Sure, rowing machines and fitness trampolines sound fun and effective. But, are exercise bands good for Seniors? Is it the best option to start with?. The good thing is you have found this article where I am tackling all you need to know about the use of exercise bands.
Home workout is an excellent option for anyone, but especially seniors looking for maintaining a healthy body. You can go jogging, running, swimming, or buying equipment for a home gym that is elderly and senior-friendly, such as ellipticals, rebounders with a balance bar, and resistance bands.
Advantages of Using Exercise Bands Among Seniors
Versatil & Safe:
I found the resistance band an excellent tool for seniors to work out because it is safe, versatile, and also portable. These workout tools are travel-friendly, you can bring them anywhere to workout either indoor or outdoor. Because they are lightweight you can move them around the house for convenience and storage.
User-friendly
Exercise bands are also user-friendly. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced user, resistance bands have room for you to improve and grow your strength.
Increase Strength
This type of home workout is perfect for stretching and physical therapies. You can use them for some fundamental exercise like squatting or to be a complement to other exercise routines. Some benefits that you can expect using exercise bands are building up your strength, healthier bones and joints as well as improving your balance and posture.
With these benefits, you can expect to reduce the symptoms of osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, and back pain.
Boost Your Energy and Mood
It can also help you prevent or lessen depression. According to a recent study, a resistance workout may help you improve psychologically as well. The research concluded that older people might improve their outlook in life and in their environment.
Doing frequent and consistent use of exercise bands may help you boost your mood and happiness, help you feel satisfied, and feel younger again. I believe it’s worth committing to it, don’t you think?
Related: Best Resistance bands to workout at home
Can a Senior Build Muscle With Exercise Bands?
Definitely yes. As we already know, exercise bands have different resistance levels that make it user-friendly. According to research, training with exercise bands helps to improve the muscles of seniors and elderly people. By boosting and strengthening the muscles, it can help you grow and tone your muscles at the same time.
Study shows that free-weight and exercise bands have no difference in the effects on bodybuilding. Although free weight training (using dumbbells and machines) has some advantages in building and toning muscles, you may also get those advantages using resistance bands. Using resistance bands will help you achieve a perfect fit body in a safer way.
How Often Should a Senior do Resistance Band Training?
If you decided to use resistance bands in your workout routine, you should know that inconsistency will not produce results. Also, too much exercise is dangerous for your body. So, this is an essential question that I think needed to be answered.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), physically fit 65 years old and above may do 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week. You should feel free to break that time in what is most convenient for you.
Are Exercise Bands Good for Weight Loss?
Although training with resistance bands is primarily to build strength and tone your body, it certainly helps you with weight loss.
Generally speaking, aside from having a balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle, exercise in any form can help you burn calories.
Using some exercise equipment like resistance bands can speed up your weight loss process. It can help you intensify your routine and as a result, you will end up burning extra calories.
You can train with resistance bands two to three times a week aside from doing cardio workouts.
How Many Calories Can You Burn with Resistance Bands
If you want to know how many calories you could burn, this will depend on your weight and how long you use the bands. For example, if I weigh 100 pounds (ca. 45 kg), and only work out using resistance bands for 10 minutes, I could burn approximately 49 calories. You may use this calculator if you want to check out calories burned from resistance training.
Things to Know Before You Start Training With Resistance Bands
Before you start your workout using a resistance band, you need to prepare a sturdy chair without arms. You also need a fine pair of flat and supportive shoes. Additionally, you will need clothes that will allow you to move freely and that accommodate the resistance bands. In addition, you also need to prepare your body by doing some warm-ups. I will suggest doing 5 to 10 minutes of walking, or other light exercises.
- If you have an allergy to latex materials, be aware that many bands on the market use Latex so please choose one made of cotton or latex-free resistance bands.
- Like any exercise, a proper posture is a must, even though resistance bands are safer than weights, training with bands can also lead to injuries when done incorrectly.
- I prefer the resistance bands that also include a bar or some sort of hand-holder which helps to have a better grip as well as having a proper posture so you can exercise safely.
- In my experience using and researching resistance bands, people get what they pay. To ensure your investment can last for at least a year or two and most importantly to ensure safety, get a quality band.
- It normally comes with different levels of tension to suit anyone’s comfort level. It is also inexpensive compared to other exercise tools. Depending on what part of your body you want to target, like upper body, lower body, or full-body workout, the cost will range between $30 to $300.
Final Thoughts
As you age, there are changes in your bodies that are out of your control. Do not live the rest of your life with regrets, it doesn’t matter your age, you can accomplish many goals if you set your mind to. If you are ready to take ACTION, here is my #1 recommendation for a home gym resistance band which also includes a 3-week workout plan you can access for FREE.
I hope you find this article helpful and that you remember that having a healthy body will make you a happier person. You may start by doing some simple exercises and buying the most suitable resistance bands for your needs.
We discussed that one of the perfect ways to develop strength in all of your body is to workout with resistance bands. It is compact and easy to take with you. By building your strength again, it will help you lessen symptoms of some disease and your risk for falls.
It will also improve your physical capabilities and help you feel younger and instill a sense that you can do anything.
Do you workout at home or at the gym? Have you used resistance bands for training before? Please share your experience so we can learn together and if you have any questions let us know in the comment below.
To Your Workout Sucess!
Ria