We’ve seen it all before—resistance band workouts (not to be confused with our Suspension Trainer™ workouts). Aka, those long stretchy exercise bands. Some are large circular loops. Some are straight flat elastic. And many have built-in handles. There are tons of options and they’re great for all-around training—and even sports rehabilitation or physical therapy—but the ones with handles are usually cumbersome and limited in use, while the non-handle resistance bands aren’t as effective as they could be because they—shocker—hurt the hands so much from the plastic digging into your palms.
We created Strength Bands to offer folks a super effective, premium quality resistance band to level up anyone’s fitness from 5-150lbs. However, we’re always thinking beyond the status quo, so we asked ourselves—beyond making a superior product, how do we make resistance band training easier and more effective?
THE PROBLEM: RESISTANCE TRAINING COULD BE BETTER
Let’s go over a few things we love about Strength Band training and a few things we don’t love as much:
WHAT WE LOVE
- Super portable (like having a whole weight rack, sans the weight)
- More time under tension means your muscles are constantly working
- Super versatile—use light bands for physical therapy or muscle activation/warmups; use long bands for sprinter drills, looping it around your waist; use heavy bands for full-body moves like back squats
- An overall really awesome way to strength train
WHAT WE DON’T LOVE
- Holding the band is super uncomfortable—the plastic pinches and digs into your palms, especially with heavier resistance, making it really difficult to load up with more weight
- When you can’t load up with more weight, it’s harder to get the most out of your workout moves
- It’s challenging to get your hand in the right position
THE SOLUTION: TRX® BANDIT HANDLE
Always the innovator, TRX® founder Randy Hetrick first came up with the idea for a resistance band removable handle that was 1) super familiar and recognizable in design, 2) super comfortable, and 3) arguably the most important—easy to put on and take off (and of course, have it be intuitive to do so). The end result is our all-new product, the TRX BANDIT™
HOW IT’LL REINVENT THE WAY YOU TRAIN
Here’s what makes the TRX BANDIT™ a must-have in your training kit:
- Adding a handle opens up a plethora of moves and weights you couldn't achieve before
- Better comfort, control, and performance
- More strength, endurance, and mobility moves
- Instantly recognizable handle design—no strange or clunky designs here
- Lightweight and small enough to fit in a backpack (or purse) with your Strength Bands
- Durable materials you can count on
- Textured rubber coating so your grip won’t slip
- Simple lengthwise gap lets you easily snap on a Strength Band or two
- Once the Strength Band rests inside the handle, it stays put
- To use it, just make sure the gap faces opposite whichever way you’re using the band
Oh and FYI—we have TRX Bandit-specific workouts and getting-started vids on our all-new TRX Training Club℠ app. Signing up is the easiest way to work out with your new Bandit handles.
BACK IT UP–WHAT IS RESISTANCE TRAINING, ANYWAY?
There are so many terms out there in the fitness world, sometimes it’s hard to keep up. Here’s a quick little breakdown for you:
RESISTANCE TRAINING
Resistance training is the overarching term that strength training and weight training fall under. At its simplest, it’s just using your bodyweight. It can also be training with a resistance band, free weights or anything where you’re pushing or pulling against something with added resistance.
STRENGTH TRAINING
Strength training is resistance training with a specific goal in mind—strength. It can be done through free weights like dumbbells and barbells or weight machines or even resistance bands, all with the specific plan of building muscle or mass.
WEIGHT TRAINING
This is resistance training that uses free weights or weight machines to improve general health and fitness without any clear-cut goal or plans.
Bottom line is—a resistance band (or in our case, a Strength Band) is a GREAT way to do both general resistance training and strength training. One of the best parts of resistance band training in particular is that, unlike traditional weights, it provides resistance throughout the entire course of a move. Translation: it never gets easier. For all the training geeks out there, it’s a super effective way to get more “time under tension,” which leads to greater strength gains faster.
LET’S NOT FORGET THE MANY HEALTH BENEFITS
Physical and mental health benefits that can be achieved through resistance training include:
- Improved muscle strength and tone
- Maintaining flexibility and balance
- Weight management and increased muscle-to-fat ratio
- May help reduce or prevent cognitive decline in older people
- Greater stamina
- Help with chronic conditions like arthritis and heart health
- Pain management
- Improved mobility and balance
- Improved posture
- Decreased risk of injury
- Increased bone density and strength
- Reduced risk of osteoporosis
- Improved sense of wellbeing (like self-confidence, body image, and mood)
- Improved sleep
- Increased self-esteem
OH, AND DON’T FORGET...
Once you’re up and running, make sure you sign up for TRX Training Club℠ so you can drop into LIVE classes 7 days a week and take your favorite On-Demand workouts anytime, anywhere. Don’t forget to grab our all-in-one training method that makes fitness achievable for anyone, anywhere—our TRX® Suspension Trainer. All the anchor options to set it up right here.
