Please Forward 75 Must-Have RBT Tips to anyone it will help!! 75 Must-Have Resistance Band Training Tips For Fitness Professionals For more FREE RBT Tips Visit: www.resistancebandtraining.com Page 1 Please Forward 75 Must-Have RBT Tips to anyone it will help!! Table of Contents Introduction Band Construction Band Care Choosing the Right Band size Basic Set-up Getting Started with Resistance Band Training Cardio Training Band Flexibility Young Athletes Band Training Partnership Training About the Author Contact Info For more FREE RBT Tips Visit: www.resistancebandtraining.com Page 2 Please Forward 75 Must-Have RBT Tips to anyone it will help!! Introduction Resistance bands have been around since the late 70’s. Our understanding of functional training and better yet, how the body really works has become a hotly debated topic in the fitness industry since the early 90’s. As a fitness professional we were force fed the idea that function training was performing things like stability ball training, balance board training or one leg balance work. We were told that Olympic lifts or variations of those lifts were the best way to improve functional strength. This was followed by the concepts of strongman training or variations of those movements which has now filtered itself into the world of functional fitness and Boot Camp training. You could make incredible arguments for all of these methods when it comes to training our body to functionally move more efficiently and with greater power. However the one principle I rarely hear about these days in the fitness industry, and specifically in the development of human movement, is the principle of training the “DRIVERS” of function. What are the “DRIVERS” of function?? The real drivers of functional movement are momentum, gravity and ground reaction. As a fitness professional, understanding how these reactively drive functional movement will ultimately dictate how and what you choose to train with. Ultimately, the body is a “reactor not a contractor” when it come to adapting to changes in momentum, gravity and ground reaction forces. There is very little conscious thinking occurring as we move throughout the day. For more FREE RBT Tips Visit: www.resistancebandtraining.com Page 3 Please Forward 75 Must-Have RBT Tips to anyone it will help!! Training tools or better yet training programs that train our body how to optimally handle momentum, gravity and ground reaction will ultimately allow our body to produce the most force output with the greatest movement precision. You’re going to Train with What?? If I told you that I am going to train your body to quickly and forcefully dominate momentum, gravity and ground reaction forces, you would probably say “Who cares??” If I continued on and explained that I was going to use a simple 41 inch continuous piece of rubber, that cost less than $20, to accomplish this; you would say “Are you kidding me”?? What would your clients say if you told them you could make them move like a gazelle around the tennis court or dance floor?? What if you could get unwanted fat to literally fall off their body?? What if you had your clients blowing by their children in a take no prisoner race to the park?? What if being an athlete at 40 was still very possible for some of your clients?? Lastly, what if you could eliminate your clients nagging low back and shoulder pain?? The point is you will and you can if you start to influence and enhance how the body deals with momentum, gravity and ground reaction forces For more FREE RBT Tips Visit: www.resistancebandtraining.com Page 4 Please Forward 75 Must-Have RBT Tips to anyone it will help!! Meet one of the best tools to enhance functional strength and power Resistance bands accelerate gravity, increase momentum and reactively train your body on how to decrease ground reaction force or time. Now there are several tools that can impact one or two of these but there is no other tool that can do that while still allowing you to train regular movement patterns including running. Weights teach us how to handle gravity at slower speeds. Body weight training teaches us how to control our body against gravity. However neither of these teaches us how to harness that strength and bring it onto the field of life or sport like resistance bands can. Let’s face it; everyone would like to have an athletically performing and looking body. This could mean improved balance, better agility, good running skills, more flexibility, better power, or a leaner, more sculpted appearance. As a fitness professional, the more athletic you can get your clients feeling and seeing, the longer you have them as client. Fitness professionals all have their favorite programs, workouts and exercises. However, the bottom line is to make sure the training gets results. Do your present training tools allow you to? Create force vectors in all planes or diagonals Get clients to move like they do naturally Get stronger where it counts... on the field of life Train your clients anywhere For more FREE RBT Tips Visit: www.resistancebandtraining.com Page 5 Please Forward 75 Must-Have RBT Tips to anyone it will help!! Make every workout a new experience Provide unlimited resistance and exercise options Address all aspects of fitness and performance Resistance band training can do all of that and a whole lot more. Resistance Band Training (RBT) is a systematic training approach that employs resistance bands as the primary training tool. RBT can go where you want to go. Parks, homes, parking lots, churches, gymnasiums….. You name it. With RBT you become a gym without walls. Most fitness professionals still evaluate bands as a last alternative to resistance training. Very few trainers don’t understand how RBT will help their clients get leaner, stronger, and more powerful while keeping helping them stay injury free and pain free. RBT is not that difficult to learn how to implement and considering the cost to train with bands, it actually becomes extremely cost effective, highly versatile and unmatched in regards to its incredible training impact. I hope my introduction did not bore you but rather created a different mindset when it comes to how as a fitness professional you evaluate RBT. I hope you find my 70 RBT Must Have Tips for Trainers to be helpful regardless if you are a present user of bands or are considering it. Thank you and enjoy the manual. Dave Schmitz www.resistancebandtraining.com For more FREE RBT Tips Visit: www.resistancebandtraining.com Page 6 Please Forward 75 Must-Have RBT Tips to anyone it will help!! Choosing the BEST Band to Purchase 1. All bands are not created equal. Layered bands are by far the most durable band do to their latex matrix construction, especially when “latex bonding” is incorporated into the construction process. Latex bonding heats and glues every layer of the band versus waiting until the end to heat the band. This enhances the layering process and eliminates bands splitting. Molded bands are simply thick theraband that will easily tear like a sheet of paper once a small tear is developed along the side of the band. A “latex bonded” layered band has multiple layers that adds 400% greater tensile strength and durability to the band. 2. Best layered band is a band that uses “latex welding” to firmly adhere the end of the final layer onto the band. This eliminates any peeling that can occur as the band is repeatedly stretched out. Peeling does not necessarily weaken the band but it can give the RBT beginner the perception that the band is defective. 3. Band texture is also important. Bands should be tacky and easily adhere to the surface they are attached to. This allows for a strong attachment that is slip free and comfortable. 4. Bands should feel firm not soft. A soft band is comfortable at first but will quickly tear when put under tension. Firm bands have greater durability and will hold up under heavy use. For more FREE RBT Tips Visit: www.resistancebandtraining.com Page 7 Please Forward 75 Must-Have RBT Tips to anyone it will help!! 5. Band resistance levels should be created by differences in width not thickness. Any band that is thicker than 1/8 inch is typically over layered and will have a tendency to peel and split easier. 6. Make sure you only purchase flat bands versus tubular bands. Tubular bands are a molded hollow band that will not hold up to the training used at www.resistancebandtraining.com . Tubular bands are more designed for light strength training where forces are kept relatively low and reps high. 7. Nylon covered tubular bands were created to eliminate the breaking issue with tubular bands. Unfortunately this nylon covering creates a solid stop point that can lead to injury. With the type of running and explosive drills we perform, I would strongly recommend not trying to replicate them using nylon covered tubular bands. You must have an unlimited end point just in case clients accidentally stretch the band to far which often can occur when training at high intensities like we frequently do at RBT.com. 8. Bungee cords versus tubular band do provide better durability but once again they have a solid end point. Also, they have a rounded construction which does not adhere well to attached surfaces. This will also slide or roll when attached to poles or other stable structures. Lastly, bungee cords do not allow you to create for belts or harnesses like flat bands do.