Elastic Resistance Band Training – Part 1  | Article by Idai Makaya | | This article was written for the December 2007 edition of Martial Arts Illustrated Magazine. |
This month’s article is the first in a series of three aimed at enhancing your training through the use of elastic resistance bands. These training aids are generally low cost and are now easily accessible. The first article of this series will focus on using elastic resistance bands to condition your legs for better kicks. The subsequent articles in the series will look at using elastic resistance bands to improve upper body techniques and to improve overall endurance for martial arts, respectively. The advantages of using such training devices will be highlighted and simple basic exercises will be explained. Once you realise the value of these exercises you’ll probably find yourself using this system of training more often and perhaps even developing your own versions of the different drills - tailored more closely to your specific personal needs. Resistance bands are simply tubes of elastic material designed to provide an even and constant resistance - when stretched within specified limits. They were designed for use in physiotherapy and rehabilitation and proved useful for isolating the very specific planes of motion sometimes necessary for correcting muscle and joint dysfunction. It wouldn’t take a huge stretch of the imagination – pardon the pun - to realise that such properties in a device would give it a wide range of potential applications in exercise and sports science too. Indeed, many athletes, martial artists included, have experimented with elastic materials for resistance training – with a mixture of outcomes. The principle of using an elastic resistance instrument makes a lot of sense when one considers the advantages of cutting out momentum and providing constant resistance throughout a full exercise movement – without necessarily having to work against the force of gravity. However, the practicalities of doing so are less attractive. The main problem with using elastic resistance materials for conditioning work was found to be abrasion against the skin when performing certain types of exercise (especially for upper body movements) and the danger of being struck by a recoiling length of elastic, should the device eventually wear out and snap during use. These major drawbacks seem to have been addressed to a great extent in one of the more recent incarnations of the elastic resistance trainer - a patented device called the Flexitrainer - to which I was recently introduced by a fitness training expert. The Flexitrainer was designed by a personal trainer named Hans Windell, who has a great deal of international experience in all aspects of physical training and fitness conditioning. I’ve worked closely with Hans in the past to improve my own personal conditioning which is why I pay attention to any innovations and suggestions he recommends. 
The Flexitrainer is one such innovation. It consists of a tube of elastic material which provides constant resistance over a large proportion of its flexible range. The practicality of the device has been achieved by housing the flexible tube in three plastic sheaths. The sheaths can serve as handles and are relatively short - the centre sheath is somewhat longer than the two at the ends. By sheathing the elastic resistance band, the Flexitrainer can be extended and flexed repeatedly across different areas of the body - without causing any abrasion. In addition, if it were to snap it would simply retract into the sheaths – reducing the potential for any whiplash consequences the elastic material may otherwise have had. In this form the resistance band brings numerous training advantages as follows: The most obvious advantage is that elastic resistance bands are cheap and also easily accessible. If you want to engage in this type of training a quick internet search will reveal a suitable supplier.
It is portable and lightweight which makes it convenient for people who travel or athletes who want to be able to train wherever they live. This convenience aspect is crucial because you need not be forced to interrupt your conditioning program regularly due to living arrangements and travel. I’m a great advocate of training programs which suit the athlete’s lifestyle so that conditioning drills can be carried out wherever the athlete happens to be living at the time – without the need for specialised facilities.
Resistance bands do not define any fixed position or fixed exercise pathway. Natural movements often follow arcs of motion rather than perpendicular lines. This gives resistance bands an advantage over weights and gym machines which, by nature, will have fixed planes of motion (regardless of the various innovations designed to enable them to work over more angles). This potential to work an infinite set of angles is extremely useful for conditioning purposes, especially for injury-prevention or rehabilitation. There are certain arbitrary angles that can never be worked with weights and machines (because of the requirement for working against gravity) and I have found that using resistance bands can actually target those particularly awkward planes of motion.
Resistance bands are simple to use and it’s very easy to design customised exercises to meet your specific conditioning goals more closely. I was surprised by how useful I found resistance bands after a short ten-minute introductory demonstration. They are much simpler to use in practice than the theory would suggest.
Resistance bands are versatile because they don’t actually generate a huge tensile resistance - yet you don’t need to use a variety of bands with different tensions to get the full benefits. An eighty-year-old lady will find the same resistance band as convenient to use as a twenty-year-old man. This may sound contradictory to the concept of progressive resistance training for the  improvement of muscular strength and any very strong fighters out there may feel they couldn’t possibly find value in such an easily-stretched instrument. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The tension generated by an elastic tube is somewhat different to that generated by weights (or any other gravity-utilising resistance devices) in that it remains constant – regardless of the speed of an exercise movement – and it actually increases towards the end of certain extending motions. The result of this property is that it will stress muscles mainly in the weak areas of their contractile travel. This brings about two major stipulations regarding resistance band training. Firstly, they must be used in moderate-to-high-repetition regimes to be effective (the definition of moderate-to-high-repetitions varies depending on the muscles being targeted and this term could refer to as few as ten repetitions or as many as thirty). Secondly, resistance bands will have a huge impact on injury-prevention because injuries are mainly the result of weaknesses in small, joint-stabilising muscles, or the weak areas of the contractile range of stronger muscles. For example, a man capable of squatting a five hundred pound weight over a short travel distance (a shallow squatting motion) may find himself unable to lift the same weight through a slightly deeper range of motion. This implies that only a very specific proportion of the full contractile range of a muscle can be developed and conditioned to generate outstanding amounts of strength. The remainder of a muscle’s movement range is generally less powerful. To develop that crucial but less powerful motion range, only moderate resistance is actually required - which is why even very strong people will be able to gain from the moderate contractile force generated by resistance bands. Most stabilising exercises require the performance of high numbers of repetitions in order to be effective in injury-prevention because instability normally manifests itself only during fatigue of the supporting muscles. So endurance has to be built into the stabilisers. One can increase the effects of resistance band training on major joint complexes by working with fully-extended limbs to reduce mechanical advantage and increase the force required to move the limbs. Consider holding a very light weight in your hands with your arm comfortably bent. If you were to fully extend the arm - until it’s straight - it would suddenly become more difficult to maintain the elevation of the weight. This is the effect of losing mechanical advantage in the movement. 
The human body, much like a chain, is only as strong as its weakest links. If the weaker muscles and motion ranges are underdeveloped these will become hidden weaknesses in a fighter - which will be exposed at crucial times of need. Strength and speed endurance are actually much more important to a fighter than pure strength alone. Consider the ability to heave a massive weight up and down ten times in the Bench Press exercise. This can be translated into enormous power in movements involving the chest and arms only - such as jab punches. But it is more important for a fighter to be able to generate a moderate level of power over an extended period of time than to deliver a low number of extremely powerful strikes. Thus, if endurance of heavy strikes is not developed a fighter cannot be effective. The aim of a good fighter may be to neutralise his/her opponent as quickly as possible – ideally with a single strike or manoeuvre – but the ability to do this must never be taken for granted and the fighter must be conditioned to fight for long periods of time, should the need arise. This implies that high-repetition training is essential alongside pure, all-out power training. So even if you do use weights to develop very high strength levels, you will still need to train for power-endurance and speed-endurance as well. This is where elastic resistance bands can fit in your training regime.
Elastic resistance bands can be used in actual kicking movements to improve the dynamic and explosive aspects of training – without increasing the impact on the joints. This is probably the biggest gain/advantage a martial artist will derive from resistance band training and such properties are very difficult to replicate by any other method. Most experienced martial artists will be aware of the fact that one cannot train for striking speed without practicing on a solid target to provide resistance and prevent hyper-extension of the joints. If you do practice your techniques into open air – with great speed and force - your joints will rapidly wear down and soon striking movements will not be possible without pain. Resistance bands, by providing constant resistance throughout a full movement, cut out destabilising momentum and provide resistance to the movement at the same time. This allows you to practice a high power kick without a target because your leg will be slowed down to such an extent that even at high speed you will still be able to control the technique easily – an effect a lot like training in a swimming pool, but without the disadvantage a pool gives of buoyancy. Weighted pulleys cannot give the same sensation because they generate momentum in fast movements. Pulleys are also a lot less convenient to use for this type of practice and take up much more space. Pulleys are not portable and cannot be taken everywhere you go, yet another disadvantage of using them.
By practicing kicks with resistance bands you simultaneously work on your balance and flexibility, a more compound way of training which yields much greater results from a set amount of time than singular movements would. It is always better to train as many aspects of your sport as possible in as little time as possible. Nobody has enough time to do everything - we can all benefit from saving time to use for development of other aspects of our lives so time-saving conditioning routines are preferable.
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Resistance bands only build functional muscle mass – muscle which carries its own weight, so to speak – because you can only develop muscle by performing practical, sport-specific movements when you use resistance bands. This is crucial for athletes and high performers. It should be mentioned at this point that notable professional boxers (multiple World champions Roy Jones and Bernard Hopkins, amongst others) have used elastic resistance devices to bulk-up in order to successfully compete for World Titles in higher weight divisions. In professional fighting you cannot carry any useless excess weight - all weight gained needs to be functional. This makes yet another strong argument for the use of resistance band training. It has been proven at the highest levels in both medical rehabilitation and fight sport. It will work for everyone who applies it correctly.
To conclude this introduction to resistance band training I’ll give an example of the type of individual who could potentially have benefited from the versatility of elastic resistance band training and this example will also demonstrate where resistance band work could have been used to protect the long-term health of an athlete. As mentioned previously, the ability to practice high-power, high-speed techniques is probably the greatest advantage resistance band training brings. In my early Taekwondo training I had a colleague who was engaged in trials for the national team. The academy’s squad training programme involved a combination of daily long-distance running with a very poor diet, in order to minimise the athlete’s weight – a practice generally unkind to the joints. In addition, due to the high dependence on speed in competitions, regular drills were performed by the squad to improve their kicking technique. They did this by practicing the actual kicks and punches at maximum speed into open air – either without a target, or with only a point target that provided no real resistance. The result of this regime was that my colleague was soon unable to perform any leg techniques without joint pain and he could not kick unless he was fully warmed up and sweating (because endorphin release during warming up numbs pain). What are the options for athletes in this position, you may ask? There are only two real options available to safely accomplish the goals he was trying to achieve: Use a punching bag to provide the stabilising resistance for your speed and power work. Use some form of dynamic resistance band to control the momentum of the striking limb to build speed and power safely.
Of the two options for speed and power training I’ve just listed, I’d say the punching bag is the ideal one. But how many of us have access to a suitable punching bag at a convenient time, for as long as we require it? In addition, a resistance band can be used to develop other aspects of the martial artist’s physiology, some of which are completely unrelated to speed and power - something a punching bag doesn’t do. And you can carry a resistance band around with you anywhere you go. This example demonstrates the potential usefulness and convenience of a resistance band. Now for a few of the kicking exercises you can perform using elastic resistance bands: 1. Roundhouse Kick against a resistance band: Begin this exercise by tying the longer, middle sheath of the resistance band in two loops around your ankle and holding the two shorter handles at the ends of the resistance band with one hand against your lower back (or buttock) on the same side of your body as the kicking leg. The band should run along your thigh following the direction of your hamstring muscle because in this exercise the band actually produces resistance in very much the same way the hamstring does when returning the leg to the starting position in a kick. The heel of the kicking foot should be rested against (or close to) your buttock at this stage. Position yourself in the way you would when loading to throw a mid-level or high Roundhouse Kick, with the knee pointed at the would-be target area. If you feel unstable when you first try this, lean against a wall or use a similar support which your free hand can grasp. Flick out the lower leg to execute the kick. A safety measure you may want to use when doing this is to flex the foot of the kicking leg in the direction of the knee in order to prevent the looped resistance band slipping off the foot as the foot returns to the starting position for the kick (although such an occurrence is highly unlikely heavy sweating during a workout may make it a remote possibility). Other ways to safeguard against the band slipping would be to wear sports shoes when you perform this exercise and to tie the band tightly (but comfortably) around the ankle. Repeat the kick between ten and twenty times in rapid succession and then change  over to the other leg and do exactly the same. Perform as many sets of this exercise as it takes to fatigue the quadriceps (thigh muscles) but always use perfect form. As soon as you begin to lose form it’s time to end the drill. Perform equal numbers of kicks with both legs. Aim to be able to perform the drill without any support to improve your balance and perfect your ability to throw multiple kick combinations. This drill simultaneously builds strength-endurance and speed-endurance for the Roundhouse Kick. Advanced trainees who want to improve their aerial multiple striking ability for competition performances may want to attempt this drill hopping forward in a straight line to simulate pursuing an opponent - but such technically demanding drills are not necessary for most of us. The main point of this exercise is to improve quadriceps conditioning in the kicking position. It goes without saying that this type of drill is only useful for more advanced trainees and there is no point in using this drill until you are already very good at performing the kicks without the use of a resistance band. The concept of Periodisation (outlined fully in one of my previous articles) dictates that advanced exercises are of absolutely no benefit to beginners and intermediate trainees because even the most basic exercises will maximally progress advancement in the conditioning of a beginner. The implications of this are simple – if you start your training by using the most advanced conditioning drills you will not develop any faster than a beginner who uses the most basic exercises. You may actually progress slower because your body is not ready to make full use of very advanced, complex drills. Needles to say, this can be extremely disheartening. More importantly, this means you will be left without any options for improving to the next level when you are finally in a position to actually reach for excellence. 2. Front Snapping Kick against a resistance band: Begin this exercise by tying the resistance band around your ankle in the same way as described for the preceding exercise. Stand on the other leg with the knee of the tied leg pointed forward at your imaginary target and the lower leg hanging downwards – exactly the way you would when loading for a Karate-style front kick. Hold the ends of the resistance band in one hand – positioned against the lower back just above the buttock, on the same side of the body as the kicking leg - to provide adequate tension in the band and to pull the foot back as required. Ensure the knee points forward approximately parallel to the floor. Train the leg dynamically by flicking the foot forward in a front kick, with the toes pulled back to facilitate a strike with the ball of the foot, in a smooth, swift movement – paying attention to correct form. Perform sets of ten to twenty repetitions for each leg - until adequately fatigued. Pay close attention to the Periodisation rule and only use this drill if you’ve been training long enough to be considered to be at a high level of competence. If you are still developing your martial arts skills your power and endurance will naturally improve consistently with your strength skill levels, so advanced conditioning drills will not be of any measurable benefit at that stage. 3. Dynamic lateral leg raise against a resistance band (builds endurance for multiple kicking and high kicks in competition): Begin this exercise by firmly securing one end of the resistance band to the floor under the heel of the supporting leg and holding the opposite end of the band out sideways (in the hand on the same side of your body as the leg to be raised). Hold the arm out at a reasonable distance from the side of your trunk. Extend the free leg sideways so that the side (knife edge) of the foot presses into the centre of the middle sheath of the resistance band. Lock the leg in the straightened position - pointing downwards, initially. The band will automatically apply a resistance against the side of the foot, keeping the leg down. Execute by simply raising the leg slowly upwards to approximately waist level and then lowering it back down again under control - by fighting the resistance of the band. Perform the movement five times on each side and perform between one and three sets of the exercise with each leg. This is a physically demanding exercise - although it doesn’t cause immediate fatigue - so do not be tempted to perform high numbers of repetitions just because you feel able to. The muscles involved in raising the legs laterally are very small and work at a tremendous mechanical disadvantage so they are easily strained and damaged. If you overdo this exercise you may find yourself unable to lift your legs up sideways for a long time in the days immediately following and could even incur tears in the muscles involved. 
Before you start performing this exercise using a resistance band, condition the muscles for at least a month by performing the leg raise against gravity alone. Do this drill two or three times weekly (never over consecutive days) and be consistent for the full month. If all goes well you can then phase in the use of a resistance band to intensify the drill. The fact is - most junior and intermediate students will gain adequate benefit from performing this exercise against gravity alone and need not bother using a resistance band for this part of their training. This drill is for stronger, better conditioned athletes looking to add more intensity to their training without increasing training time. 4. Static lateral leg raise (builds static active flexibility to enable you to hold the leg up in Side Kick or Roundhouse Kick positions over a long period of time): This is definitely an exercise for advanced, well-conditioned trainees. However, even athletes with relatively junior grades in the martial arts can use this kind of training to improve their legwork – if they are well conditioned physically. It can be incorporated into a flexibility routine at the end of any training workout - when the body is warmed up. The ideal positioning of this type of stretching in a flexibility workout is after dynamic stretches but before static PNF stretches (please refer to my earlier article on stretching to get more concise definitions of these stretching terms). Only start using this drill when you have already mastered the dynamic version of the lateral raise (against a resistance band) and have been performing the dynamic version consistently over three or four months - without injury. Begin the movement in the same way as you would the dynamic version. The difference between the two exercises is that when you reach maximum elevation of the raised foot you need to fight against gravity and against the force of the resistance band – by trying to keep the leg raised for a short period of time. 
When you first begin the static version don’t use a resistance band until you have developed the fitness to be able to hold the leg up for a full minute against gravity in a static position. When you start using the resistance band, only hold the leg up for ten seconds at a time, initially. Do this for three sets on each leg. After a month of this, begin to add on an extra second to the time you elevate the leg each time you use the drill and continue to progress until you cannot add any more time to the suspension - or until you are satisfied with your ability – whichever limiting factor intervenes first. Don’t get too carried away with this sort of conditioning training because it does have potential injury risks if you progress the intensity too quickly or do too much of it too regularly. Never perform the workout more than three times weekly and never perform it on any two consecutive days – as should be the rule for all forms of resistance and high-impact training. 5. Lying isometric hamstring stretch: This exercise is suitable for all levels of trainee and develops hamstring flexibility for high front kicks and axe kicks. Begin this exercise by lying on your back on a comfortable (preferably cushioned) surface. Hold both ends of the inelastic centre sheath of the resistance band to eliminate the elastic aspect of the band from the exercise. Place the arch of one foot against the length of inflexible tubing between your two hands and try to get the leg as straight as possible. Flexible people will easily get the leg completely straight. Pull the leg closer to your body to stretch the hamstring. Flex the foot downwards in the direction away from the knee (like a ballet dancer) to prevent the band from accidentally slipping off. You may have noticed that this particular drill can also be done using a towel or similar inelastic cord of some sort because it doesn’t rely on the flexibility of the resistance band. Hence, only a sheathed resistance band can double up for this function. Alternatively, loop the middle section of tubing of the resistance band twice around the ankle and secure each end of the middle section in your hands. Pull with the hands to stretch the leg. Some people may find this version uncomfortable on the ankle and Achilles tendon. If you are one of them, stick to the first version only. The result of both methods is exactly the same. You can add an isometric strengthening dimension to this technique by resisting the pull through tensing of the hamstring - in order to reset the nerve tension in the muscle and allow it to stretch even further. Tensing the hamstring intermittently, as you stretch it, also strengthens the stretched muscle and helps prevent training-related injuries from occurring. Some final tips on customising your training using elastic resistance bands: There’s a multitude of exercises available with resistance band training and the variety increases even further if you include partner training in some of your drills. The options are numerous when you learn how to use resistance bands and once you get confident with isolating useful movements from your everyday techniques. However, if you are unsure of how to target and train muscles properly - or if you are inexperienced in issues relating to the human physiology - simply stick to the anatomically correct exercises which have been outlined earlier so you don’t risk wasting your time performing inefficient or practically useless exercises you’ve made up for yourself. Incorrect stressing of a joint or muscle complex could even weaken it - so unless you are absolutely sure of a movement, don’t do it. 
The exercises described above are basic but very useful ones and once you add this dimension to your training you’ll probably find that you’ll become more creative in the exercises you devise and you can then develop other exercises to customise your training even more specifically to your own needs. I was only introduced to elastic resistance band training recently but I’ve been genuinely impressed by the variety of exercises one can do with the devices. It’s not immediately obvious how useful this training tool can be until you actually get to use one. If you want to take your conditioning to a higher level, this type of training aid may be just what you need. I wouldn’t be surprised if elastic resistance bands eventually become as commonplace in martial artists’ repertoires as skipping ropes and dumbbells. My next article will outline upper body applications for elastic resistance bands. This  will include exercise drills you can perform to improve the integrity of your joints, as well as drills to build on your pure speed. We will also look into using resistance bands to build on your explosive power and to develop both your speed and power-endurance. Upper body exercises with resistance bands are probably more interesting than the lower body versions and are certainly more varied. The upper body routines you can perform with resistance bands can be directed at a wider spectrum of martial arts skills than the lower body versions and are especially useful for grapplers. Do take the opportunity to familiarise yourself with resistance band training by trying a few of the exercises outlined earlier and incorporating them into your current conditioning program. Then prepare to learn some exciting new ones next month and the month following. Happy training until then! If you want more specific advice on any of the issues raised in this article, or you want to find out more about martial arts fitness and conditioning, contact Idai Makaya. |