance bands material. As its length increases (from being stretched), it provides more resistance. One of the benefits of this is that as the range of motion increases and the resistance increases, the number of muscle fibers that are being used in the exercising muscle increase. The more muscle fibers being used, the greater the adaptations in muscle strength that can be achieved with the training program. This benefit is not offered by free-weights resistance.

​Another reason linear variable resistance, as provided by resistance bands, is beneficial is due to what is known as the strength curve of muscles. The linear variable resistance provided by resistance bands better mimics the strength curves of most muscles. A strength curve refers to the way a muscle’s or muscle group’s strength changes over a range of motion. Because of their anatomy, most muscles increase in strength over the range of motion until a certain point. Again using the biceps curl as an example, as you curl the hand toward the shoulder, the muscle gets stronger up until about the halfway point of the range of motion. Thus, the biceps muscle is weakest at the start of the exercise and strongest at the halfway point of the exercise. When doing a biceps curl with a free weight, the individual is limited to how much resistance he can use by how strong the biceps are at the beginning of the exercise (its weakest point). That means that during the biceps curl, the muscle is not receiving adequate resistance when the muscle is at its strongest point in the range of motion. When performing a curl with resistance bands, however, the resistance increases as the range of motion increases. This means the muscle is receiving greater resistance at its strongest point in the range of motion and therefore is receiving more adequate resistance to better stimulate strength adaptations.

Many individuals using resistance bands report that they can feel a difference, such as a stronger burn in the muscles and greater muscle fatigue, as compared to when they use free weights. This is due to the linear variable resistance that the resistance bands equipment offers. This allows a greater number of muscle fibers to be used and taxed throughout the range of motion. Anecdotal evidence aside, research studies also confirm this difference. One study performed at Truman State University (Kirksville, MO) found that athletes who included resistance bands bench press training in their regimens had a significantly greater increase in bench press strength and power as compared to those who only utilized free-weight resistance training.

​Another study, performed at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, reported in a 2006 issue of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, that when athletes used elastic band training in addition to free-weight training they had significantly more leg power than when they only utilized free-weight training

A critical benefit of resistance bands is that it prevents the user from “cheating” on the exercise being performed. This is a common practice, especially for beginners, when using free weights. Cheating involves the use of momentum to get the weight moving. Once the weight has built up momentum, the muscle fibers do not need to be maximally activated to continue moving the weight throughout the rest of the range of motion of the exercise. This is due to the fact that the physics of momentum has taken over to move the weight. The physical properties of resistance bands device do not allow the user to cheat by using momentum. This is because the resistance from the resistance bands equipment comes from the stretching of the resistance bands material and not the mass of the resistance bands equipment. The only way to continue a movement while performing an exercise with resistance bands is to utilize more muscle fibers in the exercising muscle to continue stretching the elastic material.

​The research performed on resistance bands suggests that not only does resistance bands offer similar benefits to free-weight resistance, but it actually has several benefits that outweigh (pun intended) those of free weights.

This means that a program using resistance bands can provide similar benefits to a program that uses free-weights resistance, such as increased muscle strength, increase muscle tone and size, and decreased body fat.

In addition, a program that uses resistance bands can also provide benefits that are not offered by free-weight resistance programs, such as more functional strength, better injury prevention, greater ability to change muscle emphasis during exercises, greater muscle power development, and easier use.

This table shows the specific benefits of resistance bands and free-weights resistance:

References:   References 1. Aniansson, A. P., et al. Effect of a training programe for pensioners on condition and muscular strength. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics 3:229-241, 1984. 2. Boyer, B. T. A comparison of the effects of three strength training programs on women. Journal of Applied Sport Science Research 4(3):88-94, 1990. 3. Ebben, W. P. and Jensen, R.L. Electromyographic and kinetic analysis of traditional, chain, and elastic band squats. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 16(4):547-550, 2002. 4. Fornataro, S, et al. Investigation to determine differences in strength gains using Thera-Band at fast and slow training speeds. Physical Therapy 74(5):S53, 1994.. 5. Heinecke, M., et al. Comparison of Strength Gains in Variable Resistance Bench Press and Isotonic Bench Press. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: 18(4): e361, 2004. 6. Hughes, C. and Page, P. Scientific Basis of Elastic Resistance. In The Scientific and Clinical Application of Elastic Resistance (Page, P. and Ellenbecker, T. S. eds) Human Kinetics, Champaign, IL: 3-14, 2003. 7. Matheson, J. W., et al. Electromyographic activity and applied load during seated quadriceps exercises. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 33(10):1713-1725, 2001. 8. Mikesky, A. E., et al. Efficacy of a home-based training program for older adults using elastic tubing. European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology 69(4):316-320, 1994. 9. Page, P. A. Posterior Rotator Cuff Strengthening Using Theraband(R) in a Functional Diagonal Pattern in Collegiate Baseball Pitchers. Journal of Athletic Training 28(4):346-354, 1993. 10. Schulthies, S. S., et al. An Electromyographic Investigation of 4 Elastic-Tubing Closed Kinetic Chain Exercises After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction. Journal of Athletic Training 33(4):328-335, 1998. 11. Stoppani, J. Encyclopedia of Muscle & Strength. Human Kinetics, Champaign, IL. 2005. 12. Treiber, F. A., et al. Effects of Theraband and lightweight dumbbell training on shoulder rotation torque and serve performance in college tennis players. American Journal of Sports Medicine 26(4):510-515, 1998. 13. Wallace, B. J., et al. Effects of elastic bands on force and power characteristics during the back squat exercise. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 20 (2): 268–272, 2006.

FACT: PLYOMETRICS EXERCISES CAN CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY 

 Here’s a review of the literature:  An athlete's hunger for success is fueled by a constant supply of new products and training principles. During the past decade plyometric training has increased in popularity and is now considered to be an essential training method for athletes competing in a wide variety of sports. Many respected coaches considers plyometrics to be the 'icing-on-the-cake' that can enhance an athlete's ability, allowing him or her to remain at the cutting edge of their sport,  when performed correctly, plyometrics can improve speed, strength, acceleration and explosive power. 

So should we all go out and start leaping from tall buildings in an attempt to improve our athletic performance? Well, the answer to that question once you've studied the scientific research is: look before you leap. Not everyone in the physical preparation industry is as enthusiastic as them.  Just as steroids have now been proven to be detrimental to an athlete's health, there is growing evidence to suggest that gains made from practicing plyometric drills may be outweighed by the risk of severe injuries attributed to this training method, if practiced incorrectly.

What type of injuries? 

Spinal shrinkage -Sports participants taking part in repeated high impact activities have been identified as a high-risk group for back pain and injury.  The lumbar portion of the spine has been highlighted as one as of the area most susceptible to injury. Studies indicate that the musculoskeletal system is subjected to impact forces between 3-5 times body weight as a result of landing from a plyometric activity (depth jumps). They clearly shows significantly higher levels of spinal shrinkage are experienced when additional loads are applied; even when the platform height is just 26cm. 

Patellar tendinitis, or 'jumpers knee', is an inflammatory condition involving the infrapatellar tendon. Strong eccentric contractions produce high levels of force, and repeated stretching of the extensor muscles results in damage to the tendon. The movement most frequently associated with patellar tendinitis is jumping, The knee, ankle and hip are inevitably exposed to high forces. Injuries associated with fatigue, such as tendinitis and synovitis, can result from excessive plyometric training. 

If you have heart disease, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol, your doctor may recommend a lower-intensity type of exercise.

If you have diabetes, you may need to make some changes to your diabetes treatment plan, based on how many calories you are burning. Plyometrics is not for you if you have any diabetes-related nerve damage, as this will make you more likely to get injured.

Do you have arthritis or other bone or joint problems? Plyometrics is not a good choice for you. Look for a workout that can help strengthen your muscles without stressing your joints.

Plyometrics is also not for you if you are pregnant. Your belly’s growing size will throw off your balance. You could fall or get injured. The weight of your growing baby stresses your knees and ankles, and jumping adds even more stress. Ligaments that help stabilize your joints grow a little more lax during pregnancy, making injuries more likely.

If you have any physical limitations, choose other strength-building exercises that will be safer for you.

CONCLUSION: IF YOU ARE NOT A PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE, AND JUST WANT TO LOOK AND FEEL GOOD, YOU SHOULD AVOID PLYOMETRICS EXERCISES.

MOST BODYBUILDERS EMPLOY ALL SORTS OF INTENSITY BOOSTERS. HOW IS IT THAT YOU'VE MANAGED TO DO SO WELL BY DOING ONLY STRAIGHT SETS?
It's because always worked for me. I don't understand why I would want to change something that's working. I never incurred any significant injuries and I was continually making gains over the years, so I didn't see the need to change things up.

THE FIRST EXERCISE IN YOUR ROUTINE IS OFTEN CONSIDERED THE MOST IMPORTANT BECAUSE YOU CAN ATTACK THE WEIGHTS BEFORE FATIGUE SETS IN. HOW DO YOU CHOOSE WHAT YOU DO FIRST?
The first exercise in my routine is almost certainly a compound [multi-joint] exercise. With this kind of movement, you can push the most weight because more muscle groups are involved in the lift.
For those reasons, I always started my chest workout with a dumbbell or barbell movement. You get better range of motion with free weights, but later in my career I focused more on machines because of the degree of safety they afford.
I'm a big user of the Hammer Strength decline machine, but those didn't even exist, at least in my gym, when I first started training in 1991.

DO YOU START WITH A PARTICULAR BENCH ON CHEST DAY?
I never really had any weak [chest] areas that I needed to significantly bring up, so I varied things up but not a whole lot. For one, it depended on the gym I was in; I traveled a lot and was always training in a new facility. Occasionally that allowed me to try out new equipment, but sometimes I was limited, as well. For one, not every gym has dumbbells that go up to 200 pounds.
Rather than making arbitrary changes in my workout, if I had a good workout, I'd continue doing it. Usually after a while you see diminishing returns, but I never made changes for the sake of making changes. If I liked a workout, I stuck with it.
I never believed in the theory that you had to change things up week to week to elicit changes. I believe that if you train to your fullest potential, if you exert the most you possibly can, you're going to grow as long as your diet and sleep patterns are in sync with your training.

YOU RELIED MORE ON MACHINES IN YOUR LATER COMPETITIVE YEARS?
I went to machines later on because I feared injury. As I got more and more successful, it seemed like other bodybuilders were increasingly suffering from bad injuries, and frankly it was about the only thing that didn't happen in my career.

As I rose to winning the Olympia and I was having great success, I wanted to stay on top, so I was doing the therapy sessions, I was doing the training, and I was doing everything as properly as possible.
As I got older, I became afraid of throwing around the crazy weights because I was so strong. I could use 200-pound dumbbells and I could do 500-pound bench presses for reps. It seemed like everyone else who used those kind of weights sooner or later ended up with an injury.
So I switched things around a little bit to try to exhaust my muscles a little more rather than just trying to keep going heavier.

HOW IMPORTANT ARE WARM-UPS BEFORE HITTING THOSE KINDS OF WEIGHTS?
Being in Vegas, you get warm just by getting to the gym, so I really don't need a warm-up per se. But I still do several lightweight sets, what I call "feel" sets. It helps get my mind into the movement, develop a feel for the motion, getting under the weight.
Then I start pyramiding up, doing at least 3-4 working sets. So, on my first exercise I'm doing 6-7 sets total.

DO YOU TAKE ANY OF THOSE SETS TO FAILURE?
In my 20 years of training, I've never trained to failure on any set. I ever always trained with a weight in which I could do 8-12 repetitions.
For sure I could use more weight, but my focus wasn't on building even more strength or training to failure—rather it was on volume.
You can't do both high volume and high intensity; you have to pick one or the other. I'm a 20-set guy, I'd do 20 sets no matter whether the body part was chest or biceps. It didn't matter. For back it was up to 30 sets. Your nervous system can take only so much abuse.
For me, for anyone, doing high volume and training to failure—even past failure—is just too much. I never felt it was even necessary to try a technique like forced reps.
I learned the concepts of lifting mainly through my trainer Chris Aceto, and it became fundamental that we'd never do a set for fewer than 8 reps.

SO YOU DON'T GO ANY LOWER THAN EIGHT REPS WHEN TRAINING?
With deadlifts I'd go as low as 6, but for everything else it was 8-12. Obviously I could do more weight, but I never felt I had to prove anything, so I never did.

SO CAN YOU TELL US WHAT YOUR MAX BENCH PRESS IS?
I have no idea.

IS THERE ANYTHING UNIQUE ABOUT YOUR TRAINING STYLE THAT WOULD CAUSE SOMEONE TO SAY, "THAT'S HOW JAY CUTLER TRAINS?"
A lot of guys who watched my training videos thought they could keep up with me because I don't train past failure. They come here and train with me but they end up gassing out. They can't keep up the pace.
That's because my rest time is just 45-60 seconds max between sets. Most of the time I'd rest only as long as my workout partner, which was usually no more than about 45 seconds.
A lot of the guys back in the day, from Arnold to Gaspari, trained this way with very little rest between sets, and I really think that's what bodybuilding is about. It's about volume training, going in there and getting the muscle full, and damaging the tissue and then getting out of the gym so the process of repair can take place.

ARE GUYS OVERLY CONCERNED WITH HOW MUCH WEIGHT THEY CAN LIFT?
If they're bodybuilders, they shouldn't be. Some guys can bench press tons of weight; other guys can't. Everyone's got particular lifts they're fairly strong on. I was one of those guys who could never curl a lot of weight but I had almost 23-inch arms.
Just about every guy in there could curl more weight than me. Again, weight wasn't the variable I was most concerned about.

MANY LIFTERS MEASURE PROGRESS IN TERMS OF WEIGHT LIFTED OR TOTAL REPS, BUT PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD IS ALSO ACHIEVED BY REDUCING REST INTERVALS. THAT'S WHAT YOU PREFERRED?
You're right. People want to judge progress only by how much they can lift. That's absolutely backward from what bodybuilding really is. I don't believe that strength has anything to do with what we do [as bodybuilders]. Again, rest intervals are one of the many variables in bodybuilding—it's not only about the weight!

SINCE YOU DIDN'T GO BY WEIGHT, HOW DID YOU JUDGE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A WORKOUT?
You know, I judged them by how sore I was afterward. At my peak and in my earlier years, I'd get incredibly sore. I mean I'd be sore for days and days and days.
The split I followed meant each body part was trained once every 5-7 days. But I'd take longer if I didn't feel recovered. And if I didn't feel recovered, I just wouldn't train. So that's how I came up with 5-7.
Really, there are a number of factors involved in setting up your training split. For me it included travel, eating patterns, sleep, and recovery.

WE HAVEN'T TOUCHED ON IT, BUT HOW IMPORTANT WERE SINGLE-JOINT EXERCISES ON CHEST DAY?
We haven't touched on it because I was never really a believer that there was much benefit in fly movements. With chest training, there are only so many things you can do, so it was lots of types of presses to get the contractions to build a full chest. It's less about lifting the weight than feeling the contraction.

WHAT THE HELL DOES HIS TRAINER ASKED HIM TO DO?  DOES HE WANT TO MAKE HIS CORE STRONG?   

If yes, maybe all the kids should go to the school carrying the school bag in one side of the shoulders, as happened in the past. I though, it wasn't a good practice, if we want to avoid back problems. 

Poor guy, and DUMB TRAINER, before he makes his core strong, he is going to destroy his back.  
The said is, the client is spending money, he is getting tired,  and as benefit, he is going to have back problems.

The advantage of regular exercise not only includes weight loss, but more important is that consistent exercise results in body fat loss and development of muscle tone, which shows most when clothes are skimpier. This improvement can be felt quickly, as the muscles are worked and get used to the demands made of them. When you feel more fit, you start to hold yourself up, stronger and prouder. Posture improves and you just look better, overall. For someone who has not been exercising regularly, after a quick checkup by your doctor, simple walking can be a great way to get started! But, in order for it to be effective, you have to do it on a regular basis; at least 3-5 days a week. When just starting out, 3 days a week of 20 minutes per walk may be plenty. It may even be a challenge at first! If you keep it up, though, shortly it will get easier. As it gets easier, progression to 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week will be more effective. If someone started walking 4 miles per hour (15 minutes per mile) for 30 minutes, 5 days a week, they will start burning roughly an extra 1500 calories a week. Although this will only result the loss of a few pounds in 10 weeks, the increase in your resting metabolic rate will also increase with regular exercise. Your resting metabolic rate is how many calories you burn at rest. The higher your metabolic rate, the more calories you burn when just sitting! So, without even changing the way you eat, you're already working towards some weight loss.

This brings us to the second step for preparing the body for summer, which is making some changes to the diet by increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables. There are three advantages to a diet high in fruits and vegetables;

1. these foods are rich in antioxidants, which help protect the skin from the harmful, oxidizing effects of the sun and toxic chemicals from the hot air,
2. they also have been shown to help fight against heart disease, cancer and obesity, 
3. finally, they will fill you up on fewer total calories because they are high in fiber and bulk. If a person were to eat 5-10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day, which is the recommendation of many health organizations, today, they would feel fuller on fewer net calories by the end of the day. Theoretically, they could end up eating 200-500 fewer calories per day, which further helps with weight loss. Plus, you would feel better, your hair, skin and nails would look better, and you would become more regular.

The final important step to preparing for summer is to increase your intake of water. Sixty percent of our body is water. Studies have shown that a diet adequate in water helps with weight loss, helps moisten skin, decreases dryness, can help prevent the development of wrinkles, keeps the hands and lips moist, can help fight heat exhaustion, and even has shown to decrease bladder cancer in men. Although there is a lot of debate over just how much water each of us needs, a good individual rule of thumb is to drink enough water so that your urine is clear by the afternoon. Worry about staying up all night going to the bathroom? Then drink most of your water in the first half of the day. Don't like water? Then experiment with various temperatures of plain water, or add a slice of lemon or orange to your water. Perhaps you can find a flavored (not sweetened) water. Even eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables and getting plenty of other fluids can be adequate for some, because these foods and other fluids also provide free water for the body's needs. 

Now is the time to start getting ready for summer! It is not too late. If you start on these steps now, you will be well on your way to feeling great, looking great, and be prepared for a new you this summer, strutting your stuff in those brand new shorts that are sitting in your closet
​

We all know how critical using various angles is to gaining mass and strength for major body parts like legs and back, but too many people fail to extend such importance to the smaller muscle groups. Your biceps grow and respond best when you train them with various exercises from a myriad of angles. 

As a starting point, manipulating the position of your elbow and/or wrist, you can preferentially recruit different muscles in your upper arm. The Preacher Curl works the muscles of your front upper arm, the biceps. The word biceps refers to two intersecting muscle heads: the short head and the long head.

The Preacher Curl, as any other exercise where the elbow is in front of the midline of your body, puts greater emphasis on the short head of the biceps. 

When I am at the gym floor whether training my clients, or working out, it is not unusual to see people doing exercises and lifting weights with incorrect training techniques. You might learn weight training techniques by watching friends or others in the gym, but sometimes what you see isn't safe. Incorrect weight training technique can lead to sprains, strains, fractures and other painful injuries that may hamper your weight training efforts.

A classic cable exercise, the Lat Pull-Down targets your lats, shoulders and arms. This exercise is usually done with a wide-grip but not too wide so that it restricts your movement. While doing the exercise make sure you pull the bar to the top of the chest with you back arched, chest pumped forward, shoulders retracted and elbows slightly bending behind the torso. 

​Do not use your upper torso to ‘cheat’ in this exercise; instead, let your upper back muscles and arms do the work. It’s also important not to lock your head and neck which can lead to stiffness and that you’re not straining your spine while doing Lat pull-downs.

THE BEHIND THE NECK LAT PULL- DOWN

The myth: The best way to perform the Lat Pull-Down is to pull the bar behind your head, down to your upper back.

The truth: Unless you have very flexible shoulders, this exercise is difficult to do correctly, and can increase your risk for shoulder impingement syndrome, a painful condition in which the muscles or tendons of your rotator cuff become entrapped in your shoulder joint. 

The alternative: Simple, just pull the bar in front of your head, down to your collarbone. You’ll work your back just as hard, but with less risk for injury.  ​

Alex Trainer demonstrating lat pull down in front - A safe way to do the lat pull down exercise

1. Take a 10 to 15 minute walk to warm up before your workout and a 10 to 15 minute walk after your workout to cool down. You can do this in your home walking back and forth in a room, or you could warm up with calisthenics, but you don’t want to use up too much energy if you use calisthenics for your warm up. You want to save as much energy as you can for your workout. 

2. Don’t try to break records overnight in your lifting. Increase the weight you work out with gradually. Take your time. Better to go too slowly than too fast and risk injury.

3. Drink a 40 gram whey protein mixture within one hour after you finish your workout. This should help increase lean muscle mass and reduce body fat. Seniors who followed this protocol in a study gained more muscle mass than a control group who took less whey protein and another control group who took no whey protein. 

4. To preventing swinging the weights when you do exercises like curls or lateral raises, pause for a moment at the bottom of the exercise before you lift the weight back up. 

5. Keep your form “smooth.” Don’t use jerky movements or swing the weight instead of lifting with the best form you can manage. This will enable you to get more out of the exercise and reduce the likelihood of injury. You might have to use lighter weights if you have been lifting improperly with heavier weights. As the saying goes, form is king. More so as a guy gets older. 

6. Consider using high reps in all or some of your exercises. For example, 12-15, 15-20. Higher reps are kinder to your joints and can help prevent or heal injuries. But, to get the most out of high reps, you must work the reps to muscle-fatigue. Not total failure, just at the point where the muscle is tired and you would be hard pressed to force out a few more reps. 

7. Be aware of your recovery. If you are exhausted the day after a workout, it might be time to reduce the volume of work you are doing or work out less. For instance, instead of working out using 4 or 6 day splits, you might consider the traditional 3 times a week full body workout with rest days between workouts.

8. If an exercise doesn’t feel right or you have hurt yourself doing it, find an alternative exercise. After age 60 strains and injures can happen far easier than when you were a much younger man. It’s best to play it safe then be sidelined with injuries. This often happens with bench presses. Older guys find their shoulders become sore after benching. Some guys opt for dumbbell bench presses with neutral grips. Others do push ups and chest flies. And there are other options you could try. 

9. At your age 2 sets on all or most of your exercises might be more beneficial than 3 or more sets; e.g., shorter workouts easier to recover from. 

The 2 sets is just something to consider. Some guys past 60 still do 3 or more sets and 6 day splits. In my opinion, though, most of us would be better off with less sets and less volume. But, it’s an individual thing involving many variables. 

10. Last, and most importantly, have fun. If you don’t enjoy your workouts, odds are you might quit working out. 

Your program should consist of a combination of resistance exercise (weight training) and cardiovascular exercise (aerobic). One or the other won't usually be enough for long term fat loss.  

As stated above, the body likes to burn muscle before it burns fat. Weight training forces your body to conserve and build muscle, thus preserving it.  If you weight train, your body wills not burn muscle tissue for energy!  Now your body just has 2 things to burn:  glycogen and fat.  How do we get the body to burn the fat? Aerobic exercise!  This consists of any low to moderate intensity, long duration activity. Cycling, jogging, rowing, dancing, stepping (stair climbing) are all aerobic activities. These primarily burn fat, after the glycogen is used up.

How do we use the glycogen up? This is where the weight training comes in. The trick is to do your weight (anaerobic) workout first, which burns most or all of your glycogen and then do your aerobic exercise! The body then has nothing left to burn but fat (remember, it won't burn the muscles because it needs them for the weight training). 
You can still burn fat from cardio without weight training first, but it takes the first 15-20 minutes to burn off the glycogen before it even starts to burn fat. This glycogen is put to better use to power a weight session and cuts the duration of your cardio by 20 minutes. Since you're weight training anyway it makes sense to add just 15-20 minutes of aerobic exercise after your workout.

To put it simply: Do an intense weight workout for about 45 minutes and proceed immediately to your aerobic activity (cycling, Stairmaster etc.) for at least 20 minutes.  This will supercharge your body and keep it in the "fat burning mode" for several hours after (your body can't easily store fat while it's burning fat). You can sip a carbohydrate drink as you do the aerobics, and have a high protein meal or shake within one hour of completion.  Be sure to drink lots of water throughout. I suggest workout 3 times per week for fast benefits.