Use for Bands

Bigger Stronger Leaner Powerlifting & Strength Sports
1

I just bought some Light Bands to try to help me gain more on my lifts(mostly the squat). I’m going to throw them in for ME lifts every once in a while, and might use them all the time for DE work, but not 100% sure if I should. What would you guys say? I was advised to and shifted my dynamic work from doing 50-60% up to 70-80% because I didn’t have bands. I like the change. However, with the bands, I’ll have the bar weight back down to 50-60%, and the band tension will make the weight around 60-70% total. I’m probably overthinking it, but I guess my main question is should I use the bands all the time on De work, why or why not?

Also, I was thinking about using the bands on assistance work like lunges and step ups. Is there any reason not to do this? Should this be something I cycle in and out of training?

2

you need more bands than that. Id suggest buying either the EFS short bands, or just buy the complete set of regular bands. light bands wont help much for dynamic effort training unless you bench over 450. the lights are good for squat, but you will out grow them.

EDIT: get more bands

3

[quote]DjSm28 wrote:
I just bought some Light Bands to try to help me gain more on my lifts(mostly the squat). I’m going to throw them in for ME lifts every once in a while, and might use them all the time for DE work, but not 100% sure if I should. What would you guys say? I was advised to and shifted my dynamic work from doing 50-60% up to 70-80% because I didn’t have bands. I like the change. However, with the bands, I’ll have the bar weight back down to 50-60%, and the band tension will make the weight around 60-70% total. I’m probably overthinking it, but I guess my main question is should I use the bands all the time on De work, why or why not?

Also, I was thinking about using the bands on assistance work like lunges and step ups. Is there any reason not to do this? Should this be something I cycle in and out of training?[/quote]

How much do you squat?

4

I used to use bands a lot. My lifts stalled. When i went back to straight bar weight and chain contrast i found that i made a hell of a lot more progress. now that im training in gear, the bands make a difference again. just food for thought. i cant remember who on elite said this but using bands doesnt follow the strength curve of raw lifters. For raw lifters, the heaviest part of the lift is at the bottom, where the band contrast would be the least. for geared lifters the bands serves a greater purpose. im definitely not saying to not use bands, they are a great tool. but consider stretching your legs with weight and chains before pulling this trick out of the bag.

5

[quote]Stronghold wrote:

[quote]DjSm28 wrote:
I just bought some Light Bands to try to help me gain more on my lifts(mostly the squat). I’m going to throw them in for ME lifts every once in a while, and might use them all the time for DE work, but not 100% sure if I should. What would you guys say? I was advised to and shifted my dynamic work from doing 50-60% up to 70-80% because I didn’t have bands. I like the change. However, with the bands, I’ll have the bar weight back down to 50-60%, and the band tension will make the weight around 60-70% total. I’m probably overthinking it, but I guess my main question is should I use the bands all the time on De work, why or why not?

Also, I was thinking about using the bands on assistance work like lunges and step ups. Is there any reason not to do this? Should this be something I cycle in and out of training?[/quote]

How much do you squat?[/quote]

350lbs box squat. 365lbs free bar back squat

6

You free squat more than you box squat? That’s unusually.

7

You free squat more than you box squat? That’s unusual.

8

[quote]HP666 wrote:
You free squat more than you box squat? That’s unusual.[/quote]

Not really. If you box squat properly, sit back as far as you can and pause on the box, then your box squat should be lower than your free squat.

If you are doing those bullshit highschool football bounce your nuts off of a bench that is 5" above parallel “box squats” then yeah, you should box squat more.

9

i think most people free squat more than they back squat. my best box squat is 365 against purple bands. My best raw free squat is 445

10

Bands are useful for all sorts of things. Aside from using them to resist or assist barbell weight, I’ve found many other uses for bands including: pallof press isometrics (my favorite use by far), band leg curls, band pull-aparts, X-band walks, band pull-throughs, resisted or assisted glute ham raises, lots of abdominal/lower back exercises…

Anyways, bands can be a useful tool and there’s no reason not to incorporate them into your training.

11

So how often should I use them? should I use them on every dynamic effort squat day? Should I only cycle them in every once in a while? Should I use them on my ME lifts? Should I invest in stronger bands at this stage?

12

If youre doing DE work im going to assume that youre following a westside template. you will us bands for three consecutive weeks with ascending percentages of bar weight. the fourth week you take your deload. the next wave, dont use bands. you can also use them for any type of ME work to create variation.

13

[quote]DjSm28 wrote:
So how often should I use them? should I use them on every dynamic effort squat day? Should I only cycle them in every once in a while? Should I use them on my ME lifts? Should I invest in stronger bands at this stage?[/quote]

It really doesn’t matter how often you use them or if you cycle them in and out of your training. They’re just a useful tool that allow you to do certain types of exercises. Personally, I had some problems with abdominal stabilization of the spine, weak glute medius and maximus, and weak hamstrings, so I found some of their applications such as pallof press isometrics, squats with bands around the knees, x-band walks, band pull throughs, band-resisted good mornings, band leg curls, etc. very helpful. I have a green (average?) and purple (light?) band from EliteFTS, and I’ve found that using either one or both of the bands is sufficient for just about every exercise I’ve used them for. You’d probably be able to replace almost any band exercise with cables and other types of lifts so it’s not like having bands is ESSENTIAL. They have a lot of uses, they’re cheap, they’re easy to use, and you can use them to replace more expensive cable machines and other things like that (if you’re like me and train in your basement).

You COULD cycle your band usage, you could use them on DE squats, or do whatever. While I was at a college with a powerlifting team, I did a lot of DE squats against bands. For me, I don’t think it was entirely helpful because I was still a pretty novice lifter at that point and had some form issues and wasn’t very efficient with my body. If you’re a more advanced lifter, you may benefit from incorporating advanced techniques such as DE work, bands/chains, conjugate method, and other methods. However, I see a lot of people on this forum who think that, despite whatever level they’re at, if they copy the methods that the strongest and most advanced lifters use, that they will have excellent results (think Dankid). However, this isn’t the case at all. I trained exactly according to a typical Westside template for an entire year, was incredibly consistent with my diet and training, and gave it everything I had. Training was my #1 priority. I ended the year barely stronger than I was at the beginning. A few months later, I focused my attention on my weaknesses (poor abdominal stabilization, bad hip mobility, weak glutes and hamstrings), and I made more progress in two months than I did with an entire year training exactly according to Westside methods. And that’s not to say Westside methods don’t work, because they do - for advanced lifters.

My main point is that you should be training your weaknesses. If you have any movement-related issues or are not totally efficient on your big lifts, then figure out how to fix it. If bands happen to be a tool that you can use in order to bring up your weakness, then by all means, use them. The more advanced you get, the more useful advanced training techniques become. Just find what works for you.

14

[quote]Benway wrote:

I trained exactly according to a typical Westside template for an entire year, was incredibly consistent with my diet and training, and gave it everything I had. Training was my #1 priority. I ended the year barely stronger than I was at the beginning. A few months later, I focused my attention on my weaknesses (poor abdominal stabilization, bad hip mobility, weak glutes and hamstrings), and I made more progress in two months than I did with an entire year training exactly according to Westside methods. [/quote]

Dude, you fail miserably. You didn’t train according to Westside methods at all. Not even close really. One of the MAIN principles of WS training is addressing weakness. When I met Louie he had to have mentioned “weakpoints” or “training your weaknesses” or the likes every 3 minutes on average.

I remember reading somewhere that people that say Westside training doesn’t work are invariably doing it wrong. At the time, I thought, “nah that can’t be the case all the time, I’m sure there are people that respond better to other training methods, etc”. A few years later, I’m starting to believe it…

15

[quote]threewhitelights wrote:

Dude, you fail miserably. You didn’t train according to Westside methods at all. Not even close really. One of the MAIN principles of WS training is addressing weakness. When I met Louie he had to have mentioned “weakpoints” or “training your weaknesses” or the likes every 3 minutes on average.

I remember reading somewhere that people that say Westside training doesn’t work are invariably doing it wrong. At the time, I thought, “nah that can’t be the case all the time, I’m sure there are people that respond better to other training methods, etc”. A few years later, I’m starting to believe it…[/quote]

You’re missing my point, and splitting pubes over a couple of words.
However, I’ll rephrase: using methods that Westside uses in their training, such as dynamic effort days, use of chains/bands, conjugate method, etc. won’t make you improve if you’re not addressing your weaknesses, and furthermore, I believe they’re not necessary or even optimal for less advanced lifters to progress.

If you think Westside is the most effective training program for everyone, I think you are far off base. People who are not neurally efficient won’t benefit much from a low volume day where they work up to a maximal set - they could probably do sets of 8-10 reps with 80% of their one rep max because they’re so neurally inefficient. Likewise, what is the point of squatting with 55% 1RM + bands for speed if the lifter is so neurally inefficient that they can’t accelerate the bar any faster than 90%? Honestly, if you think Westside is more effective than things like linear progression for beginners, I strongly disagree.

Also, my last point, just because you disagree doesn’t mean you have to turn yourself into a total prick with the “dude you fail miserably” shit. You failed to support your argument that Westside is the best program for every lifter, and it seems like you posted for no reason other than to take a dump on my opinion and experience. It’s a shame people can’t use this site as a valuable resource for sharing training information and experiences, because they’re too concerned with taking a shit on other people.

16

special programs aren’t going to help if you’re weak to begin with. a simple progression and a focus on gaining mass will take you a long way. oh, and to address the weakness thing, simply do what you suck at

17

[quote]Benway wrote:

[quote]threewhitelights wrote:

Dude, you fail miserably. You didn’t train according to Westside methods at all. Not even close really. One of the MAIN principles of WS training is addressing weakness. When I met Louie he had to have mentioned “weakpoints” or “training your weaknesses” or the likes every 3 minutes on average.

I remember reading somewhere that people that say Westside training doesn’t work are invariably doing it wrong. At the time, I thought, “nah that can’t be the case all the time, I’m sure there are people that respond better to other training methods, etc”. A few years later, I’m starting to believe it…[/quote]

You’re missing my point, and splitting pubes over a couple of words.
However, I’ll rephrase: using methods that Westside uses in their training, such as dynamic effort days, use of chains/bands, conjugate method, etc. won’t make you improve if you’re not addressing your weaknesses, and furthermore, I believe they’re not necessary or even optimal for less advanced lifters to progress.

If you think Westside is the most effective training program for everyone, I think you are far off base. People who are not neurally efficient won’t benefit much from a low volume day where they work up to a maximal set - they could probably do sets of 8-10 reps with 80% of their one rep max because they’re so neurally inefficient. Likewise, what is the point of squatting with 55% 1RM + bands for speed if the lifter is so neurally inefficient that they can’t accelerate the bar any faster than 90%? Honestly, if you think Westside is more effective than things like linear progression for beginners, I strongly disagree.

Also, my last point, just because you disagree doesn’t mean you have to turn yourself into a total prick with the “dude you fail miserably” shit. You failed to support your argument that Westside is the best program for every lifter, and it seems like you posted for no reason other than to take a dump on my opinion and experience. It’s a shame people can’t use this site as a valuable resource for sharing training information and experiences, because they’re too concerned with taking a shit on other people.[/quote]

First off, at what point did I say it was the best program for every lifter? I didn’t, so much for supporting an argument I didn’t make. The argument I made is that you’re one of the god knows how many people that likes to tell people “I’m doing westside” when you don’t have a clue what it is. That is a miserable fail.

Secondly, I didn’t post to take a dump on you, I posted so that people didn’t think your dump on westside actually meant anything. You’re dumping on a system of lifting you don’t even understand, and that’s misinformation. I posted so that people don’t think it’s the norm, I could give a fuck less what you do in your training.

As far as training for beginners, I’m a fan of the basics, “ready to powerlift”, 5x5, and starting strength. However, no where did the poster ask about programs for beginners or about addressing weakpoints, he asked about band tensions, and you felt the need to go off on a tangent about how what you thought was westside (low volume ME day? its low volume now? You better tell Louie that…) didn’t work for you. You went off on a bad tangent, you got called out on it.

18

Uhh, actually that’s correct.

19

[quote]threewhitelights wrote:

I remember reading somewhere that people that say Westside training doesn’t work are invariably doing it wrong. At the time, I thought, “nah that can’t be the case all the time, I’m sure there are people that respond better to other training methods, etc”. A few years later, I’m starting to believe it…[/quote]

This is what I interpreted as your claim that Westside is effective for everyone - and what I misinterpreted as your claim that Westside is the most effective training program. Sometimes it’s difficult to remember exactly what someone said when you’re pissed off - you tend to remember the emotional impression of what they said.

Anyway I’ll restate my main idea in different words: Westside is a program that’s geared towards neurally efficient, advanced lifters who need to incorporate advanced methods in their training. Based on a 365 back squat, I tend do think that the OP probably isn’t advanced enough to really NEED these forms of training (unless he’s like 130 pounds), although if he wants to try them to see if they work form him, then he should go for it.

I really have no desire to argue over Westside and Louie Simmons on the internet (unless it’s with Dankid, because that would be too much fun), so I’m just leaving it at this.

Speaking of Dankid, it seems like he’s gone missing. I never thought I would miss Dankid, but this forum is much less exciting without someone who is constantly spewing useless nonsense… I’m sure he’d have tons to say about why DE work is especially important for beginners, or how the OP can work up to singles on his squat and add five pounds every week.

20

Fair enough. My only issue was with you claiming to have trained westside style when you missed the boat. That would be like me telling people that DoggCrap didn’t work for me because I did a set of rest pause curls once and my arms didn’t blow up.

As far as DE work for beginners, I truly believe that it works if implemented properly, however I also tend to believe there are things that work BETTER. However, DE work is hardly the only use for bands in a training program. I use it for ME work, for some accessory work where the movement doesn’t match the strength curve, and as a way of redirecting resistance since I train at a home gym without access to a cable stack.

For example, I believe that face pulls are one of the best accessory lifts I can do for my OHP, but without bands, I wouldn’t be able to do them effectively. Similarly, even with a cable stack, pull throughs tend to be so much easier at the end of the lift that bands are almost necessary for a training effect. There isn’t a training day that goes by that I don’t touch my bands for some lift, and I only do DE work once a week.