ELASTIC exercise bands can be successfully used to enhance strength and power as part of a resistance programme.
Stretching it: exercise bands are a worthwile additon to endurance sessions
A study published in the latest issue of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research asked elite male basketball players to substitute one third of their weekly weight training session with variable resistance band work while researchers measured their progress in rate of power development, peak power, strength, body composition, and vertical jump height.
Significant improvements were seen in the squat and bench press performances of the exercise band users compared to a control group who continued with normal weights, leading researchers to conclude that “athletes who add variable resistance to one training session per week may enhance their athletic performance”.