Adding band resistance is a great modality for many athletes and also for people who travel frequently and do not have access to quality gyms. I recently got to check out the RubberBanditz Deluxe Mobile Gym Kit, and was not disappointed.
The RubberBanditz Story
RubberBanditz was co-founded by Ari Zandman Zeman. In college, Zeman was a Division I basketball player. As a part of his collegiate training, he engaged in frequent resistance training, some of which utilized bands as a form of resistance.
After college, Zeman joined the Peace Corps and traveled to rural communities. There were no gyms where he was located, but he wanted to continue working out. A coach recommended that he bring elastic bands with him, which would be low cost and easy to travel with, but would also provide a complete workout. Zeman’s experience with bands is what brought RubberBanditz to life.
RubberBanditz can be used by anyone, anywhere. This is big advantage since they cost less than a few months of membership at a typical gym, and less than the cost of even the cheapest annual gym memberships. The set I used only weighed two pounds, so traveling with RubberBanditz provides an easy way to get your workout in anywhere.
The Benefits of Bands
Of course, although they are marketed for their versatility, bands also have a place for people who don’t want to give up the gym. They provide a change of pace on exercises you might normally do, since the resistance curves are different. For example, in a standard biceps curl, the force at the top of the motion is less than it is in the middle with a dumbbell or barbell, but would potentially be greatest with a band.
Powerlifters also use bands to increase the resistance at the top of their lifts. RubberBanditz not only has heavy band options, but the bands are also made of a continuous loop of rubber. This means there’s no splice point to fray or snap.
Why I Like RubberBanditz
A portion of the proceeds of Rubberbandits goes to charities that support rural health and hygiene around the world. You can feel good buying your bands from RubberBanditz, but you can also feel secure because they offer a one-year warranty on all of their bands.
RubberBanditz has many options for a variety of athletes with different needs. The product I used was their Deluxe Mobile Gym Kit in a Bag. The kit included the following:
- Four bands, ranging from 5lb-180lb of resistance
- Attachable handles and carabiners to fasten your RubberBandits to many objects
- A cool door strap that allows you to attach the bands to any part of a door
- An exercise manual and DVD that shows you how to use the bands and create programs with them
I used the RubberBanditz for every exercise under the sun, both upper body and lower body. The accessories were great as well. For example, I love bands for triceps work, but the rubber is often uncomfortable on my hands or otherwise difficult to work with. With the soft handles provided in the kit, I could do my triceps work unimpeded, which made for a much better workout.
I also love the door strap. I thought for sure it wouldn’t fit in my external door, which shuts pretty tightly, but sure enough it did and stayed in place. If you have doors that do not latch well, they may not be the best option for the door strap. Also, I suppose it’s possible there’s an even tighter door the strap won’t work on, but I haven’t found it.
RubberBanditz encourages people to use imagination and innovation, so you can get a mental workout by brainstorming different uses for the kit materials. In fact, the company will even reward you with free bands for coming up with new ways to use their product.
Drawbacks
The only con for RubberBanditz is that, despite its versatility, it’s not a complete stand-alone product. I find high levels of band tension are cumbersome to work with, and if you’re pretty strong you’re going to have to use the heaviest bands. In that case, a combination of bands and free weights would be ideal, or free weights alone. Serious athletes should think of these bands as another great tool to incorporate into their arsenal, rather than a stand-alone product. But don’t let this take away from how easy it is to get a workout in anywhere, at any time, and without a lot of money using RubberBanditz.
All in all, I found RubberBanditz to be a great line of products. The bands are durable and well-made. If you’re looking to add band resistance to your training, if you travel a lot, or if you’re going somewhere with few workout options, RubberBanditz makes a great tool that is worth checking out. Their site has many a la carte options as well, and with the warranty you can’t go wrong giving it a shot.
RubberBanditz Deluxe Mobile Gym Kit is available for $74.95 at RubberBanditz.com.
